How A 19th Century Heritage Home In Goa Got A Sustainable Makeover

Every house in Goa tells the story of a bygone era. One such story belongs to a 19th-century heritage home in Anjuna, which highlights the timeless architecture of the state, as well as its gastronomic journey. It is this story that Kezya De Bragança, a Goan entrepreneur hopes to bring to travellers. 

Kezya de Braganca, a second-generation real estate entrepreneur spent three years restoring what was once an ancestral family home. It belonged to her paternal grand agnate Marie Antoinette, which made the restoration a personal expression of art at the intersection of human behaviour, hospitality and real estate. Bragança took over the property and turned it into MansionHaus, a boutique hotel that delicately balances life’s finer luxuries with sustainability that picks the mind of a discerning traveller. 

In restoring the iconic structure, the complex, multi-layered evolution of architecture in Goa and the intricate cultural expressions of Goa have been kept as the leitmotif. The pre-independence era private residence has been transformed into a luxury hospitality property where old-world Portuguese charm blissfully marries contemporary aesthetics. 

“We wanted to offer a true conscious hospitality experience, in harmony with the environment, local cultures, traditions and the communities that uplift them,” Kezya De Bragança says. To do so, sustainable practices were embedded in the process, right from the get go. “To be conscious of the environment, we repurposed the wood from a 100-year-old ship marooned on the coast of the Arabian Sea to create the Summer Room. Local artisans were involved in the furnishing process as well. All packaging is recyclable and as a plastic and paper free property, all in-room amenities are glass bottled by our “HausLab”,” Kezya explains, adding, “To take advantage of natural daylight, we designed an open courtyard layout on the inner facia of the house with large windows along the entire façade of the house thereby bringing in plenty of natural light and ventilation throughout the day.”

 All material and equipment choices were made based on their impact on the environment, low flow water consumption bath fittings, low power consumption light fittings, re-use of grey water for landscape irrigation. Air conditioning is programmed to automatically turn off when doors are opened, instantly lowering energy consumption and timers ensure energy consumption at the property is kept to a minimum. 

The idea of sustainability trickles down to the meals as well. Buffets are one of the largest sources of food waste in hotels. MansionHaus steers away from this service and offers a simpler, freshly sourced more personalised food offering for each and every guest, curated using local produce in order to limit their carbon footprint. “Additionally, our tea and coffee dispensers in the rooms have been innovated to use recyclable packaging and avoid paper entirely. The tea and coffee itself is loose leaf sourced from local produce,” Kezya adds.

MansionHaus brings a unique hospitality experience to the discerning traveller who appreciates old-world heritage influences of the stunning state, balanced with life’s finer indulgences.