What happens when a strong woman builds an all-women team made up of diverse individual traits that somehow meld together to work in perfect harmony? Well, you get a cool concept that lets you immerse yourself in design, art, food, ideate, collaborate and a lot more. What’s it called? The Project Cafe Goa.
Located in the regal village of Assagaon with its old and large mansions and tree-lined roads, this one is housed in a 130-year-old mansion called Amalia. Walk in, and you can’t miss the beautiful Bismarckia tree in the front garden. Traverse the garden and you spot a swimming pool and a few cottages behind the main house. No two rooms here are alike. The room we had was done up in a colourful palate of green and blue, with the traditional Goan red flooring adding to its charm. Every room is air-conditioned, comes with an attached bathroom (with all the toiletries) and a super fluffy, comfy bed. Interestingly every year, each room undergoes a change in design by a fresh new designer, and if there is anything that you like in the room, be it the painting or the cupboard, table, upholstery, etc., then it is all available by order! This pretty much applies to everything across the property. Every inch of the property – both indoors and outdoors- is like an art gallery, complete with paintings on the walls along with other art work, and some pottery installations in the lawns. Tariff starts at INR 6,000.
There is a separate restaurant in the main house that also doubles up as a space for some interesting talks, discussions and other curated events, other than the fine dining experience it offers. The menu is a mixed bag of fusion food with local and international influences. They do provide comfort food or an Indian menu for in-house guests. The breakfast is included in the package, and is perfect to be had in the garden along with some chirping birds for company. The all-day café is located in the garden outside, and is a great place to admire some more art installations, or even attend live entertainment on some evenings. Additionally, they have a luxurious lounge which is the perfect setting for a high tea. They have a store inside which is stocked with designer apparel, books and other accessories from various designers.