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definite purpose—to take lazing about to new dimensions. Don’t expect to find shacks, vendors, or shops; but your hosts will help you with trips to the markets, restaurants, and party zones, if you desire. Come between October and February, and you may spot Olive Ridley and rare loggerhead turtles, since the beach out front is a protected nesting zone. The food is terrific, even though it tends to take forever to get it, and the staff is unobtrusive and ever helpful. And if you want to party, you can probably find something 15 to 20 minutes away. You’ll need to reserve well ahead; do it online at www.aseascape.com, or contact gaze@aseascape.com ( 93-2602-0701 for last-minute bookings or emergencies only). You can expect to pay $1,477 to $2,404 per week; much more during the festive season.

Finally, if you don’t mind being quite close to some of the regular action, the former hippie headquarter village of Anjuna shelters one of the ultimate Goan hideaway “villas,” a rustic chic place named The Hobbit ( 0832/227-4629 or 98-2005-5053; www.thehobbitgoa.com). Fashioned in and around a rock, this was once (minus windows, doors, and ceilings) the psychedelic digs of Anjuna’s famed ’70s hippies, and you’re likely to walk right past the boundary hedge before finding it. Refurbished by the extremely chilled-out Chinmayi and her husband, rally driver Farad Bathena, the Hobbit took birth in 2006, and comprises three boho-sexy rooms on two different levels, done up simply but tastefully (all with air-conditioning and private bathrooms); a sitting and dining room, meditation alcove, and kitchenette; and plenty of porches, a roof terrace, a tiny plunge pool, and semi-open bathrooms around exposed rock with sweeping views of the beach and the neighboring cliff. Even though you are right near the action (2 min. walking distance from the beach), the Hobbit remains secluded, there are unlikely to be any intrusions, but you do have TV, DVD, and Internet should you wish to maintain contact with the outside world. For meals, you can use the services of two nearby shacks—Curly’s (seafood) and Shiva’s (Israeli), which are more than happy to “home” deliver via your very own house attendants who go out of their way to make your stay comfortable. The Wednesday Flea Market is a stone’s throw away, and parties are fairly common in this area but (fortunately) not held on a nightly basis. Ask Chinmayi for the details if you want to make sure you’re at the right place at the right time—or far away from it. Rates are almost embarrassingly fair—Rs 9,900 to Rs 14,400 per night for the entire villa (six adults), including a one-way airport transfer, and housekeeping services, although substantially higher over Christmas and New Years; children under 12 stay free, and you’re responsible for your own meals. The Hobbit, like most villas in Goa, is closed during the monsoon (June–Sept).

Very Expensive

Situated on the short peninsula where the Portuguese built their defensive Aguada Fortress, is Taj Fort Aguada ( 0832/664-5858; www.tajhotels.com), a resort complex comprising three different properties (the Beach Resort, Hermitage, and Holiday Village) clustered together around one of the most spectacular locations in all of Goa. From up here, you get picture-postcard views of the beach, which stretches all the way to Baga, 8km (5 miles) north. Behind the main Beach Resort block are 42 cottages tucked almost invisibly among groves of lantana, cashew, and bougainvillea bush; these are the best places to stay at the Beach Resort (from Rs 18,250) although you don’t get a clear view of the sea from all. Alternatively, for absolute privacy (ideal for groups or families), consider one of the more exclusive Hermitage cottages (Rs 18,250–Rs 38,300 for a one-bedroom villa), built as a retreat for delegates during the 1983 meeting of the Commonwealth heads of government. The cottages are set amid terraced gardens of exotic orchids, bougainvilleas, cashew trees, jasmine, and Krishna ficus. Each villa has a separate living room; a dining area; one, two, or three bedrooms;