Stain Glass Cottage - Guest House

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Phone: +91 8322780249

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Last updated: 09/01/2010

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Overview

Location & area

Address:
8P, Morais Colony Per-Seraulim, Colva 403708, Goa, India

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Review - Stain Glass Cottage

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6/10
Goan razzmatazz - country cottage in modern environ
Submitted by: smitten in 28/06/10
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  • Traveller type: Adventurer
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After two days of driving through Kerala, Karnataka and finally reaching Goa, we found the way to Maria Vaz's Stain Glass Cottage in Margoa.
We were pleasantly surprised to see a modern building designed in a very traditional way. All the elements of a traditional Goan house were there... the tiled roof, the large well with its wall embedded with tiny blue-and-white tile pieces, and the large sit-outs.
Maria Vaz was there to welcome us and after introducing us to the staff and exchanging a few pleasantries, she was on her way. She did not stay here... "there is some work going on at my place... just a few streets away" she said.
Every thing about the place was spic and span - the themed rooms - named after the colours in the stain glass windows, the well maintained airconditioner, the WiFi in all rooms, and the staff who knew when to give us privacy... everything was just
right... however the one thing missing was the host!
In our opinion Stain Glass Cottage cannot be called a 'real homestay' as the host lived away from the place... even if it was just a couple of streets away! Incidentally, Maria had been "a police officer in Dubai" - looks like the gulf between us and the 'gulf returned' people had been bridged again! Her law-enforcement experience probably explained how she was able to manage the place.
Except for the fact that the place was actually owned by Maria's daughter (who is 'somewhere abroad'), and the family also in the "process of setting up some more properties in the area", which meant that the place was more like a guest house, and
less like a homestay... the Stain Glass cottage was very homely in its decor and comforts.
The next day we got to meet Ashley Gregory - the new manager, who is also set to manage all the properties owned by the Vaz family. Over the last month or so, since he had moved to Goa from Mumbai, he had brushed up on his konkini and was able to
interact with the locals and got a lot of "inside info"... he was very helpful in suggesting a lot of "non-touristy, local, happening places, hangouts and restaurants in the area".
It turns out that Ashley has some Tam-brahm (as the Brahmins from Tamilnadu, India, with a distinct culture are called) genes in him... his grand father had converted to Christianity while all his other grand aunts and uncles had remained Srinivasans
and Ramans ... in an alternative universe he might be speaking tamil for all we know! If only he was staying in the place, he would have made the perfect host.
Even though we did not get to savour the Goan specialties at Stain Glass Cottage (we opted to eat-out all the major meals), we had some 'real English breakfast every day' - toast, eggs and lovely jams and marmalades.
The next day, we drove out of Goa up further North into Maharashtra.