Every floor near Colva beach has sand on it by evening, however often it is swept, and a rug there has to be one that sand cannot ruin. That rules out deep pile and pale wool. Polypropylene and nylon rugs shake clean, dry fast and do not turn musty in the salt-laden damp; put out on the balcony on a dry day, they air quickly. For holiday flats, a dark machine-made pattern hides what the cleaner misses and is simple to renew. Wall-to-wall carpet belongs only in rooms that stay air-conditioned, such as hotel bedrooms. In the village houses near the fields, lift rugs during the wettest weeks.
- Holiday flats near the beach: low-pile synthetic rugs in dark patterns, with a coarse doormat at the entrance to catch sand.
- Air-conditioned hotel bedrooms: fitted wall-to-wall carpet of hard-wearing synthetic, kept to rooms that are closed and cooled.
- Family houses among the paddy fields: washable synthetic rugs, rolled up and aired when the monsoon air turns heavy.
Colva is the best-known beach of South Goa, six kilometres west of Margao at the end of the Colva road. The village behind the beach has the church of Our Lady of Mercy, family homes among coconut groves and paddy fields, and a strip of hotels, guest houses and restaurants near the shore.
Colva has three kinds of property: village houses set back from the beach, holiday apartments in gated complexes, and hotels and guest houses. Holiday flats are often owned by people who live elsewhere and are furnished for letting.
Within a kilometre of the beach, salt and humidity are constant, and sand finds its way indoors. Further inland, among the fields, the air is damp in the monsoon and mosquitoes are plentiful in the evening.
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.
