Hotels - There are a lot of good hotels in Mahabaleshwar, but we were specifically looking for something among the greens and away from the bustling market area. A lot of hotels center on the market area though. Among the various options, we settled for the Ramsukh Resort due to its location and the vistas it offered.
How to get there - From Mumbai it is about 270 odd kms via the Mumbai Pune highway.
We started at about 7:30 AM and took the Thane-Belapur road to connect to the Mumbai-Pune highway. We then hit the expressway and halted at the food court for breakfast.
We crossed Pune and continued on our way forward and followed the directions to Mahabaleshwar. A quick stop over at Mapro farm for lunch is recommended. The sandwiches are very good as well as the fruit juices on offer there.
The roads are rather narrow and you could be taken by surprise from an oncoming vehicle. Driving with caution is recommended.
The narrow roads offer stellar views as you cross Panchgani and get into Mahabaleshwar. The valleys then give way to dense forests, the roads get narrower. You got to pay a toll to use these roads at a makeshift checknaka on the way.
Even large Volvo buses are permitted on these ultra narrow winding roads which makes driving a real challenge. Extra cuation is to be exercised here.
We finally reached the Ramsukh resort located in some remote area in the jungles.
http://www.ramsukh.com/
The resort is fantastic. They have a movie theatre in campus as well. The buffet lunch and dinner are a treat and very tasty. The available food is vegetarian though.
The valley view suites are ideal to stay, but for the more glamorous the Maharaj/Ixora suites are well worth the money spent. They also offer exclusive 'Solitaire' suites which are really not worth it.
In a nutshell - If leaving by car, try and hit the Mumbai-Pune expressway by 8:30 AM.
A 7 hour drive with 2 breaks will see you at Ramsukh by 2:30 PM or so.
Activities -
Day 1: Check in at the hotel and generally relax. Hit the pool, take a walk or watch a movie. Enjoy the evening shows at the poolside and followup with a fabulous dinner.
Day 2: Don't drive your own car. Hire a cab. Arrange the cab with your hotel. They offer 3 hours to half day tours to see the various points around. We hired a cab and did a short tour after lunch to see the various points. Beware of quacks who will pretend to be astrologers and chase you until you stop and listen to them.
An evening stroll in the market area is recommended.
Dat 3: - We took another half day tour and then generally relaxed at the hotel campus. A trip to Pratapgarh is recommended, but we were not to keen on it. The hotel offers private dinners as well in the forested area and is very recommended. Check out with the hotel office for reservations. A nice nice massage at their health spa is recommended too.
No comments:
Post a Comment