“Vivenda Dos Palhacos“What does it mean?
What does it mean?
“House of clowns”. She said.
It’s a place with a character. From names of the 4 legged hosts to paintings in Vivenda,everything stands out. Wait till you see the four post bed and the gorgeous bathtub inside the palatial bathroom. There’s something so therapeutic about hearing the church bells in the evening. This property in between a goan village, Majorda promises you everything a ‘typical’ goan holiday doesn’t.
Vivenda dos palhacos belongs to the Haywards family. There are little pieces of evidence in every corner. Simon and Charlette, a sibling duo run this place. If you are looking for a prim and proper resort with timings for high tea, breakfast and pool timings, this place is NOT for you. In Vivenda, we ate breakfast at 12 noon, swam in their pool till 11 PM and requested for a sandwich at midnight. When Charlotte said, “make yourself at home“, we knew exactly what she meant. It was a home away from home.
What we loved?
The Character: 3 adorable dogs welcome you at the door. They are completely harmless and are the sweetest dogs ever! Vivenda is a 100-year-old property and every little thing is sourced to match the theme. The fans are all antique and are from Mumbai’s chor bazaar. There are tons of books and it feels like all they want you to do is to take a book, chill in one of their barber shop chairs in the verandah and read em!
The Pool: The pool in Vivenda has absolutely no chlorine. Swimming there is like swimming in a fresh water pond. Beautiful water and a gorgeous shape. We played and jumped into the water multiple times. Such unforgettable pool memories were made at Vivenda’s pool.
The Community Breakfast: Every morning, everyone who stays in this boutique hotel has breakfast in the same table. We absolutely loved the conversations ranging from global warming to how adorable are the 3 dogs in Vivenda. The goan pau is so delicious that N and I have become fans of it! We also devoured some home made jams, sulolios, fluffy omelets and freshly squeezed orange juices! Vivenda was a breakfast paradise!
The Rooms: The room we stayed in was called konnagar. Each room in this place is named after a place Simon/Charlette have visited and loved. Some of the other room names are Ooty, Darjeeling, Madras etc. Our room had a high ceiling and the cast iron bath tub was saved from the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. Told you it had a character!
The Lorry Back Bar: The bar/reception is the hub of all activity. They’ve sourced products from a lorry back; the horn, the counter, etc. Everything about this part of the place is quirky. The sense of humor of Simon is unmistakable through out! A nice mug of beer on a sunny goan day at this lorry back bar is to die for!
What we did
Exploring corners of Vivenda, reading their journal about the place. We sat on the lorry back bar and had their famous dry martini. Explored off beat beaches and forts in south Goa. Happened to see the bioluminescence in a beach very close to Vivenda. There is a couple who come into Vivenda and give the best massages. Such a beautiful place and you must spend 2 nights here.
How to get there?
We drove down from Bangalore but there are flights to Goa. Vivenda is in middle of Goa. It’s calm goan village and is easily accessible. Beach is just a 5 min ride from the place. It’s a very calm not so popular beach!
So will Vivenda Dos Palhacos be your next check-in?
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