The Ray in Alibaug—a hidden sanctuary of Plantation Modern elegance

There is something deeply ritualistic about the journey from Mumbai to Alibaug. The decompression of the boat ride across the Arabian Sea, the sharp contrast between the city’s claustrophobic skyline and the unfolding vastness of the Konkan coast, signals the shedding of urban fatigue. In this landscape of salt air and shifting light, nestled into a remote hillside, is The Ray—a home as elusive and hypnotic as its namesake, the Giant Manta.

 

The Ray is not immediately grand, nor does it announce its scale. Instead, like an apparition carved from rock, it really only emerges once you step inside. The home’s labyrinthine architecture is both sanctuary and statement, its sandstone brickwork rising in cathedral-like volumes that feel sacred yet primal. Here, walls and ceilings do not merely enclose—they evoke, elevate, and whisper.

 

This is a house of portals. Every doorway, window, and mirror is a threshold, framing vistas of rock, wild forest, and the distant shimmer of the sea. These shifting perspectives recalibrate the senses, offering a panacea to city-worn souls. Light spills and pools through latticed shutters, painting the interiors in fleeting shadows that stretch and fade with the passing day. The aluminium rooflines, gleaming under the tropical sun, feel less like a covering and more like an extension of the sky itself.

 

The Ray is defined by an almost otherworldly intimacy inside its glasshouse living area. The furniture is at once whimsical and elemental—woven cane loungers, smoky blown glass lamps hanging low, sculpted wooden tables that seem to have grown from the earth itself, tamed into retro functionality. The bougainvillaea, cascading in dramatic, near-theatrical bursts of fuchsia and white, softens the cold depths of poured cement, an interplay of wild exuberance against the cool restraint of the architecture. A Manta motif, inlaid in dark mosaic, undulates beneath one’s feet, an echo of the home’s quiet marine spirit. Each space is a paradox—open yet cocooned, monumental yet discreet.

 

If one were to define this architectural enigma, Plantation Modern might come close. It is a house that channels the tropical lushness of the land while embracing the stark, sculptural precision of its volumes. The projection of architectural space—vaulted ceilings, elongated corridors, framed vistas—creates a sense of movement and mystery, as though the house is revealing itself in slow, deliberate gestures. It is its own creature—inscrutable, unhurried, and untamed, waiting for those who seek not just escape, but transformation.

The Ray, Alibaug

Home Owner: Ty Bhojwani

Architect: Architecture Brio

Landscaping: Kunal Muniar and Associates

Furniture and accessories: Timothy Oulton Studio

Property Manager: Michelle Amit More 

@The.Ray.Alibaug for enquiries and bookings 

Photographer: Agnidhra Ray