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    • Design

    Beleza by the Beach—Discover quietude with breeze, views and comfort galore at this South Goa resort designed by Samiir Wheaton

    MAR 11, 2022 | By Pratishtha Rana
    Set in a unprecedented spot, the resort is enveloped with verdant vegetation on one side and a beauteous beach on the other; Photographs courtesy Akshay Sharma
    Large windows and ventilated balconies allow an abundance of natural light into the rooms; Photographs courtesy Akshay Sharma
    Made up of cut pieces of wood joint together are all beds and bedside tables at the resort; Photographs courtesy Akshay Sharma
    The superior room is a luxurious treat featuring a colour scheme sourced from the eclectic shades of Goa; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage
    Revel in ultimate comfort at the colourful capacious Junior Suite Photographs courtesy Akshay Sharma
    Guaranteeing ideal family reunions or group vacations are the gorgeous Goan villas; Photographs courtesy Akshay Sharma
    The resorts romantic designs revolve around an indoor-outdoor space theme; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage
    The resort's restaurants are surrounded by coconut trees, and are constructed with recycled teakwood, bamboo and plantation wood decor and furnishings; Photographs courtesy Shanon
    Floored with honey comb cement tiles in the colours of the flora is Tentacao; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage
    Creating private cosy spaces, crafting sumptuous experiences are the terrace suites featuring private jacuzzies; Photographs courtesy Akshay Sharma
    Offering an assortment of therapies from Ayurveda to Swedish massages is the spa at Beleza; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage
    Presenting a serene sense of calm are the couple's therapy rooms; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    Laid back but young, electric but inviting and cool yet warm, the breezy winds of Goa never pardon anyone who visits the land of the beaches and ocean! The coastal city wrapped in a trance of cultural eclecticism and lush nature, all at once, Goa undoubtedly is one of the most preferred destinations to unwind and unload. Honouring this very thought with a generous dash of natural beauty, luxury and comfort is Beleza by the Beach co-owned by Radhika Bahl, Bhavna Bahl Talwar and Raghav Bahl.

    An astute design project authored by Samiir Wheaton of Wheaton Design Private Limited Jaipur, Beleza by the Beach spells a slow lifestyle pinned on the needs of modern guests. 

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    The wit is in details…

    Samiir informs, “The design evolved keeping in mind – the use of materials which are easy to maintain by the sea side salinity, the rooms to have lot of natural light, and the Villas to be connected and yet be private and quiet.”

    Recycled Burmese teakwood, bamboo and other certified plantation woods make up the sustainable interiors at the resort; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    A meticulous selection of materials meant rendering the resort with a soothing, earthy mood that engages with pops of colours in soft furnishings.  Thus, birthed the brief to keeps the spaces organic and sober, away from the loudness of design and every element tied together.

    Samiir goes on to add, “Extensive plantation has been done with an amalgamation of beautiful flora and fauna to give a Goan feel, which is also very close to the life of the Bahls.” 

    Locally sourced selection of material was made in the resort’s design maintaining in mind sea-side salinity; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    Sprawling a stunning eight acre linear area, Beleza by the Beach sees 200m wide white sand beach front and endless stretches of paddy field. “This gave us an opportunity for one restaurant and a bar each,” adds Samiir. 

    The free-floating wooden bench over at the Paddy bar sprawls vies of the paddy fields; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    Located on the beach front is Nazarè and the one on the paddy field is Tentaçaõ. This seamless romance of the greenery, the sea, azure skyline and of course, the humming of guests keeps the property buzzing with an energy that’s hard to miss!

    Art of design at Beleza

    Beleza by the Beach is a cradle of 95 spacious rooms across 2,500 sq ft of low lying two-storey tapered roof cottage-like edifices. With a central 40mts pool skirted by day cafe Pavilhaõ, guests can also indulge in a quiet private lap pool, jacuzzi at the beautiful spa Espaço Divino.

    The restaurant ‘Tentacao’ remains true to its namelike ‘temptation’ in Portuguese, offering a selection of international and local cuisines; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    From its original layout, the resort has gone some structural facelifts, evidently gorgeous and functional in existence. Samiir elaborates, “The outer structure of the buildings was retained and internally everything like the staircase, flooring, spacing and openings was shifted around to create 55 rooms from existing 30 rooms. In the second phase of the project, four new blocks were created with ten rooms in each. So 40 additional rooms came about.”

    What’s it like inside?

    Sauntering through the main entryway of Beleza by the Beach resort in Goa, an instant drapery of the nature-bound sounds of the waters, greenery, birds and the sheer tranquility of Goa surrounds you. 

    Inspired by the ocean waves, soft meandering turns leads to the beach on the left and reception on the right, which showcases 25m long row of solid black marble columns, supporting manta-ray shaped roof.

    Flaunting 150 year old earthy moulding columns on its walls is the walkway leading towards the spa; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    Opening into a pathway splashed with coloured plantation throughout, one can navigate to the individual villas. The nucleus as they call it, the bamboo spiral roof structure Pavilhaõ takes design influences from the shape of a spiral shell. 

    Ambling further in, a wave-shaped pool greets the paddy scapes. Next comes the Tentaçaõ restaurant with an al fresco sit-out verandah and open kitchen that fires up some super scrumptious wood-fired thin crust pizzas. A wooden slatted roof with hanging lights looks below at the honeycomb tiled flooring, designed in the colours of the environment around from orange to blue.

    Rejuvenate with the tranquility-inducing spa services and treatments at Beleza; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    One must not be surprised to meet the paddy bar, standing at the far end, which embraces a free-floating wooden bench cantilevering on the fields.

    Offering some quietude and doses of more aesthetics are the spa and gym. The spa engulfs a traditional clay tiled multifold sloping roof. The aisle of the spa is a row of columns which are 150 years old from a chettiar housing. 

    Wooden slated ceilings and box-shaped hanging lights add warmth to the ambiance of Tentacao, the multi-cuisine restaurant; Photographs courtesy Datta Gawage

    A lengthy, curved bamboo plantation in semblance of a tunnel guides one to the beach front restaurant and bar Nazaré fringed by tall coconut trees, cool breeze and white sand with the catchy design elements of the bar counter inspired by the shipping vessels which beset the sea across.

    Sustainably stylish!

    Beautiful with a meaning, that’s Beleza by the Beach in its essence. With sustainable interior elements dotting the space at every turn and curve, Samiir informs of the star feature of this venue, recycled Burmese teakwood, bamboo and of course, the certified plantation woods.

    Seating at the Nazare restaurant; Photographs courtesy Shannon Rodrigues

    Ensuring an indoor-outdoor connectivity, the terrace suites also fashion an adjoined terrace with an outdoor tub, while most of the prime spaces of the bars and restaurants display an open-to-sky feel.

    Then certainly, the theme of Beleza by the Beach resort in Goa resort, too, mingles with the timeless mood of the sea that borders Goa panoramically as well as aesthetically. In fact, a lot of wood at the resort is used from dismantled ships and boats!

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