This is one blog wherein I won't have much information about the places that i visited. Most of our time went in travelling and relaxing at the resort that we had booked for a night. It was an impromptu plan. My stress levels were going up at work due to dual roles and lack of clarity on some functions that I needed to perform. Hence I needed a break desperately. So I checked with my cousin on whether he had a day off during Good Friday. Luckily he was free. Thus, we decided to drive to Alibaug. I am an impromto travel planner:)
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| Here and there- on our way to Alibaug |
Some facts that i read about Alibaug from travel sites-Alibaug is one of the most popular weekend destination from Mumbai. It is an easy get away from the busy cities of Mumbai and Pune. Located 110 km south of Mumbai, Alibaug is a 300-year old seaside town in the Konkani region of Maharashtra. Also known as ‘Shreebag’, Alibaug is also the headquarters of the Raigad district. Spread over a small strip on the Arabian Sea, on the southern side of Mumbai, Alibaug is a destination well known for its beautiful beaches, surrounded by coconut trees. The Kolaba Beach, Akshi Beach Kihim, Kashid are some of the popular beaches in Alibaug. The town is also known for its Bene Israeli Jews, settled there from the early 19th century. The origin of Alibaug goes back to the 17th century. It was developed by Sarkhal Kanhojio Aangre, the naval chief of King Shivaji's regime. Alibaug has been witness to numerous historical events. There is a famous fort called Kollaba Fort situated just 2 km from the sea coast of Alibaug. In fact, the earlier name of Alibaug was ‘Kulaba’, but later became well known as Ali’s baug (garden) after the rich Jew gardener named Ali, who had several plantations in the area. Other than beaches, tourists can visit the famous Tower of St. Barbara, historical forts, ancient churches, synagogues, etc. in Alibaug. One can also savour typical Maharashtrian food like bread made of flour called bhakri and fish items. Other places of tourists' interest nearby Alibaug (15 km) is Chaul, which is a historical town, known for its ruins of the Portuguese, and most importantly a Buddhist cave, a hamam khana. These places are also very popular among tourists. On the way to Mandawa, about 12 km from Alibaug, there is the Kanakeshwar Temple, on a hill near Mapgaon. There is also the Vikram Vinayak Temple, commonly called the Birla Temple
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| At Tunga- Mom and Dad |
Our aim was to get away from the city and relax at the resort. We left from here at 8.30 am. The first stop was at Tunga Hotel near Vashi as we wanted to have some tea. The cheese chilly toast at this place is awesome. Mom and dad got an opportunity to stretch their legs. Niece got an opportunity to fill her empty tummy as she had skipped breakfast while at home. Once done, we began our journey to this place. My cousin had the route charted out in a piece of paper. That's when you really miss having a 'sat navigator device' in the car. Makes life easier. I believe that they don't have all of the Indian roads mapped and hence this isn't a popular device here. Also, whenever we get lost, we ask for directions from the locals. But ahem..when it comes to asking for directions, women are better. They'd do it. Can't say the same about men with bloated egos!!! They'd rather get lost than ask for directions. There were some minor instances of that kind while we were travelling. But thank god for small mercies...the 2 men managed to ask for directions rather than get lost most times!
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| Here and there |
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| Here and there |
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| Tropicana Resort |
The sun 's rays were working overtime while we were travelling. Please ensure that your car AC works fine before you venture out. Interiors of Maharashtra can be very hot and humid. This resort is situated at Chondi Naka. It took us some time to discover this place as it's placed in the interiors. It's a very picturesque area as it is scenic and beautiful. Once we reached the resort, it was time to locate our rooms. We discovered that the cottage that we had booked was not near the pool but opposite to the same. It was a compromise as all rooms were booked as per the hotel folks. The 2 bedrooms were huge. The hall was spacious. The bedrooms had working AC and TV. The cable connection was weak. Hence the clarity was low. There are phones which connect you to the reception. We made the mistake of ordering food instead of venturing out again. It's not a good decision as the food takes ages to reach your room. By the time it reached, we were famished. We had ordered some chicken curry, fish curry, fried fish, rotis and rice. The food tasted good but it's not worth the money that is charged for the same. There's no tea or coffee maker. I really wish that they had a fridge within the rooms. But i guess it makes more business sense for them to make their guest order for cold Bisleri water and then charge them for the same. But they don't realize that such amenities make guests go back to their resort if there's a visit planned in the future. The staff are not trained well on hospitality areas. They come across as rude and indifferent most times. The staff are also not familiar with the concept of a 'continental breakfast'. The complimentary breakfast can be dissapointing. It's toast, tea, coffee or canned juice which doesn't taste fresh. Since my cousin had complained about this and asked them about their understanding of this type of breakfast, the manager was forced to provide us with complimentary breakfast from their normal menu. But again, the idea is to 'say what you do and do what you say'. That's an ISO standard :) Maybe they need to follow that when they cite a complimentary meal. Leaving aside these negative areas, this place is very beautifully landscaped. It's surrounded by various plants and trees. I am not sure of the gym as I didn't go to visit the same. I know..it's high time I did. LOL! They claim to have a jacuzzi. But I didn't see one or go searching for it. When i read the review written by others in some travel site, it's non functional as per them. Niece had a great time in the pool. But to be honest, the pool wasn't very well maintained. The water had leaves and other particles floating in it. The management really need to roll up their sleeves and take some concrete action to fix these areas.
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| Kihim Beach at nite |
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| Pleased me carrying all the bags! |
All said and done, it served the purpose of relaxation. Parents weren't too keen on travelling any place to see the sights. They wanted to just enjoy the resort. But we did go to Kihim beach by 6.30 pm. By then, it was too dark. I couldn't see the sunset. That's sad. Would have loved to do that.
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| Family time |
We went to Radisson Alibaug to have dinner. My sincere advice is to spend some money and live in this place. The property is beautiful. The pool is really great. It seemed like value for money. We went to their restaurant ( Kokum and Spice) which serves the local cuisine. To be frank, all of us had yet to digest the late lunch. But we had to eat something while we were there. The chef suggested the local bhakri with all the chutneys that come along with it, some fish curry along with Neer dosa and chappatis. I loved the chilly chutney that they served along with garlic chutney and coconut chutney. The service is great. Staff are very friendly and hospitable. Once done, we did manage to take a few snaps here and there. I loved the ambience. Very nice!!!
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| Pesky niece with grandparents |
Next day was spent in packing and coming back to Mumbai. No one was interested in going to see the sights. It's tiring and cumbersome during the summer to do all of that. So maybe we need to make a trip to Alibaug again to see these forts and soak in some of that History. Overall, it was a good getaway. I'd want to visit some other exotic part of Maharashtra soon. Researching on that for now!
Till i travel next....
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| view at the resort |
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| Our cottage |
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| Pest and grandma in the bedroom |
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| Pest at the pool |
'To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive'
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| My little red ball :) |
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