Ciaran's Cottages & Villas are located on Palolem beach South Goa.The crescent shaped bay of Palolem Beach is lined with swaying coconut palms. In the heart of this idyllic location lies Ciaran’s, a handful of boutique beach cottages set around lush green tropical gardens.

They put a lot of effort into getting your accommodation just right. In fact, they redesign and rebuild Ciaran’s every single year, following the monsoon. As theyll as giving the beach time to replenish and renew, the off-season period allows us to put their thinking caps on and work out how they can make the facilities even better. Last year’s improvements included brighter reading lamps, extra clothing space, plumper cushions, comfier hammocks, and rooftop day beds for their sundeck huts. And that’s just for starters. 

All of their cottages are less than 20 metres from the beach - some are right on the beach. They all have outdoor seating areas, en-suite bathrooms, hot showers, mosquito nets and quiet fans. Because they are right by the sea, they feel fans are best for their huts, as it lets the natural air circulate. It’s also kinder to the environment as fans use less power than air conditioning. However if you prefer, they also have two air conditioned rooms.

There are three different types of cottages:

Garden Cottage (GC): Double cottage with en-suite bathroom, outdoor ground level veranda seating area overlooking their tropical gardens.

Ocean-view Cottage (OC): Double cottage with en-suite bathroom, outdoor ground level veranda seating area overlooking the beach and ocean.

Sundeck Cottage (SC): Double cottage with en-suite bathroom, roof level seating area with day bed. Views over garden and part beach/ocean.

They also have Air Conditioned Rooms (AC) in their garden cottage. These are smaller than the beach cottages but sleep two comfortably. They have en-suite bathrooms and hot showers. These rooms don’t have garden or ocean-facing views however there are plenty of seating areas in their library and garden area for their guests to enjoy.

Their 2009/10 rates range from 2500Rs at low season to 3900Rs at high season. They offer a 10% discount for stays of 7 days or more.

THE VILLAGE HOUSE

Experience Goan village life at the Big House, their beautifully restored traditional villa. Situated near Chandor village, 20 minutes from Margao, the Big House is available for short term rental. Suitable for families or groups of friends, the accommodation is perfect for those seeking the ultimate escape.

Being on the water's edge, you won't be surprised to hear they specialise in seafood, which they buy fresh from Goa's biggest fish market daily. Each evening their chefs cook up the catch of the day, to your liking, on their barbeque and in their tandoori oven.

They also serve a wide selection of Goan meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes, all of them prepared fresh to order in their busy kitchen. And don't worry if you don't like your food spicy, they have a good choice of continental dishes available too.

Their restaurant menu has been designed around locally-sourced ingredients. They even grow their own rice! And they keep chickens at their farm, who are as free range as they come. In fact, most of the time they can be found up the mango trees (yes, their pickles and jams are made with their own mangos too). The chickens do pop down from time to time to lay eggs, which land up on your table.

Ciaran's restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they are always happy to cater for any special occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries. They also host fantastic dinner parties at Christmas and New Year.

Whether you fancy booking an ocean-view table, or just want to pop in for an ice-cold Kingfisher at sunset, they hope to see you soon.

Master bedroom with veranda, four poster double bed

Family bedroom, four poster double bed and single bed

Large main living space, with comfy sofas and dining area

Large kitchen with gas stove, oven and fridge freezer

Bathroom 1 with WC, bath and shower

Shower room

Separate WC

Large outdoor veranda running the length of the house with dining and seating areas

Large private garden with hammocks

Mountain bikes (3)

Kayaks (4)

DVD/CD player

Flatscreen HD TV

Bose Sounddock for iPod

Iron/ironing board

Mini library

Daily cleaning service

Laundry service on request

Driver on request

Meals on request

Barbeque on request

Cooking lessons on request (Goan food)

Bar service on request