Shanti Morada

This cozy boutique hotel is housed in the historic Casa de Morada, a restored mansion that dates back to 1897. The hotel has been beautifully renovated and updated to modern standards, with air-conditioning, LED TVs, and rain showers in all 20 of the rooms, yet it continues to retain many of its historic touches, with lots of antique furniture and decorative pieces in rooms and public areas. The grounds here are equally attractive, with a large pool overlooked by a Jacuzzi and flanked by a waterfall fountain with all sorts of tropical foliage. Unusual for a high-end Goa hotel, Shanti Morada is not on the beach; in fact, the nearest stretch of sand, in Calangate, is about two miles away. Instead, the hotel offers easy access to Saligao, a beautifully preserved village and home to the 1873 Church of Mae de Deus (Mother of God), a whitewashed neo-Gothic Catholic church that’s often illuminated at night.