Skip to main content

A WALK IN THE HILLS

Sweet corn roasting over an open coal fire slathered with melting butter and sea salt,  the silky taste of rich chocolate walnut fudge, crisp crushed peanut chikki, pleasant cool winds, rolling hills, icy cold showers of rain, traffic snarls on a Sunday,

WHERE WERE WE ? !!!  We were at LONAVALA.

The hubby and I were due for a long awaited complimentary welcome holiday from Sterling Holidays Resorts Ltd.  After hemming and hawing for months together, we decided to take the well earned break during the first week of September. It was not the ideal month to travel to Lonavala but our dates were running out.

Since it was going to be a short weekend break for 2 nights / 3 days, I zeroed onto Hotel Mayur Sterling, 3 kms from the main town area. It’s a lovely hotel located between Khandala and Lonavala’s market area.

Lonavala is a popular hill station beautifully located amongst the hills and valleys of the Sahyadri range in Maharashtra, India, about 100 kms from Mumbai and 69 kms from Pune and is located at a height of 625 meters above sea level.  Lonavala, located by Sir Elphinstone, the then Governor of Bombay Presidency in 1871, derived its name from a Sanskrit word Lonavli means caves.  

Khandala is 5 km before Lonavala and gifted with abundant natural beauty, set at a height of 625 m.

Both hill stations are great for a honeymoon or a family vacation during the weekend and is bestowed with many historical forts, ancient caves and wonderful serene lakes.

WHEN TO GO 

Summers (April and May)  are quite mild while Winters i.e. November-February, are cool.  It rains heavily during the monsoon especially between June and September. The best time to visit Khandala or Lonavala is between October and May. It is not advisable to visit during the Monsoon.

HOW DID WE GET THERE  

By Air : Khandala / Lonavala does not have an in-town airport. To reach the place by air one has to fly either to Mumbai or Pune Airports.

There are plenty of buses from Mumbai and Pune.

We took a bus from Chembur Naka (Mumbai) at around 7 am. It takes around 2 ½ hours to Lonavala.  I enquired earlier and did a thorough research on where to board the bus, disembark, how to get to the hotel, how far was the main shopping area .

The hotel advised us to alight at Khandala exit on the Expressway.  We walked down a little slope to Hotel Kamath where we had breakfast after  which we hopped onto an auto for the hotel. The auto charged us Rs 70. I am not sure how many kms it was but it took us around 10 mins.

There is a green Dargah along the Old Mumbai Pune Highway and a little stony path sloping down from the side of the Dargah which leads to the Hotel. The staff welcomed us warmly and were very gracious during the entire stay.

Our room was clean with a little balcony overlooking a picturesque view of the neighbouring hillside dotted with homes. Everything was green as it was during the monsoons and clean washed fresh with the rain.



DAY 1

We stepped out for lunch which was at Kumar Resort , Lonavala market. The auto charged us Rs 50.

I must add that the auto fares are pretty steep in Lonavala. Most of our expense was in commuting between the hotel and main town. What might have been only Rs 12 (minimum fare) in Mumbai was costing us Rs. 50-60.  It was Rs. 60 till the Lonavala station.

The road branches off from Kumar Resort winds its way to the Lonavala station and is lined with lots of  shops, MacDonald’s, etc.

We walked down from Kumar Resort to St. Joseph’s Church. We passed a shopping complex, National Chikki Mart, Rupam Chikki, Cooper’s , shops selling toys, expresso coffee, a small takeaway (the Uttapam and Sheera is good there), swimming costumes etc.

There is a roundabout midway which turns right to Bushi Dam and Amby Valley. The road straight ahead leads to the church and station.

St. Joseph’s Church is a very old church, built in 1867. It is a small church but with a beautiful interior, high wooden arched ceiling, golden chandeliers, wall lamps, a beautiful Tabernacle and Sanctuary. The altar is circular similar to Mount Mary, Bandra, Mumbai.




The ambience is prayerful and peaceful. The congregation is lively. The Mass we attended was during the Novena of the Nativity of Our Lady. It was a lovely spiritual experience .

Dinner was back at the hotel . This time the hotel advised us to take the Masti Package which was for Rs 480 (for 2 meals per day, per person). When we went down for dinner, we found the entire hotel at the buffet table !!!  Everyone had opted for the same.

The buffet was wholesome with unlimited food , good service and a colourful spread !!!

DAY 2

We decided to spend our second day relaxing by the swimming pool. My little son and hubby enjoyed themselves splashing around .  After all that swimming , we were hungry !!

We had signed in for breakfast and dinner in the Masti Package. So we hopped into an auto again and got off Radha Krishna Restaurant for lunch.

