Location: Cabo Serai, Cabo de Rama, Goa
Imagine driving through the undulating lanes of southern Goa to your hide-away, an untamed verdant hillside with a handful of wooden lodges perched near the top. As you near it, the road ends. A hotel biker leads your car across an open expanse of volcanic rock. Then, you walk: down ancient stone steps, through a coconut grove, across a stream whose mountain water tumbles towards a secret pristine beach by the Arabian Sea. A buggy takes you up the twisting path to the lodges. You have arrived at Cabo Serai.
Cabo Serai is a real retreat. It owns its panoramic 14-acre view across native trees bright with blossoms, birds and butterflies to the rugged coast dotted with Portuguese forts. Its aim is rejuvenation - to remove stress, anxiety and worry so you find your own wellness spot. It offers freedom from schedule, tranquility for unwinding, and the promotion of all-round health in mind and body. There are no rules, going barefoot is encouraged. Respect for your personal lifestyle allows you to imbibe more fully nature's healing powers. You could go off exploring but as the days unroll it is more likely Cabo Serai's healing peace will hold your focus. If you have like-minded friends, why not take all of Cabo Serai and curate your own escape?
Must-do: Linger over cocktails on the hilltop till the stars come out.
Cabo Serai buzzwords: private relaxation, nature immersion, no-rules peace.
Ideas for unpacking your kind of slow-down wellness at Cabo Serai
A beautiful single-stone bench and some reviving tender coconut water mark your arrival at Cabo Serai, and set the tone for your experience.
Feel and smell the goodness of showing with an open-air view of the enticing Arabian Sea - perhaps stroll down to the beach for a swim?
Enjoy your kind of relaxing wellness in the privacy of your lodge. Compliment it with some yoga, meditation, a hike, a swim in the sea, or a walk to spot some of the 85 different species of forest and marine birds.
Each guest lodge is built of wood and local stone, has large indoor/outdoor living spaces, spectacular sea views and strong wifi.
Meals are organic and informal, made from local ingredients and enjoyed in the bar-restaurant lodge with a sweeping sea view - or wherever you fancy, perhaps the beach? Guests are encouraged to get involved with the cooking.
Cabo Serai is so tranquil and self-contained that you may leave without having explored its surroundings. But the Portuguese - who arrived in 1510 and made Goa headquarters of their astonishingly lucrative maritime empire - have left baroque churches, grand mansions, and a thriving Portuguese-Indian culture.
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My 2020-2021 Small-group Tours will be suffused in wellness - it's what we need!
If you have not traveled with me before.....
please know that we experience great sights in the best possible way, with lots of add-on encounters and visits to off-beat places. We meet conservationists, curators, craftsmen and musicians, we walk with naturalists, we cook with local chefs. In sum, we imbibe the essence of each area thanks to my four decades of studying and visiting India - and making great friends who I share with you.
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