Sand is the first thing a Bogmalo rug has to deal with, since the beach is steps from the door, and salt-laden damp is the second. A rug of wool or jute holds moisture and, in a home locked up between visits, turns musty on the floor. Machine-made rugs in polypropylene or nylon are the better fit: they shed sand when shaken, resist mildew, and can be carried out to air. For lets, dark patterned designs hide what guests walk in and are easily replaced. Before a home is shut up, rugs are best rolled and stored off the floor. Wall-to-wall carpet should be kept to air-conditioned rooms in the hotels and larger villas.
- Holiday lets near the sand: dark patterned synthetic rugs that can be shaken out daily and washed between seasons.
- Living rooms of the villas: a single big polypropylene rug under all the seating, sized to the actual room because few are standard.
- Hotel rooms with air conditioning: fitted carpet can work, as long as balcony doors stay shut against the sea air.
Bogmalo is a small bay with a sandy beach on the seaward side of the Mormugao peninsula, a few kilometres from Dabolim. It has a beach resort, a handful of hotels and guest houses, a fishing community, and apartments and villas on the slope behind the beach.
Homes and hotel rooms here face the sea or sit just behind it. Many are second homes and holiday lets that stand closed for part of the year, so furnishings must cope with being shut up in humid weather and opened again for guests.
Bogmalo is as exposed to salt as anywhere in Goa: the beach is a few steps away and the wind comes straight off the water. Steel rusts quickly, natural fabrics hold damp, and anything outdoors needs marine-grade materials.
Sea-facing homes
Wool and jute hold moisture near the sea and can smell. Synthetic rugs in polypropylene or nylon dry quickly and resist mildew, and can be taken outside to air. Wall-to-wall carpet suits only air-conditioned rooms.
Holiday lets and guest houses
Choose dark, patterned, machine-made rugs for a let property. They hide sand and stains, cost little to replace, and can be washed between seasons.
