The past few months, social media and living rooms have been full of chatter about Goa losing favour with even the most devoted fan of India’s most favoured holiday spot. It is too expensive, lacks infrastructure and cheap public transport and has now abandoned its hippie charm for hyper commercial and cheesy entertainment. Think belly dancers and fire eaters.

But Airbnb is now launching Goa Unseen, a guidebook that takes travellers beyond the obvious, they say. Through the book, they have worked with a group of insiders and residents now, including actor Abhay Deol (who has made Goa his home since 2017), Nolan Mascarenhas, Avinash Martins, Siddharth Kekar, Insia Lacewala, Garv Vohra, and Scarlett Rose. These insiders have shared their picks of the state—including lesser-known neighbourhoods.