Paint in a Baga guest room has a short life. Salt blows in from the beach, damp rises off the creek, and suitcases, wet towels and sunscreen do the rest. A hard-wearing vinyl wallpaper behind the bed stands up to this better, as long as the wall beneath is sound: brush a hand over the plaster, and if a white salty powder comes away, the wall needs treating or panelling, not papering. Use an anti-fungal primer and keep paper off any wall that faces the weather. For restaurants and bars, one papered wall indoors, away from the open front, gives a room its character. Order an extra roll for later repairs.
- Guest bedrooms: wipeable vinyl on the bed wall only, above the reach of luggage, with paint or panels in the entry passage.
- Bars and restaurants: a bold textured or 3D design on a dry back wall, well inside from the sea-facing opening.
- Creek-side rooms with damp or salt bloom: PVC wall panels, which moisture does not harm, and no wallpaper at all.
Baga is the northern end of the Calangute beach, where the Baga creek runs out to the sea below a wooded headland. It is the centre of North Goa's nightlife, crowded with beach shacks, clubs, restaurants and hotels.
Almost all demand here is commercial: hotels, guest houses, restaurants and bars. Restaurants want outdoor blinds and awnings to keep terraces open in the rain, and rooms need blackout and washable fabrics.
Baga has the sea in front and the creek behind, so it is humid, salty and breezy. Mosquitoes breed along the creek.
Sea-facing homes
Sea-facing walls take in salt and moisture, and paper lifts at the seams if the wall is not sealed. Use vinyl-coated wallpaper on an anti-fungal primer, and keep it to inner walls or walls that do not face the weather. Check for salt bloom on the plaster first.
Holiday lets and guest houses
For a let property, choose a hard-wearing vinyl in a design that will not date, and use it where luggage and furniture will not scrape it: behind the bed, not in the corridor. A spare roll kept back makes later repairs possible.
