This 236-YO Villa in Curtorim Is Goa’s Best-Kept Secret for Slow Travel

The click of a Bakelite switch broke the silence.

It was a small, deliberate sound, the kind that instantly anchors you in another era. As the fan stirred above me, I realised I had entered a Goa far removed from beach shacks, loud playlists, and hurried itineraries. This was a Goa shaped by memory and habit. A Goa that lived in details, and invited you to notice them.

I had come looking for that version of the state. The one that survives in fading photographs and half-remembered family stories. The one my grandparents spoke about when they described village homes, slow afternoons, and conversations that unfolded without the pressure of time. That search led me away from the bustle of the north and deep into South Goa, where life follows a gentler rhythm and history still feels present in everyday corners.

Curtorim was exactly that kind of place. Green and expansive, it felt like a village that had learned to wait.

A village that has learnt to wait

Curtorim lies around 30 km from Panaji, tucked into South Goa’s hinterland. Known for its lakes, fields, and long-standing agrarian traditions, the village carries a sense of continuity that is increasingly rare. The roads are shaded, the air feels cooler under the trees, and you begin to slow down even before you arrive.

It was here, amid dense greenery and calm waters, that I found Mansão Curtorim.

The 7,000 sq ft Portuguese-era villa sits beside a lake, its perimeter framed by giant old trees that have watched the village change across generations. The first view of the home felt almost like a pause. A whitewashed façade. Arched doorways. A red-tiled roof that looked as though it had settled comfortably into its surroundings.

Inside, the home revealed itself gradually. Antique four-poster beds. Patterned floor tiles worn smooth by time. Restored wooden furniture placed with care. And those original Bakelite switches, still doing their job with an old-world certainty.

I spent two days here, and in that time, the house gently reset my pace. If you are searching for a Goa that speaks softly and steadily, Mansão Curtorim offers a way in.

The custodians of a 236-year story

Mansão Curtorim has stood for nearly two and a half centuries. For generations, it belonged to the Costa family, who lived here until the home gradually fell silent. After remaining unused for close to 50 years, the mansion entered a new phase in 2006, when Bennita and Ganesh Subramaniam from Bengaluru purchased it with the intention of restoring it.

They named the home Arco Iris, a name that held personal significance for them. The inscription still remains on the property today. The name does not carry a wider historical link, and the previous owners were not the original builders of the house, but the mark of that chapter still stays on, like a preserved signpost.

A further chapter unfolded when the villa became part of the CGH Earth Saha portfolio. Under CGH Earth’s stewardship, the home reopened to guests in October 2024 as Mansão Curtorim, carrying forward its history while allowing it to be lived in once again.

Restoring without erasing

Walking through the house, it became clear that the restoration was guided by restraint. The aim was to protect the building’s personality, and let its original character lead.

Architect Paul Rodrigues approached the project with a deep respect for the villa’s Indo-Portuguese roots. “The approach behind the restoration of Mansão Curtorim was to bring this beautiful home into an aesthetic that reflected a typical Goan Christian home,” he explained. “Set in the picturesque village of Curtorim, the intention was to tell a story filled with romance. The result was not to merely renovate but to resurrect.”

Property manager Nazeem Shaikh echoed the same philosophy. “As with any heritage home, comfort had to coexist with character,” he said. “So subtle changes were made, like refreshing the façade and verandah flooring, and redesigning the bathrooms with lime plaster and terracotta tiles so they retained that rustic Indo-Portuguese charm.”

The restoration took nearly 15 months. The thick laterite walls were retained, as were the original doors and the Mangalore-tiled roof. Several pieces of furniture, some dating back to the early 1900s, were carefully restored and reintegrated using traditional French polishing techniques. The outcome feels like a home returned to itself, rather than a space remade for display.

Spaces that carry calm confidence

The home’s colour palette stays largely earthy, which makes the dining room feel like a dramatic exception. It is anchored by a twelve-seater table that holds attention instantly, surrounded by cane and rosewood chairs. Deep blue and vibrant yellow bring in energy, with a gentle nod to Portugal’s colonial legacy.

