Get set, Go-a

On a Wednesday morning, while my friends trudged to work, I was on my way to Villa Zoloft in Assagao, north Goa. The hour-long journey from the airport wasn't tedious thanks to roads that disappear into lush greenery, the cool breeze even on a sunny day and tiled-roof houses that make for good scenery.

With the party haunts – Anjuna and Baga – just 10 minutes away, and the lesser known Gudem beach right around the corner, we seemed to have stepped into a picture postcard, without the noise of tourists.

A boho chic, four-bedroom villa with a swimming pool in the foyer, a pillared verandah and absolutely no phone network (thankfully, there's Wi-Fi!), Villa Zoloft as suggested in the welcome note, indeed turned out to be an 'anti-depressant villa'. All the bedrooms – three on the first floor and one on the ground – were distinctively done up in primary colours with minimal decor elements. Though I'm not much of a seafood person, I helped myself to multiple servings of the fresh, finger-licking prawns cooked by Zoloft's caretaker, who lives on the premises.

On day two, ace photographer Shantanu Sheorey, founder of The One School Goa, took us to Baga river for a photo-walk, armed with Fujifilm Instax mini polaroids. Many instant photos later, we headed to Gunpowder for lunch, post which we went beach hopping. Tired and tanned, we finally arrived 'home'. With a warm bed and soft pillows, I had indeed found my new home in Villa Zoloft.

(The writer visited Villa Zoloft at the invitation of Airbnb)