Goa is known for its live-in-the-moment lifestyle, but here, the isolation creates a sense of timelessness. Tucked into a coconut grove between a mile of privately owned beach and the olive-green salt waters of Otter Creek, these 3 red-roofed villas are Goan gems. Built in the late 1880s, they were restored in 2006 by the fashion photographer Denzil Sequeira. His great-grand uncle was the priest in question; he lived in the largest house (which now has 3 double bedrooms), and baked bread and kept pigs in the other, smaller 2 (aptly named The Bakery and The Piggery).

Not that you'd guess it now. Interiors possess the same stylish flair - cobalt-blue bathrooms, muslin-draped four-posters, open rafters, turquoise wooden shutters - as Denzil's other properties, The Captain's House and Otter Creek Tents, both of which lie nearby. Security guards guarantee your peace and safety, waiters and room cleaners melt into the scenery, and a bevy of chefs conjure up Goan delights in the beach shack restaurant nearby.

Rooms

Blessings, bread or bacon: it's your choice. The Priest's House, an old ochre-yellow building restored with lots of character, is the largest and most distinctive of the houses and offers 3 ensuite double bedrooms. The Bakery and The Piggery are a little smaller (2 ensuite bedrooms each), with rust-coloured walls and better sea views. Because of its layout, with a separate entrance and veranda for each of the 2 bedrooms, The Bakery is often let on an individual-room basis. All 3 villas are situated under swaying palms, a short sandy walk from the beach, and are about 50m apart from each other in a triangle.

Interiors share a soothing, rustic palette of reds, browns, ochre, white and blues. Traditional clover-leaf crosses and crucifix cabinets ensure the angels watch over you; cobalt-blue bathrooms are eco-friendly and open to the sky . There are no kitchens, but you get a drink-filled minibar/fridge and a wine rack (you just pay for what you’ve used when you leave) and a kettle-cum-percolator complete with tea, coffee, milk and sugar.

Most of the beds are wooden four-posters with muslin curtains that are more romantic than mosquito-proof, although mosquitos aren't really a problem except a few around dawn and dusk (when windows and doors should be closed, long-sleeved clothing worn, and plug-in mossie-machines activated!).

The houses have no communal living rooms, but each has its own spacious veranda with comfortable Planter chairs (with slightly awkward leg rests) and mattressed sun-loungers.The Priest's House and The Piggery also have music systems with iPod docking stations.

Rooms are cleaned 6 days out of 7 and, to conserve well water and reduce detergent pollution, bed linen and towels are changed regularly.

Photos