Renaissance Goa Arpora review | Casa Limone, craft cocktails and a new-age luxury stay in North Goa

I follow the truffle-scented bomboloni with a sip of my vermouth-laced cocktail. The truffle’s earthiness from sulphur compounds and the vermouth’s herbaceous profiles complement each other.

I am at Casa Limone at the just-opened Renaissance Goa in Arpora, where the evening starts with a ritual that is part of the daily Evenings at Renaissance — a signature programme where all 175 Renaissance hotels in nearly 40 countries mark the transition from day to night over a drink.

We are gathered under a faux lemon tree sipping the most delicious Rossini, a close cousin of the timeless Bellini, where the fresh strawberry purée replaces peach.

The brand’s beverage-forward approach is announced with a welcome drink — a floral beverage called Bloom, crafted with pineapple juice, kala khatta syrup, homemade spice water; all tofu clarified, so that it appeals to vegans too.

Dishes at the Bloom Kitchen
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Renaissance Goa has designed a mixology lab ; a creative space tucked into a quiet corner of the restaurant, set apart to encourage experimentations with sustainability. Here, they create their ice art and cocktails. “Take, for example, the remnants of apple, beets and carrots from the ABC juice at breakfast. The pulp is processed daily to create inventive garnishes and cordials for our cocktails,” says operations director, Johny Joy.

I try the Peel & Turmeric cocktail, with turmeric-infused whisky and banana peel saccharum. It is balanced with citrus, bitters, and salinity. The Azulejo tonic is more refreshing: a highball with homemade tonic cordials, notes of cucumber and toasted onion seeds.

For lunch at The Bloom Kitchen, there are feni cocktails with crystal orbs of ice, fresh chrysanthemums trapped inside them.

I stop by their signature, R Lounge for a nightcap and go with Aguas de Vida, a small but promising medley of mahua, mezcal and melon cordial. The smoky, floral and quietly tropical notes close the day. I am delighted to find that they serve my favourite, Bili Hu coffee and promise myself to return.

Renaissance Goa is definitely a beverage-forward hotel, where every outlet has its own set of signature drink. What makes it even more interesting is that most of these cocktails have a Goa angle. The bright and savoury, Curry 101, with Dukshiri feni, fish curry syrup, green chilli, coriander and lime, clarified with milk, truly lives up to this Goan promise. The public spaces are punctuated with artworks, though the lobby seems a tad crowded, in my opinion, with a surplus of these. In Goa, if a hotel misses on the seafront, it has to make serious amends on other aspects. And, this they do quite well, with the cocktails

Renaissance Goa
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The “Goa Off Script” programme is a noteworthy initiative, where the in-house Navigators move beyond standard concierge services and provide guests with insider tips of Goa. I enjoyed a curated walk of Fontainhas that ended with a visit to a local home, for homemade wine and music.

Like the cocktails it serves, Renaissance Goa wears its unapologetic and original culture with ease, taking on a je ne sais quoi coolness, which is also characteristic of Goa.

Casa Limone at Renaissance Goa, is located at Arpora, Bardez, North Goa and is open from 6.30pm to midnight. A meal for two costs nearly ₹3,500.

Published – March 28, 2026 08:00 am IST