Elusively tucked away on top of hill, away from the main road of the Parra village in Arpora, Jamshed and Ayesha’s home, Capella, promises an indelible holiday. Camouflaged amongst an acre of lush green surroundings, the house is an impressive result of the couple’s long nurtured dream of making Goa their home. Even though it was a sizable self-designed architectural feat, Capella exudes the creative attention and imaginative nuances in every corner. The house is a remarkable endeavour to maintain the traditional features of Goan architecture along with all contemporary amenities.
The well ventilated and brightly lit rooms are wonderful to enjoy a good book or just get submerged in the various shades of green outside. Antique furniture, including the high beds with posts for mosquito nets, adds to the aesthetic charm of the house. Not a single corner of the house is deprived of an ingenious characteristic; the most alluring being the courtyard of the house with a wooden swing overlooking the stone pond in the centre.
Absorbing breakfast conversations with Jamshed and Ayesha are sure to kick start the day well. Jamshed is quick to joke about their affable eccentricity of serving a colossal mug of morning tea to all who visit the house and the mighty Luca, the couple’s pleasantly docile ‘leaf- eating’ Rottweiler. It is amusing to see the peaceful & non- intrusive existence of the two cats and a dog in the same house. Engaging stories of Jamshed’s trips to Ladakh every year, test driving cars, his assembled Enfield bike, Ayesha’s tryst with travel writing for years, proud acquisitions of aged furniture from the ancestral house and their love for posters calls for several cups of tea.
Avid wildlife enthusiasts, they have a collection of various books on the subject with many more in the personal library. One can grab a drink from the unmonitored “honesty bar’ of the living room at any point, as long as you maintain the authenticity of your consumption in a notebook kept along side. One can plan a diverse itinerary with their help to have a wholesome Goa experience.
Hospitality comes natural to Jamshed & Ayesha with their experience of running J & A’s Little Italy, a charming Italian restaurant by the Baga River. Its sumptuous desserts and innovative experimental recipes have fetched great testimonials from food aficionados for the past fifteen years. Guests at Capella are welcome to drop in and have a meal at 20% discount.
The staff of the house is an integral part of the family and are welcoming and forthcoming to help, emulating the hospitality by the hosts. Maria’s cooking is remarkable enough to steer clear from the shacks of Goa and Surinder’s has a strange contagious affability, which will find you in the middle of a mangled conversation in English with him.
Inclined to preserve the eminent Goan hospitality and vibrancy, Jamshed and Ayesha, with their son Zaal, are keen on inviting guests who are discerning nature loving
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