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10 Top Experiences
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Coastal Drives
The bountiful Maharashtra coastline gives the weekend traveller a pick
of the most stunning drives and his only task is to choose the best. Our
shortlist includes the stretch between Shrivardhan and Diveagar (p46)
that passes through the secluded beaches of Kondivli and Shekadi, and the
gentle uphill drive between Karde and Anjarle (p64) that yields spectacular
sunsets over the Arabian Sea.
Sample chapter
10 Top Exp eri enc es
Dance Meditation in
Buddha Grove
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The Osho International Meditation
Resort (p184) is full of the unexpected.
From its contrarian dynamic meditation
to spa services with spirituality, this
mirage in the middle of a metro
refuses to be predictable. Of the many
fascinating experiences here, the dance
meditations in the Buddha Grove,
where maroon robed sanyasis whirl like
dervishes with their faces turned towards
the sky, are especially uplifting.
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Sea Forts with Stories
The brave warriors who charted the history of this land have left behind
forts along the coast of Maharashtra to tell the tales of their times. The
majestic Janjira Fort (p24) – rising from the waters of the Arabian Sea –
tells the story of sacrifice as the price for freedom. The remains of the fort
of Korlai (p206) on the edge of the seashore, and the fort of Moti Daman
(p57) talk of their once-mighty Portuguese rulers.
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Getting Around
Sitting conveniently at the junction of major Indian highways,
Mumbai is one of the best starting points for short road trips.
The rail network is equally good, and it is also possible to plan
several trips as a combination of train and road travel, if not by
train alone.
Cars
Three arterial highways – NH8, NH17 and the Mumbai–
Pune Expressway – connect Mumbai to the northern,
southern and eastern parts of the state respectively. These
tarmacs are a sheer pleasure to drive on, and are routinely
taken by road trippers heading out to their chosen
destinations. Most of Maharashtra’s state highways and back
roads are also well-maintained, thereby allowing easy access
to destinations which are not serviced either by highways or
trains. Your city car should generally be par for the course for
most destinations covered in this book.
The Nashik–
Mumbai rail
line crosses
many falls
Tourist Taxis
If you’re feeling particularly lazy to drive, you could always
hire a tourist taxi for a weekend trip out of Mumbai. An
air-conditioned vehicle such as a
Scorpio or Innova could be hired
for a daily rate of `2500 (up to
250km), and `10 thereafter for
every additional kilometre. Many
hotels provide overnight parking
facilities for drivers too, ask while
making a booking. And don’t
forget to factor in `200 daily as
driver’s allowance.
Trains
The terminal stations of Mumbai
Central and Mumbai CST have
Sample chapter
Gettin g Around
express and slow connections to many of the destinations
covered in this book. For some destinations, you could travel
most of the way by train and then transfer to a local bus or
auto for the remainder of the trip.
Expert Recommendation
To get the best from your car
Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar, India’s leading
magazine on automobiles, offers advice on driving in the
Western Ghats.
The Vehicle
•Thoroughly check the vehicle and
have it serviced.
•If you have a choice, a smaller car
with good ground clearance is better
on narrow, hilly roads than a big
hulking SUV. At places, roads can get
very narrow and a compact vehicle
makes it easier to negotiate twisty
roads.
•Packing old newspapers can come
in handy, from wiping the windshield
to protecting the carpet from muddy
feet. A torch is always useful.
Driving in the Hills
•Stick to the left lane, especially
around blind corners. Guard against
the tendency to run wide.
•Honk around corners.
•Vehicles going up have the right of way.
•Shift down gears before steep
inclines, not halfway through.
•Don’t balance clutch and
accelerator to start off on inclines. Use your handbrake.
•Never coast downhill in neutral.
Shift to a lower gear.
Driving in Monsoons
•Top up your windshield washer fluid.
•Braking distances increase on wet
roads so give yourself more margin
than you usually would.
•If mist or fog rolls in, it’s best to pull
over and stop. If you have to drive,
keep your lights on low beam and
drive slowly.
•Be careful of rocks and mud coming
loose from the hillside and creating
slippery conditions on the road.
Safety
•Carry phone numbers of authorised
service centres of your car along the
way for easy contact.
•All passengers should be properly
belted and not just the passengers
in front.
•Check your tyre pressure. For
safety, inflate over 2–3 psi over the
recommended pressure.
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Alibag
Why go?