Artwork curated by Paul features nineteenth-century illustrations and Azulejo (traditional Portuguese tile) motifs, celebrating Portugal’s tile-making tradition without turning the walls into a gallery. The room feels built for long meals, stories retold, and the kind of lingering that rarely fits into a packed travel plan.

Moving through the villa, I noticed how each corner seemed thoughtfully considered. A chair placed where you might naturally sit. A window framing a patch of green. A corridor that encourages you to look up at the ceiling, then down again at the floor tiles that have seen generations cross them.

Bedrooms that feel like inheritance

Mansão Curtorim houses six ensuite bedrooms across four categories: Curtorim, Salcette, Chandor, and Zuari.

“These names keep the sense of place alive,” Nazeem explained. “Curtorim is the village we are in, Salcette is the taluka (administrative subdivision), Chandor is a nearby heritage village, and Zuari is the river that has sustained this land for centuries.”

I stayed in the Curtorim room. Sunlight filtered in through the tiled roof, landing softly on the antique four-poster bed. The room felt spacious in a way older homes often do, with high ceilings and an ease of breathing space. The verandah became my favourite spot, with an old rocking chair that made morning tea feel like a small ritual rather than a routine.

Each room opens to a different view, some facing the garden and others looking towards the lake. High ceilings, red oxide floors, and restored furniture reflect a time when homes were designed to work with the climate. The Curtorim and Salcette rooms feature private balconies, made for slow mornings.

The Zuari room, with its proportions and rosewood accents, feels cinematic in its old-world charm. Modern comforts exist here, but they sit gently within the heritage framework, never overpowering it.

Food rooted in memory

At Mansão Curtorim, food forms a vital part of the experience. Meals do not arrive as a checklist of dishes. They arrive as stories you can taste.

Chef Precila Fernandes leads the kitchen with an emphasis on familiarity and tradition. “Our idea was to bring back the flavours we grew up with, the kind of food you would find simmering in Goan kitchens on a Sunday afternoon,” she told me.

Lunch arrived as a traditional Goan thali. The table was dressed with a handwoven Kunbi saree (traditional checkered textile worn by Goa’s farming communities). Terracotta bowls rested on a banana leaf, and rice came wrapped the way farmers once carried meals to the fields. Even the setting felt like an invitation to see how daily life once looked here, and how much of it still continues.

Dinner was generous and deeply comforting. Chicken xacuti, pork vindaloo, beef vindaloo, and crisp Goan cutlets, each dish carrying layers of spice and memory. Dessert followed with bebinca and serradura, both rich, both familiar, and both hard to rush through.

“The food here is about staying true to Goa’s culinary heritage,” Precila said. “Every dish is made the way it was back in the day, simple and full of flavour.”

Seeing Goa through local lives

Experiences at Mansão Curtorim extend beyond the house, and they are rooted in village life.

“We want guests to feel the pulse of the village,” Nazeem shares. “So we work with partners like Soul Travelling to create immersive hinterland experiences. From heritage trails through Curtorim’s centuries-old churches and some of the oldest homes in Goa to visits to traditional pottery and farming communities, each experience is designed to reveal Goa’s deep cultural layers.”

One evening, I joined a feni(local cashew-based spirit) making session led by Rahul, a local guide who spoke about the craft with ease and pride, and even made cocktails for us. Another day took me to Majorda, the birthplace of pão (Goan bread), where I watched an elderly baker shape loaves with the assurance of someone who has repeated the same motions for decades.

Watching him work, I was reminded that Goa’s heritage survives not through monuments alone, but through people who continue to practise it each day, with skill, stamina, and joy.

As I left Mansão Curtorim, I carried a changed understanding of Goa.

This was a Goa shaped by patience rather than performance. One that lives in old homes, shared meals, and villages that have chosen continuity over speed. Mansão Curtorim holds space for that experience, and gives it to you without asking you to do much at all, except arrive, look closely, and stay long enough to feel it.

For travellers searching for a slower, more grounded experience of the state, this villa offers something rare.

It offers time.

All images courtesy CGH Earth 

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