De antique Pauli's, a heritage homestay in Honnavar
A 1960 family home in Tari-Bagel, Honnavar, opened to guests by the family that still lives around it.
A 1960 heritage homestay in Honnavar that still feels like home
The house went up in 1960, back when Honnavar was a quiet port town on the Sharavathi. It has the things old coastal houses have: thick red walls, arched windows, a tiled roof and a yard full of coconut palms.
Paul D'souza, known to everyone as Pauli, runs the homestay today along with his backwater boating business. Guests who come for the boats end up staying, and guests who come to stay end up on the boats.
The idea is simple. A clean room in an old house, food cooked at home, a boat, a bike or a car when you want to go somewhere, and a host who actually knows the place.
Guests who come for the boats end up staying. Guests who come to stay end up on the boats.
Before it was a homestay, it was a film set.
Decades ago a Kannada film crew came to Honnavar with Shankar Nag, the star who was born in this very town. Scenes were shot on the lanes and jetties around Tari-Bagel, and our house stands in the background of them.
The laterite walls, the tiled roof and the palms in those frames are the same ones you will sleep under.
- Shankar Nag, born in Honnavar, 1954
- Original footage from the film
- Same walls, same palms, same water
Same house, forty years apart
What makes it heritage
Laterite walls
Thick red stone cut from the local hills, cool in summer and dry in the monsoon.
Arched windows
Lime-washed arches with wooden bars, the way coastal houses were built in the 1960s.
Tiled roof
Clay Mangalore tiles that sing in the rain and keep the rooms cool.
Coconut yard
The palms in the yard are older than most of the guests.
The house is built in Tari-Bagel near the R.C. Church.
Paul D'souza runs the homestay and Pauli's backwater boating.
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Paul D'souza
Owner, boatman and local guide
Known to everyone as Pauli. He runs the homestay and the backwater boats, knows every creek and beach around Honnavar, and answers the WhatsApp himself.
Say hello on WhatsAppCheck-in times, house rules and FAQ De antique Pauli's Homestay Heritage homestay Honnavar Rooms in Honnavar Photos of the house and rooms Best homestay in Honnavar, compared honestly
How we host
Family-run
The family lives around the house. You are a guest in a home, not a room number.
One door for everything
Rooms, food, boats, cars and walks, all from the same people.
Honest and simple
Clean rooms, home cooking, fair prices and a host who replies himself.
Book on WhatsApp
We take bookings and questions only on WhatsApp. Tell us your dates, number of guests and what you'd like to do.