Desperately in need of a holiday and ignoring all our friends who said it would be unbearably hot and everything good would have shut down, we took a trip to Goa. And it was wonderful. Yes, a lot of our favorite restaurants and shacks were closed but we discovered so many places which we would probably ignore during the buzzy season.

Where we stayed

Down the road we discovered this eclectic concept store housed in a Portugese villa. My pick would be the beaten metal heart earrings by Amrita Hans

Le Poisson Rouge – we’d always driven past this and gone onto J&A. This time we had dinner there and it was a lovely quiet night.

A table with a natural leaf design at Sotohaus, a bright furniture, lighting, and art store.

A day at the pool, a relaxing massage at the Jiva Spa followed by Thai food at The Banyan Tree

A drive to Fort Aguada and down the winding road to the macabre jail.

Colorful printed kaftans and dresses at Turquoise & Gold

One of our favorite restaurants Fiesta was open till mid-May – the goat cheese with waffles and honey was sublime.

A sprawling cafe and boutique tucked away in Anjuna. We whiled away many hours at Artjuna reading old issues of Vanity Fair and Tatler and drinking fantastic coffee.