Reis Magos gives a wall three things to cope with: high humidity from the Mandovi, monsoon rain driven against the slope, and, in the older houses, lime plaster that has to breathe. That narrows where wallpaper can go without ruling it out. In a hillside villa, the walls at the back of a room, away from the river-facing glass, are sheltered and dry, and an air-conditioned bedroom holds vinyl very well. In an old riverside house, keep paper to a later partition and have the wall tested beforehand. Any wall that has shown a patch after the rains wants PVC panels, not paper. Use vinyl with anti-fungal paste throughout.
- Villa bedrooms on the hill: a large-pattern vinyl or mural on the inner wall behind the bed, in a room that is kept air-conditioned.
- Old houses by the river: newer partition walls alone, with the paper stopped well above the skirting, where damp appears first.
- Flats near Verem: one feature wall on an internal partition; the south and river-facing outer walls are better painted or panelled.
Reis Magos is on the north bank of the Mandovi, facing Panjim across the water. Its restored fort and white church stand on the slope above the river, and the village of Verem below runs along the road to Betim and the bridge.
Homes here are old riverside houses, hillside villas with views of Panjim and the river mouth, and some apartment buildings near Verem. Windows facing the water are the main feature.
The slope faces south over the river and gets sun for most of the day, with a steady breeze. Humidity is high and salt moderate.
Riverside and backwater homes
Walls near water hold damp at the base. Wallpaper should stop above any tide mark of rising damp, and the wall should be treated first. Vinyl papers with anti-fungal adhesive cope with humidity; paper-backed and fabric wallpapers do not.
Hilltop and plateau homes
Exposed walls on high ground are driven with rain in the monsoon. Paper the sheltered inner walls, and treat any wall that has shown damp patches before covering it. Vinyl wallpaper is the safe choice.