The evening was spent in our balcony sipping tea  and taking in the lovely view across. It was so peaceful, relaxing. It was also raining heavily throughout out stay but it was a different feeling. Hill stations during the light monsoons …  Well !!! One has to experience that for themselves.

DAY 3

Time to return to Mumbai and home. We took a bus from Neeta’s Inn where Neeta Volvo buses stop by on their way from Mahabaleshwar, Pune etc.

WHAT TO SEE

Tourists travelling to Lonavala can visit a lot of caves, parks, dams, lakes. Please visit http://lonavala.mumbaigetaways.com/places-to-see.html

But the scenery and greenery is to die for.

WHAT  TO BUY

Fudge  - This old-fashioned silky smooth fudge that's dotted with just the right amount of nuts is sure to appeal to sweet tooth of all ages. Cooper’s (a Paris establishment close to the church) is associated with the most delicious fudge especially the the CHOCOLATE ALMOND was much better I felt. Far more silky.  Strawberry fudge wasn’t so bad either.

Cooper's, a hole-in-the-wall shop near Lonavla station is responsible for a whole population of travellers taking a detour to the hill station.taking a detour to the hill station while on their way to Pune or beyond. Their products high on taste but don't expect a swanky store that dishes out dessert in fancy packaging. In fact, it's nothing more than a counter guarded by staff and the lady owner.

For more information please click on links below .. 

Chikki – Energy bars made from jaggery, glucose and sugar which provides nourishment and energy to the human body. Therefore it is a highly nutritious food, easily digestible, chewable and gives instant energy.  Chikki does not contain synthetic agents like preservatives or food colours and is suitable for all ages; even children and expectant mothers. 

There are a lot of varieties; the most popular being Peanut Chikki , Groundnut Chikki.
 Peanut Brittle/Chikki is a healthy, delicious traditional candy made from peanuts and jaggery. It can be eaten alone or with snacks and is a perfect replacement for chocolates.

The Chocolate Butterscotch chikki was tasty too !!!  My little son loved it.

Maganlal – They are an old establishement  and well established. In fact they are celebrating 125 yrs. http//maganlal.com

They sell a lot of things besides chikki and fudge in Mango , Strawberry and a lot of other flavours. Their Chocolate Bites - Mango, Litchi, Orange. Strawberry, Pineapple.
They have pre packed Gift packs  .






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Coonoor & Ooty

COO N OOR & O O T Y This is the Coimbatore - Metupalaiyam - Coonoor - Ooty circuit. I haven't been there yet but the beauty of Coonoor and Ooty has capitivated me from what I have read about them. These 2 beautiful hill stations are topmost of my list of places to visit next. One has to first go to Coimbatore and then move onwards to Metupalaiyam (located at the foot of the Nilgiri hills) which is the popular entry point for the toy train journey and road route to Ooty via Coonoor . You can get to Metupalaiyam directly by train from Chennai. Mumbai doesn't have a direct train service to M. It takes 1 hour to by road from Coimbatore to Metupalaiyam. It takes 3 1/2 hours by road from Coimbatore to Ooty. If you need to stopover at Coimbatore enroute to Ooty, there are several hotels available. COIMBATORE Hotels - 1) Aiba Regency – Tariff Rs 495 - 1600. http://www.hotelaibaregency.com/Contactus.html 28A, Geetha Hall, Opp. Railway Station, - 0422 - 2303737, 2303747

What a Beautiful World

God's creation of this beautiful world is spellbounding. There is so much to see and discover ; the ferns, the flowers, the fields, the beautiful skies in all its hues and colours..... I could go on and on..... If you come across any publication who needs a place to be covered to promote it, do let me know. 

Kodaikanal

KODAIKANAL Picture courtesy of - http://www.flowersofindia.net/ KODAIKANAL is a beautiful place is in Tamil Nadu, situated on Palani hills at an altitude of 210om. It is one of the most popular hill resorts in India, a charming hill station. near Madurai. The beauty of the ideal hill station lies in its woods , lovely lake and bracing air. It is approachable from Ooty/Coonoor which takes 7 hrs via road. From Coimbatore it takes 3 1/2 hrs via road. Peculiar to this region is a unique shrub, named as Kurinji which is found in KodaiKanal. This shrub has light, purple-blue coloured flowers , it flowers in every 12 years. It will flower next in 2016. Hope many of us are lucky enough to witness this. picture courtesy - http://travel.paintedstork.com/blog/2006/11/photo-essay-flowers-galore-kurinjis.html Kodaikanal is the best place to stay during the hot summers, and to avoid the heat and haze of plains. This place also provides an opportunity to hike in the quiet shola forests. When to Visi