A Stay is an inherent & an important part of any holiday or travel. Traditionally it was the Hotels & Resorts which were the options for your Stay, but with the change in the digital landscape came the likes of AirBnB & OTAs with the service Apartment & Villa concepts and the also allowed hosts to open their homes to people.
We at The Goa Plan think of Homestays as the quintessential immersive travel experience, where a traveler gets to get intimate with the destination, its culture, cuisine and most importantly its people.
We see Homestays as the beginning of a vacation tailored to your needs that offer the chance to explore Goa ,have very meaningful conversations beyond the superficial nature of packaged travel options .Homestays have also opened up windows of opportunity, for both hosts and travellers, to forge friendships that last beyond that week-long trip.
A Homestay experience is true sense an intimate encounter with the people of the land that is Goa. Where we harness the hosts intimate knowledge of the region their understanding of their culture & heritage and their deeply symbiotic relationship with nature. This is what we mean when The Goa Plan intends to provide an immersive encounter of life of the villages, towns & the people who reside in Goa
Stories
Every town, village or village area called Vaddo will have its stories, legends and history. From how the place came into existing to the ghost in the village and the local Rakhandar – a revered supernatural entity with demonic and divine powers are just some of the examples …
Heritage
A lot of our homestays are heritage houses most built in the Goan Portuguese style of architecture and are perfect places to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past of the land of Goa
Cuisine & Spirits
Each family has its traditions of preparing the famous as well as the not so famous dishes of Goa . Homestays are the best ways to to discover these recipes, some of which have been for centuries in that households. Right from the basic fish curries to or the Uddamethi or Ambadyache sansav ( Hog plum Curry) & the more complex dishes like Samarachi Kodi (Dried prawn curry made with aspecial Goan chilli called the Aldona chilli)or the Beef Roulade( Beef fillet corked in gravy with Potatoes and veggies) , – there is a range of dishes to be discovered . Many families are known to make their own variations of the local spirits with spices to suit their palate
Local traditions & Culture
Each place has its local traditions usually linked to the local religious place and has many a times a feast as apart of it . Homestays can be a great way to experience such delights. The traditions can range from fest named after a deity/ church like the 3 kings feast in the South or harvest festivals like Konsachem fest ( Corn festival) or even Chikhalkalo( where the village plays in the Mud reminiscent of Krishna and friends play) to name a few…
Arts, Music & Dance
Each place, village, vaddo or family has its musical or dance traditions. Most ofour Goan-Portuguese architecture homestays have some kind of a musical instrument like a Piano or a Guitar etc as a family heirloom. As rightly depicted in movies Goa and its people have a strong connection with music with Jazz and western stalwarts like Anthony Gonsalves, Lorna as well as Indian classical legends likeKeasrbai Kerkar, Kishori Amonkar, Jitendra Abhsheki. That combined with the heritage like Paintings, carvings and items like rare porcelain in our heritage homestays are a traveler’s delight.
If you’re interested in our heritage homestays check the listing for Andaluzia & Minguel Arcanjo
