As soon as you turn off the road into Olaulim Backyards you know this is going to be a special place. You can’t help but smile, wondering what other surprises this slice of Goa has to offer.

Goa is one of India’s most popular destinations for tourists, both domestic and international. A Portuguese colony from 1510-1961, its lush coastal landscape and colonially-influenced architecture, cuisine and culture attract millions of visitors each year.

The road to Olaulim is quiet and tiny, traversing through villages with old houses mere metres away from the sharply curving road, and is wide enough for just one vehicle at a time. This often requires careful manoeuvring around vehicles coming from the other direction, or crawling behind a herd of cattle passing unhurriedly by. The vibrant colours of the houses and helpful guidance from other drivers and passers-by, help keep tempers even.

Once you’re safely parked at the property, though, you can feel yourself start to really relax. Beyond the tall wooden gates, the expanse of lawn leads the eye to the infinity pool which seems to flow into the shimmering blue backwaters of the Mandovi River.

Savio is Goan and grew up nearby, and worked in the hotel and travel industry. Pirkko is from Finland and she has extensive experience working in the travel industry in India and elsewhere. They met in India when Savio was in the travel business and Pirkko was a tour guide. They both wanted to share a side of Goa that used to be available to everyone, and is at risk of being overtaken by development and over-consumerism: a slower, harmonious way of living with the environment.

Thus Olaulim Backyards was born.

The couple have grown their homestay while raising their two children Manuel and Shameena, and a host of rescue animals. Today the property has five cottages, two of which are by the waterfront and three on the hillside, sharing space with kingfishers and crabs. The cottages all have names of local birds, with a portrait of the bird in question adorning each room.

From the start, the property has focused on staying as true to nature as possible. “We used recycled local materials to build our cottages. One cottage is made from rammed earth, a traditional technique of construction. Our furniture is hand-me-down, which is why you won’t find the same furniture in each room. When some of our Acacia trees fell, a carpenter made furniture out of them. The table in the dining room is a former bar counter and the table legs are Portuguese-era drainage pipes,” says Pirkko.

“Our rooms are purposefully rustic. It would be easy to put in a television or install air-conditioners, but that would defeat the purpose of being here,” she adds. This is a deterrent for some tourists, but it is an attraction for many others. There is no room service but the family is always at hand to help with suggestions.

The rooms, even without these accoutrements, are quietly luxurious. Large windows bring in fresh breeze from the water along with birdsong. Some rooms are designed around rock formations in the rooms, which add a memorable aspect to the décor. The outdoor showers in each room are surrounded by tall heliconia flowers and palm trees overhead. Rooms are thoughtfully assigned to each guest. Those who are elderly or have children get rooms closer to the water, which are all on one level, while more active guests might get rooms built into the rock, further up the hill, which requires tackling some stone steps.

The Backyard Café at the property’s entrance, run by local chef Nikita, serves delicious Goan and Indo-Chinese food. ‘Taverna Hama Hama’, a bar by the pool, is run on the honour system. Guests can help themselves to drinks at their convenience. A notepad on the counter keeps track of consumption, to be billed at checkout.

All the waste at the property is segregated and composted. “We should minimise waste, of course, but it is more important to reduce consumption,” says Pirkko. “So we don’t keep plastic toiletries in our rooms. We have small bars of handmade soap and shampoo bars, without any packaging.” The soaps are sourced from within Goa and when the time comes to replenish an order, they fill up a taxi and it delivers the product, sans packaging.

This level of commitment to responsible tourism and preserving the sanctity of the environment goes beyond what most “eco-friendly” resorts offer. Goa has thousands of hotels and homestays catering to the continuous influx of tourists. Without responsible tourism, though, the meagre resources of India’s smallest state would soon dry up. What makes Olaulim Backyards special is how it seamlessly integrates with the surroundings, and encourages its guests to do so as well.

This has changed in the last few decades as tourism, especially domestic tourism, has boomed and the state sees visitors in unprecedented numbers throughout the year. Around seven million tourists visited Goa in 2022 and the footfall is only expected to increase.

“Indian tourists are getting mature,” states Savio. “The middle-class can afford many luxuries now. Formerly, five-star hotels were a novelty but they are not any more. Most travellers have experienced them – we all have ACs in our homes – these are not special anymore. So they come here for something different.”

“Our place is for people who are nature lovers, birdwatchers, people who want to get away from their busy lives,” says Pirkko. At Olaulim Backyards, you can indeed escape from the demands of your hectic urban life and truly experience slow living. Breakfast is leisurely and held in the dining area near the pool. Pirkko and Savio along with Surekha, one of the staff members, serve a meal of traditional Goan fare, fresh fruit straight from the garden and eggs to order. Surekha is one of four women from the surrounding villages who are employed by the property. Her masala omelette is a guest favourite!

To unwind, guests can kayak on the backwaters, float about in the pool, or nap in hammocks anchored firmly to sturdy trees. The property is large enough for you to always find a quiet spot. There are binoculars and books on birds if you want to try birding.

“We also team up with organisations that have similar values like ours,” shares Pirkko. “Terra Conscious offers responsible dolphin-watching trips where guests go out onto the ocean but do not chase dolphins, unlike the commercial tours, and cause distress. It is an indulgent tour that makes you feel good about the biodiversity around us, while having a good time on the water. Pirkko also recommends the tours run by Khoj-aao!, a social enterprise dedicated to discovering the wonders of the outdoors. They support local conservation efforts and their activities include curated hikes, birdwatching, camping trips under the stars and nature trails.

For my family, it is also the animals that make the place noteworthy. The cats, Fluffy, Silke and Crispy, keep you company at breakfast while the dogs, Athena and Simba, are beautiful and friendly. Mantra and Scarlet are donkey and pony, best friends who follow each other around the property chasing sunshine and butterflies. “All our animals are rescued,” says Pirkko. “It’s something we talk to guests about as well. If you are looking for a pet, please adopt one, don’t buy. There are so many animals looking for a good home.”

In the last two decades, Goa’s transformation from sleepy towns to bustling urban cities has been rapid and distressing. Agricultural land has been rapidly converted to allow for construction of resorts and second homes. The coastline has seen major change with rampant building and erosion of the coast itself. Forest cover is now in danger of being drastically reduced with railway lines, power projects and highway expansion slated to be carried out through wildlife sanctuaries.

Across Goa, bridges and highways have mushroomed indiscriminately in the past few years, leading to loss of biodiversity but also reducing travel time. The road outside Olaulim Backyards is quieter for this reason, as residents often use a nearby bridge to travel, instead of the old village roads. Climate change is everywhere though. Pirkko shares, “The rain pattern has changed. This summer, the cashew trees were flowering and untimely rain ruined the crop. Then the monsoons were three weeks late and that had a big impact on rice production.”

I swim in the pool waiting for my dinner to arrive. It feels luxurious and decadent to be swimming under the stars. Crickets chirp around us, and a few bats dangle from the chikoo tree. The dogs are quiet at our feet. At this moment, all seems well with the world.

When on vacation, that’s the reprieve you want, and Olaulim Backyards is where you will find it.