An old Benaulim house and a new Benaulim villa could hardly ask for more different curtains. The houses around Maria Hall have tall windows with oyster-shell or wooden shutters; hang the curtain from above the frame so the shutters still swing, allow a long drop for the high ceiling, and choose a rod and finials that sit well with the woodwork. Villas with pools, along the lanes to the beach, have wide glass that suits a ceiling track and a wave heading. Nearer the sand the air is salty, so use aluminium or stainless tracks and washable polyester blends; cotton prints are better kept for the sheltered village centre.
- Shuttered windows near Maria Hall: a rod above the frame, long cotton-print curtains, and tie-backs to hold them off the sill.
- Pool villas on the beach lanes: sheers and blackout on a ceiling track, motorised where the glass is too wide to pull.
- Holiday apartments near the beach: machine-washable polyester on rust-free tracks, hung a hand's width back from windows left open.
Benaulim is a large village just south of Colva, with a long, quieter beach and a village centre around Maria Hall. It has many old family houses, the hilltop church of St John the Baptist at Monte, and newer villas and holiday apartments along the lanes that lead to the beach.
Benaulim is known for its old houses: deep balcões, carved wooden furniture and windows with oyster-shell or wooden shutters. Many have been restored by their families or by new owners. Beside them are modern villas with pools, which want a different look altogether.
The beach side is salty and breezy. The village centre, a kilometre or two inland, is more sheltered but humid, and old lime-plastered walls there show damp in the monsoon.
Sea-facing homes
Salt in the air stiffens fabric and rusts ordinary hooks and rings. Choose polyester or polyester-blend fabrics that can be machine washed, and aluminium or stainless tracks with nylon gliders. Keep curtains a hand's width clear of windows that are left open to the breeze, so spray does not wet the hem.
Old Goan houses
Old houses have tall windows, often with wooden shutters and a deep sill. Curtains are hung from above the frame, not inside it, so the shutters still open. Ceilings are high, so allow for long drops, and choose a rod and finials that suit the woodwork.