We’re now firmly into the monsoon season in Goa and our Mandrem-based, off-season staff are hard at work down at Ashvem Beach, clearing the endless leaf litter falling from the trees and giving us a fighting chance of our 8000 square metres looking presentable come October.
June unfailingly means rain, rain and more rain. Anybody who lives, or has been to, India during monsoon will testify to its power: buildings are lashed till their walls give up the paint, the roads lie back and submit to being potholed and the optimistic pavements succumb to being crumbled, at least thankful for their 6 months in the sun.
At this time, there’s only one, sure-fire way to protect our linen, hammocks and mattresses from the rain and damp: wrap everything in plastic and seal it. Simple but effective. Even our domes and cottages are wrapped and sealed. When all is done, the process of closing down Ashvem Beach takes just as long as getting ready to open!
People still travel to Goa at this time, some looking for lodgings to escape the rain, others, very optimistically, looking for an open beach resort.
ASHWEM BEACH – Oct. 21st to May 1st
JIVANA PLANTATION (tiled-roof cottages, safe from the rain!) – Oct. 21st to July 14th
THE ARTISTS’ HOUSE (one of the best houses to rent in North Goa) – Oct 21st to July 14th
