Standing proud on a red-rock headland, guarding the mouth of the Tiracol River, this 17th-century military outpost was built to defend Indian territory from foreign invaders. But it was no match for the Portuguese, who not only captured the fort, but added a series of gun turrets and a wedding-cake Catholic church with a bell tower. The battle to fend off Goa’s sweeping invasion of mass tourism has been more easily won – the only way to get here is by ferry.

A national monument, the fort was a gloomy state-run guesthouse until it was leased to Nilaya Hermitage in 2002. A skilful transition followed and now, behind thick stone walls washed with turmeric paintwork, there are 7 nifty designer rooms. Decorated in earthy ochre with polished cement floors and black-tiled bathrooms, they all gaze at the ocean from battlement windows. On the ramparts, there’s a romantic little restaurant and terrace bar. And below, a giant statue of Lord Jesus rises from an inner courtyard, brandishing an illuminated crucifix to the often starry heavens. Truly, this is one of Goa’s most unusual hotels.

Rooms

During its days as a Government guesthouse, the fort was a warren of small rooms, but the Nilaya team sensibly turned bedrooms into bathrooms to create only 7 generous spaces, including 2 suites. Named after the days of the week, the rooms are arranged on 2 levels and all are decorated in the hotel’s distinctive colour scheme: black, white and a palette of strong yellows (saffron and sunflower, ochre and turmeric).

The combinations of colour vary from room to room, but in general you will find ochre and white walls teamed with black paintwork, saffron lampshades and upholstery, black scatter cushions, white drapes hung from black wrought iron rails, black urns, white wicker chairs and yellow polished floors in the bedrooms (black in the bathrooms). The furniture is a mix of contemporary, colonial and ethnic Indian.

All rooms have sea views and a small private terrace, where you can peer through palms at the sea or watch monkeys swing through the trees. Monday and Thursday have private entrances off the courtyard. The suites, Sunday and Friday, have separate living areas and a generous terrace, one of them housed in a defence turret. Cable TV is provided in the suites, and in standard rooms on request.

Bathrooms are spacious with wet-room style open showers, tiled with shiny black ceramic mosaics; most have windows with sea views.

All rooms feature electric ceiling fans (there is no air-con), but the hotel is prone to power cuts. They usually occur during the day, but each room has an emergency supply of candles and matches as well as mosquito repellent and mosquito coils.

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