A weekend at The Ten, Siolim felt like coming home

Until I visited Goa for the first time in 2022, I never quite understood people’s obsession with it. The susegad life, as they lovingly call it. But despite the humidity humbling my perfect blow-dry and the infamous cab fiasco testing every ounce of my patience, I fell in love with the state with every cell in my body. Since then, I’ve gone back multiple times, and somehow, Goa has found a new way to charm me on every visit.

This time, though, I wasn’t there to tick off every viral beach club or wait three hours for a table at the hottest restaurant in town. I wanted to actually experience susegad in its truest form – do absolutely nothing if I felt like it, and simply exist. That’s exactly what I found at The Ten, Goa, North Goa’s newest all-suite luxury boutique resort, tucked away off Siolim’s main road where the village quietly melts into the forest.

Designed by architect Rita Mody Joshi, The Ten brings together the warmth of a private home with the service of a world-class resort. The property houses ten luxury suites spread across twenty-five bedrooms, allowing guests to either book individual suites or take over the estate as is. The moment you walk in, you’re greeted by laterite walls, warm wood, lime plaster, natural stone and rattan. The design language feels rooted in Goa without relying on the clichés.

I checked into my Three-Bedroom Duplex Suite, and trust me when I say it was love at first sight. You know that rare feeling when a place instantly feels like it belongs to you, even though you’ve only just arrived? Like you’ve somehow stumbled into a home that’s been quietly waiting for you all along? That’s exactly what this one felt like.

Once the initial excitement settled, I wandered upstairs, then downstairs, taking it all in before I thought to myself, “Did I just make a mistake coming here solo? Am I actually going to get bored in this giant villa?” That thought lasted all of five minutes.

Soon enough, Chef Rajat Pandey welcomed me with what can only be described as the ultimate comfort-food lunch spread. There was dal rice, fried saunak fish, machai jhol, chicken ghee roast and, because some things are simply essential, a crisp Diet Coke. Between checking in on me, asking what I’d like for my next meal and making sure I experienced the very best of the menu, he made solo dining feel anything but lonely.

Actually, the experience at The Ten begins long before you even check in.

A few days before my arrival, I hopped on a call with General Manager Stephanie Leong and Chef Pandey, who wanted to know everything – from how I take my tea and coffee to what I usually eat for breakfast and my favourite comfort foods. In an age of self check-ins and templated welcomes, taking the time to understand a guest before they even arrive felt like the epitome of luxury. 

My ground-floor suite opened onto a private landscaped plunge pool, and just as I dipped my feet in, the rain gods decided to bless me with the perfect monsoon shower. It made for the dreamiest afternoon swim, followed, of course, by an impromptu photoshoot (courtesy of my incredibly sweet butler, Akoi.) You can’t blame me, it feels illegal not to photograph every corner of the villa from every angle!

One thing nobody warns you about when you book a three-bedroom suite? The impossible task of choosing where to sleep. I solved this by taking every nap in a different bedroom. Scientific research, if you ask me. I never did manage to pick a favourite, although I’m slightly biased towards the top-floor rooms. They just had a vibe I can’t put into words.

Dinner arrived with an Italian spread of chicken broth, mushroom bruschetta, arrabbiata spaghetti, crispy fried chicken and an iced coffee that somehow made perfect sense alongside everything else. (My mouth is watering while writing this, no kidding.) I had the best sleep in a long time.

Unlike most hotels, where breakfast comes with a deadline, The Ten works around your clock. I chose to sleep in, and breakfast arrived exactly when and how I wanted it. Comforting eggs, Caesar salad, fresh fruit and a perfectly chilled cold coffee waiting for me whenever I was ready.

If you’re travelling with friends or family, don’t miss The Ten Tables, an intimate five-to-six-course dining experience that can be set up inside your suite, by the pool or in the terrace garden, tailor-made for your celebrations.

But perhaps my favourite thing about The Ten is that there’s absolutely no rush to do anything. No itinerary hanging around your neck. No constant feeling that you’re missing out. Time quietly slips away here. You can spend the entire day by the pool, nap without guilt, wander into the forest, curl up with a book or simply stare at the trees. The luxury is in finally having nothing you have to do.

On my final morning, I woke up, pulled back the curtains and spotted a tiny kitten lounging beside my plunge pool as if it owned the place. It was one of the best goodbyes. In that moment, I knew I’d be back, not just for the villa or the food, but for the feeling The Ten leaves you with. The feeling that somewhere in the middle of a Goan forest, you’ve found a second home you didn’t know you were looking for.

“North Goa’s luxury hospitality has long sat at one of two extremes: large commercial resorts where service feels industrial, or small boutique stays where it feels restricted. With The Ten, we have built for the space between them, a property where guests walk in and feel like a home away from home, rather than checked in,” shares Manak Singh, Founder, The Ten Goa.

Check it out here.

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