The floors of a Siolim house, old tile and polished stone, are half its character, and no one should cover them wall to wall. Use loose rugs on an underlay. What the river adds is damp from below: ground floors here feel wet underfoot in the monsoon, so every rug must be one that two people can lift, carry out and dry. Leave rubber-backed rugs alone, since they hold moisture against the floor and mark it. Flat-woven dhurries and low-pile rugs dry fastest. Upstairs rooms and air-conditioned villa bedrooms are drier and can take wool. In the big villa living rooms, choose a rug large enough to gather the whole seating group.
- Ground-floor halls of old houses: a flat-woven dhurrie on a breathable underlay, lifted and sunned during breaks in the rain.
- Villa living rooms: one large low-pile rug under all the seating, sized to the room because these rooms are never standard.
- Rooms round the internal courtyard: small washable runners that can be taken up when rain blows in across the floor.
Siolim is a large village on the south bank of the Chapora river, where the bridge crosses to Pernem. It is known for its church of St Anthony, its Zagor festival and its fine old houses, many now restored as homes and guest houses, with new villas along the river and the fields.
Siolim has some of the best-preserved Indo-Portuguese houses in Bardez, with wide balcões, tall windows and internal courtyards, and a growing number of designer villas. Both kinds are popular as high-end stays.
The river and the fields make Siolim humid, with mist on winter mornings. Old walls hold damp, and mosquitoes are common near the water. Salt is slight.
Riverside and backwater homes
Ground floors near water are damp underfoot in the monsoon. Use rugs that can be lifted and dried, not fitted carpet, and avoid rubber-backed rugs that trap moisture against the floor.
Old Goan houses
Old tiled and stone floors are part of the house, so use rugs, not fitted carpet. A dhurrie or a Persian-style rug suits the furniture, with an underlay so it does not slip on polished tiles.
