The Feminine Side of Luxury

PURCHASED ON IMPULSE, THIS DERELICT 2,000SQM GOAN ESTATE THAT PRABHAT CHOUDHARY BOUGHT, TOOK TWO YEARS TO TRANSFORM. AND LIKE EVERY GREAT LOVE STORY, IT BLOSSOMED FROM ITS OWN POTENTIAL

- AVRIL NOEL D'SOUZA

For some people, spotting an authentic antique from a mountain of reproductions and fakes comes second nature.

For others, it’s jewellery or art. For Prabhat Choudhary, it’s land. The PR honcho and founder of Spice doesn’t go around seeking properties that are up for grabs, rather, it’s the opposite. There’s an invisible pull that leads him to discover estates that few have noticed or ignored. He is drawn to the history and story, before he sees potential. And that’s how the story of Boa Vista began.

A random listing with a single photograph of a home, found during COVID, made him pick up the phone at 8:30 one night and place a call to Goa, where a sleepy voice told him the property was available...but also not. That intriguing introduction hooked Prabhat and drew him in.

City dwellers during the week, Prabhat, his father and 14-month-old son catch a flight practically every weekend to spend days that belong just to them, in their beautifully restored villa in Bastora, a short distance from Mapusa.