PALACIO AGUADA GOA

A 1980s party pad begins a new chapter as a maximalist retreat.

- By Vivek Menezes. Photographs by Crookes & Jackson

Singularities converge at Palacio Aguada in Goa, which sits on a lip of the Mandovi River estuary, overlooking the immense sweep of Aguada Bay. Ten suites settle across five acres of rocky hillside that tumbles down to the coastline. The house feels both expansive and intimate: its palatial rooms are tucked on either side of a massive two-level entrance topped by an extravagant dome, yet the interiors encourage contemplation and close conversation. The architecture resists easy classification: Gothic archways, Moroccan courtyards, antique Carrara marble carvings, neoclassical Greek statues, and French tapestries. On one wall, a 19th-century Russian painting oversees an impressive collection of chalices from Sri Lanka. In another room, I find an emotive painting of a mother and child by B Prabha, and elsewhere, vivid photos of leopards taken by one of Nehru's great-grandchildren.