Alibag is the common stand-in for a cluster of villages neatly laid
amidst thick coconut plantations along the coast. Each of these
is a tiny ecosystem in itself, with its own beach, private houses
and hotels. Sleepy in some parts, vibrant in others, Alibag is a
lovely mix of a pastoral landscape generously sprinkled with the
lifestyles of the rich and the famous.
Highlights
• Buffet of beaches: Action-packed, touristy,
peaceful or picturesque.
• Kolaba fort: A testimony to Maratha maritime power.
• Seafood at Sanman: The pinnacle of coastal cuisine.
• Long drives: Miles of lush greenery, hugging
the coast.
Sample chapter
ALIBAG
Trip Planner
Getting There
95km
k 3hr
NH17
Quick Facts
•Route: Drive to Vadhkal Naka via Pen and from
there to Alibag via Poynad.
g 4hr
•MSRTC offers regular buses to Alibag from
Bombay Central via Sion and Vashi.
f 45min + 20min drive
•Ferries and catamarans by PNP Ferries and
Ajanta leave for Mandwa Jetty from Gateway
of India at frequent intervals from 6am to 6pm.
Tickets (`110) can be booked in advance and
usually include bus fare to city centre. Alibag is
20min drive from there.
Best Time to Visit
JFMAMJJASOND
great for
Stop at Dutta
Batata Vada at Panvel or
Kamats towards Karnala for
food and clean toilets.
Top Low tide on the beach
Bottom Villas dot the Alibag coastline
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A White Beach with a
Dark Past
Highlights
1 Kashid Beach
2 Janjira Fort
Kashid allows the simple pleasures of a beach
holiday. Water sports, sunsets and bhajiya on
the beach is what it promises, and that’s exactly
what it delivers.
3 Khokari Tombs
Murud, on the other hand, carries the baggage
Sanctuary
of its violent past which leaps out right from
5 Idgah & Datta Mandir
the point when you climb the hillock dividing
6 Garambi Waterfalls
the two beaches. Starting from the extravagant
Nawab’s palace set against a raging sea and
the ruins of its watchtower framing the Padmadurg Fort,
Murud’s saga peaks at the battle-weary Janjira Fort and the
eerie Khokari tombs.
4 Phansad Wildlife
Thankfully Kashid’s carefree vibe acts as a perfect antidote to
Murud’s somber mood, which is why they work best when
bundled together. Consider the wildlife sanctuary and its
resident leopard a happy bonus.
1 KASHID BEACH
Like all good beaches, Kashid understands that a beachgoer
might be either in the mood for noisy water sports or quiet
contemplation. For this reason, it has obligingly divided itself
into the main Kashid Beach that gives a distinctly Mumbai
Chowpatty vibe, and the Chikani section which is more given
to introspection. Whichever you choose, you will find the
same almost-white sands and bigger-than-usual waves, giving
you an idea why this is perhaps the best beach the region has
to offer.
2 JANJIRA FORT
When it comes to grand historic forts that stun you into
silence, Janjira wins hands down. Spanning 22 acres and 19
towers mounted with cannons, a trip inside the blackened
Sample chapter
KASHID–mURUD
ruins of this once impregnable fortress, harking back to
the 15th-century Siddi regents of Abbyssinian descent, is
intimidating to say the least. Famed for repeatedly thwarting
Shivaji’s army, the old fort stands in brooding silence,
outraged at being reduced to a mere tourist attraction.
At the end of Darbar Rd take the fork to Janjira till you reach
Rajapuri village. A short walk will take you to the ferry. Boats
(`20) leave every 30min and a round trip takes 1hr. A guide
(`200) is advised; 9am–5pm
3 KHOKARI TOMBS
Tourists who flock to the Janjira Fort seldom realise that
the tombs of its rulers lie next door. Known as Echo Point
amongst the locals, these magnificent 500-year-old stone
mausoleums are believed to hide untold treasures. The
cenotaph of the once powerful Siddi commander Surul Khan
(legend has it that he sacrificed his young son to appease
the gods) faces the sea, its arches framing an unforgettable
picture. The experience of Janjira is incomplete without a
visit to these forgotten tombs.
Located on the left, 2km from Rajapuri village on the
main road
The Khokari
tombs
evoke the
grandeur
of its Siddi
rulers
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4 Accommodation
www.orchardsresort.com; Gholwad
%02528–222442, 225655,
A relatively new resort in the area,
9823037189; www.
