Vacation rentals in Parra

“Amazing place and centrally located. A super host and superb hospitality. Much more than expected, cleanliness and space. Serene locality, vehicle compulsory for local movement and little network connection but Wifi solves the problem.”

“Location of this place is the best for the tourists....it's in North Goa.All the beaches and happenings in Goa are very easily accessible from this place. The location is very peaceful....the studio is exactly as shown in the pictures.Also they have a lovely Dog and some beautiful birds in their Garden. They also have ample parking space. The host Luisa is very sweet and will help you to plan your day in your Goa Trip. She can provide you contact for bike rentals and cabs for airport even at odd hours at reasonable prices.”

“The first thing that struck me about Barca is that it’s incredibly well-located, in the heart of Assagaon, on the same street as culinary hotspots Sublime, Gunpowder, SEA and Ruta’s Roadhouse. It occupies a long, narrow plot of land, and has two access points. The front entrance touches upon the culinary street and the back entrance is on a small bylane. The building is a cheerful exposed-brick structure, with ivy snaking up the terracotta-coloured walls. The front porch has a cute garden that houses a cafe, and a walk through the garden leads you to a natural arch formed from tree branches, past which is the entrance to the rooms. The plots on either side of the one occupied by Barca (as indeed the one that my room overlooked) are undeveloped and overrun with lush vegetation. And even though you are in the beating heart of Assagaon, you are surrounded by greenery and hear the calls of birds through the day. The room is accessed through a stairway, past a corridor (both of which afford lovely views of the surrounding vegetation). The room is bathed in natural light, has windows on two sides and a glass door leading into the balcony on the third. To my delight, it had a vaulted ceiling with exposed wooden beams - my favourite ceiling aesthetic. In fact, dark wood is the defining theme of the rooms: the windows and doors are housed in thick wooden frames; a tall, narrow wooden wardrobe occupies one corner, and a mirror generously empaneled in wood the other. A wooden desk and the wood and rattan chair are set by one of the windows. I was particularly happy about this circumstance, and wish I had spent longer working at the desk. The foliage outside has a becalming effect, and I’d find myself staring into the distance every time my gaze shifted from the computer’s screen. About the coolest thing in the room was the ivy growing on the window glass. The balcony outside my room was a delight - it has a sloping Mangalore-tiled roof that complements the brick exterior of the building so very well. The lights on the high-ceiling of the balcony are encased in mosaic, a touch I appreciated. I loved the aesthetic of the room - the flooring is olive coloured tiles that have a rustic, stone-like finish. At night, the room is bathed in a warm, orange glow through the shade of the floor lamp. I especially liked the little touches, such as the bedside reading lights and the diffuser spewing vaporised lemongrass oil. The bathroom deserves particular mention. It has the same tiles on the floor as the bedroom, but at eye-level are beautiful patterned tiles. I appreciated the large, spotlessly-clean glass shower cubicle, and the piping hot water at high pressure. Ugly flush tanks in full view are a pet peeve, and I’m glad Barca bothered to go the extra mile to conceal theirs. It’s obvious that the host cared about creature comforts. The towels are plush and absorbent, and even the mattress in our bedroom was a thick and comfortable 11-inch mattress. My stay at Barca was a delight: it is that rare place that exudes the warmth of a home stay, but one with some lux hotel touches. My only quibble is that the food at the cafe downstairs was utterly disappointing. I say this at the risk of seeming like a carping critic, because, as I later found out, the cafe - called TBH, The Burger House, is run by a third-party. I think Barca is great bang for buck at the price I paid for it, and I wouldn’t begrudge them for raising prices as much as 50% (I say that having visited Goa 50 times over a decade and having tried numerous accommodation options across price points). It is to their credit that they don’t. Ruchir is a fabulous host, full of valuable insight into Goa. I had the pleasure of having a drink with him and learning about his passion for hospitality, and how that love found expression in the form of Barca.”