Colva needs three answers, because it has three kinds of property. A holiday apartment owned by someone living elsewhere should have curtains nobody needs to fuss over: polyester blends that machine-wash, in shades that do not show marks, easy headings, and a full blackout in the bedrooms. A hotel or guest house near the shore wants the same, made in quantity, on aluminium tracks with nylon gliders, because salt eats ordinary hooks within sight of the beach. The village houses among the coconut groves and paddy fields sit further from the spray, but the monsoon air there is damp, so lighter fabrics with a lining that comes off are the safer choice. Keep hems clear of open windows.
- Holiday flats in gated complexes: washable mid-tone curtains with blackout lining, simple enough for a caretaker to rehang correctly.
- Guest houses near the shore: polyester sheers and blackout on rust-proof double tracks, the same fabric through every room.
- Village houses by the paddy fields: light cotton-look curtains hung away from the wall, so damp monsoon air can move behind.
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
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.
Holiday lets and guest houses
In a let property curtains are handled by many people and washed often. Choose washable fabrics in mid-tones that do not show marks, simple eyelet or pinch-pleat headings that are easy to rehang, and a proper blackout in bedrooms, which guests mention in reviews.