Welcome to Arco Iris!!

"Arco Iris”, meaning "Rainbow" in Portuguese is a 200 + year old elegantly & lovingly restored colonial house built on a sprawling, terraced, 1.5 acre property. It overlooks a seasonal lake and is about a Km from the Zuari river. The proximity to the lake and the abundant greenery in and around the property ensures a scenic ambience right through the year.

Arco Iris is located in Curtorim, a quiet village in South Goa, about 7kms from Margao. The village is
dotted with seasonal lakes and paddy fields and is often referred to as the “Granary of Goa”. Besides
being popular with bird watchers as a destination and the attendant photo shoot opportunities that it
affords, Curtorim and its adjoining villages house several places of historical interest.

The house, with a built up area of around 7,000 sq feet, comprises an “entrada” (foyer), “sala” (living
room), dining room, six bedrooms with en suite bathrooms (five on the ground floor and one on the first
floor), lounge, library, fully equipped modern kitchen, utility area, two store rooms and accommodation
for the support staff. Three of the bedrooms open into private balconies. It also has a “balcao” (balcony)
and gallery in front and a courtyard in the rear.

Our family of Bennita (“Beni”), Ganesh (“Gani”), Trusha and Trikaya (“T&T”), resides on the premises.
We provide boarding and breakfast to our guests. Additionally, guests can partake lunch/ dinner upon
prior request. We will be glad to offer our guests any assistance in terms of transport arrangements,
sight -seeing options, leisure activities, or just about anything else which will make their stay in Goa
memorable.

About the hosts

We, Bennita and Ganesh are your hosts during your stay in Arco Iris.

After having spent the better part of our lives inhaling the dust and fumes of Indian urbania, Bennita,
the Goan half of our team decided that there was no place like Goa. Since Gani was only too happy to
second the opinion, our shift to Goa was considered, contemplated and executed in double-quick time.

After having made the decision to make Goa our home, it took us a fair amount of time and energy to
locate the property that would satisfy our myriad requirements. It was after a long and arduous search
of almost a year that we took one look at Arco and instinctively knew that the search had ended. Post
that, the fact that the house had not been occupied for close to three decades, meant that it took us
another three years to restore the house to its present condition.

Arco has been our home now since May 2009 and matters have been helped by the seamless manner in
which Trusha ( 9 years) and Trikaya (7 years) have transitioned to the Goan way of life.

After having experienced the serenity of life in Arco for the last couple of years, we thought it would be
a shame if the pleasures of living in a quaint village in Goa is not shared with other like minded people
(yearning for a interlude in their hectic lives) and hence the decision to open our doors to guests.

About Arco Iris

Arco Iris is set amongst verdant fields and wooded areas on a sloping 1.5 acres of land. The front edge of
the property overlooks a seasonal lake which supplements the water requirements of the surrounding
paddy fields.

The house itself is styled along colonial Portuguese lines with a high plinth, imposing columns,
high ceilings and offers excellent year-round natural ventilation. The house, has been restored and
renovated, true to its heritage and without compromising the modern day requirement for convenience
and comfort. During the restoration process, all efforts have been made to preserve the original
materials which have gone into the construction of the house by using them, at times, for alternate
purposes. The end result is a house which reflects a judicious and tasteful blend of the modern and the
traditional.

The “balcao” or the balcony, is the most social part of the house where any daily activity, be it catching
up with neighbours, reading the morning newspapers, eating , or just plain lazing can be carried out.
The “sala” or the high ceilinged living room is reserved for formally receiving and entertaining visitors.
The dining room is dominated by the dining table which can comfortably seat 8. Incidentally, once you
see the dining table, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that it was originally one of the doors in
the house !!. All the bedrooms and the lounge have been suitably modified to accommodate ensuite
bathrooms with all modern amenities. The colours of the bedrooms have been designed keeping in
mind the colours of the rainbow, and therefore we can offer you a choice of Yellow, Blue, Violet,
Orange and Indigo rooms.