Orchard has a pretty lawn surrounding
pearlinebeachresort.com; Dahanu
the well furnished rooms. The loos are
Beach; d `1650; aWsp This Irani
clean. The spacious property also has
family-run establishment has been
geese, turkeys and ducks dawdling
around for many years and offers
around giving it a farm-like feel. There
value for money. Rooms are clean
is a restaurant and swimming pool.
Pearline Beach Resort Hotel `
Station Rd,Dahanu; d `1700; asp
with balconies, many of which face
the large swimming pool. The hotel
Tapovan Retreat
Hotel `
has large open spaces, including a
%02528–254649, 9820191153;
garden area in the front and a large
www.tapovanretreat.com; Bordi
pool dotted by coconut trees, beyond
Beach Rd, opposite Vijay Stumbh; d
which is a pretty pond. The in-house
`1500; aThis quaint resort consists
restaurant offers a variety of Parsi,
of ten rooms, most of which are
Indian and Chinese dishes.
spacious and well kept. Some of the
rooms also have large living rooms
Save Farm (TarpaGholvad) Resort `
thus giving it a more homely feel. It lies
%02528–241130, 9822078153;
just a few minutes from the beach and
www.savefarm.in; Rampur, Gholvad
close to the Bordi market area.
(E), Dahanu; `1300 per head, full
board; apThe highlight of the farm
Goolkhush Resort
Hotel `
run by the Save family is their agri-eco
%02528–254182; opposite Parsee
tourism effort called Tarpa which has
Agiary, Bordi Beach Rd; d `1650
gained popularity here. The farmland
as Goolkhush Resort, run by a
and orchards of chikoos, mangoes,
warm Parsi family, is a small resort
coconut, litchis and avocado are
that resembles a homestay. The beds
spread over 35 acres. Guests can
are the old-fashioned high, dark,
observe organic farming, rainwater
wooden variety. A couple of the rooms
harvesting, sustainable agriculture,
have small balconies that face the
fish farming at close quarters. The
street. The hotel offers basic comforts
rooms are clean and spacious,
and is well maintained.
resembling huts and machans. The
meals are home style with plenty of
Seawoods Beach Hotel
Hotel `
organic vegetables.
%02528–225669, 9271676181;
www.seawoodsbeachhotel.com;
Orchard, the Resort %9923443799, 9860313383;
Sample chapter
Hotel `
8/8, opp. Dahanu Beach, Narpad Rd,
Agar, Dahanu (W); d `2000; ap
DAHANU–BORDI
The great thing about the hotel is that
part of the Pearline Beach Resort. A
it offers rooms with splendid views of
simple but breezy restaurant, it serves
the beach. The rooms are basic and
from north Indian to Chinese to Parsi
clean and have balconies attached.
cuisine. The channa masala (`80);
While the staff here, like any resort in a
chicken tikka (`130) and veg pulao
small town, are not very polished, they
(`95) are worth the try.
are helpful and courteous.
Crazy Crab Hill Zill Hotel
Hotel `
Restaurant ``
%9923443799, 9860313383;
%9824121460; Tambolpada, Bordi-
www.orchardsresort.com; Gholwad
Borigaon; d `2300; asp Situated
Station Rd, Dahanu; 11am–3pm
on a small hillock about a kilometre
& 6pm–11pm This is a popular
away from Bordi Beach, the Hill Zill
restaurant located within Orchard
Hotel is an extensive property. The
and is partially open-air, surrounded
rooms are clean and simple. The hotel
by greenery. It serves some good
also has a partially open-air restaurant
seafood like crabs and prawns and
overlooking their large swimming pool.
also vegetarian, Punjabi, Chinese and
In the evenings, the large, open space
Tandoori cuisine. The arbi chicken
in the centre of the hotel is converted
(`260) here is highly recommended
into a dining area.
besides the seafood.
5 Eating
Chikooland
Restaurant `
Pearline Restaurant Multi-Cuisine `
%02528–254102, 9823766695;
%02528–222442, 225655,
www.anandresort.net; opposite Sea
9823037189; www.
Face, Bordi Beach; 8.30am–9pm A
pearlinebeachresort.com; Sea Face,
pure veg restaurant located in Bordi
Dahanu Beach, Dahanu; 11am–3pm
within Anand Resort, Chikooland has
& 6.30pm–11pm The restaurant is
a separate dining hall for Gujarati and
A filling Parsi breakfast of spicy
scrambled eggs
Jain food and another for Punjabi
cuisine. The restaurant serves up
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher.
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