A Short Drive to Lavasa - Pics of Lavasa Valley

[ambivalent_98]

by the way apart from being a picnic spot / hill station any lucky people who have purchased homes there ? How is the place w.r.t logistics ? I mean anyone who plans to live there on a regular basis and not weekend getaway

[emkay456]

Maybe some 3 - 4 years forward, it may be a self sustained township with hospitals, schools and shopping malls. But I forsee a high cost of living there considering the logistics of transportation etc.
From the look of it, recession has hit the speed at which it is developing.
Also it is embroiled in some political controversies involving nearby villages.

[satya180]

Never been to Ekaant, but Ive been with family to Fortune a couple of times. The coffee shop is a 24hr one, and they have Buffets over lunch and dinner. Its about 400 or 500 bucks, dont remember clearly. the food quality is generally good and has a decent Indian spread as well, veg and non veg. The desserts there were not bad. And there was no booking, or 'book now food tomorrow' bull****, just walk in and eat.

[emkay456]

Originally Posted by satya180

Never been to Ekaant, but Ive been with family to Fortune a couple of times. The coffee shop is a 24hr one, and they have Buffets over lunch and dinner. Its about 400 or 500 bucks, dont remember clearly. the food quality is generally good and has a decent Indian spread as well, veg and non veg. The desserts there were not bad. And there was no booking, or 'book now food tomorrow' bull****, just walk in and eat.

If Fortune is only charging around Rs. 400 I would still have given it a try. Did not have the courage to ask there
Btw. someone has mentioned in the forums here that Ekaant charges 400 p.p. for food. So difficult to believe the star rated Fortune will charge the same rates.

[Abhay]

Ekaant rates I think are 300 on week-days and 400 on week-ends.
200 or so for the breakfast buffet.

[emkay456]

Pl. see few photographs of an amateur during my Lavasa trip. Pl. ignore the date stamp as the clock had got reset in the camera.

[ptushar]

Emkay, nice snaps.
Looks like the water sports facilities have commenced operations. Last time I cancelled by visit to Ekaant, because I was advised that there was nothing to do in Lavasa as yet plus only three places to eat of which two are five-star. I kind of liked the snaps that I saw of Ekaant though.

Lavasa is a great concept and hope it turns out as good as planned. I still see this to be at least 3 to 4 years away from being a destination of choice. It will be a lot different from Amby valley. I mean Amby valley is completely off limits unless you are a person who frequently appears in the news. While Lavasa will be an actual hill station which can be visited any time you wish; it will still be access controlled, more to ensure that it is not crowded like Lonavala, Matheran etc. Looking forward to this coming up as it will add one more destination to Mumbai and Pune for a weekend break.

PS: The snap of the bats is cool.

[pramod]

Everyone is so excited about Lavasa. Personally, looking at all the photos of this place, i dont find it green enough to be attractive.
I have stayed in places like Bellevue, Seattle and i know what Waterfront living is all about.
I would defintely like to see more green cover.

[Technocrat]

What has staying in places like Bellevue, Seattle got to do with this?
This place is still under construction & is green enough for a man made hill station. We are not comparing it to anything else, most of us visited it during rains & found it to be very green & nice.

I have stayed in New Zealand that doesnt make me go compare everything else with NZ's natural beauty.

[pramod]

I agree that it is under construction. But that doesnt rule out the fact that it is not a very green place by nature. hence not the best place selected for this project.
The surrounding and the place they have selected is not apt. "Hill Station" cannot be "man-made"

Me, staying in Seattle may not have anything to do with this. But for a water front location as a residence, u NEED to have very good green cover. Or else, it is not worth it.

[emkay456]

Let me add my 2 bits to the interactions. These hills are not man made definitely. But and a big but is that these hills do not have a thick soil cover and is prone to getting affected by construction activities. The promoters run a big risk of finding themselves supporting a concrete jungle in the middle of rocky hills after some time, unless they think seriously of eco conservation and afforestation.
The hills are not the typical Western Ghats with dense forest cover. To that extent comparisons are not justified with constructions elsewhere which are more in colder climatic zones enabling green environment.

[Technocrat]

I am not sure what part of the pictures you didnt find green enough that too only after looking the pics.

@emkay- The Hills are not man made but this will be a Hill Station which is man made/developed.

[anoopap]

IMO,

any place is worth visiting. its depends on person what he finds beautiful. (green, blue or brown).

BUT, lets hope the housing projects are within limits to commoners. Else it will also end up as another INVESTMENT rather than a HOUSE.

[emkay456]

Originally Posted by anoopap

BUT, lets hope the housing projects are within limits to commoners. Else it will also end up as another INVESTMENT rather than a HOUSE.

They are for upper middle class and above. Though one of my neighbours managed to get it at 45 lakhs for a flat some time back, I think now these must be in the region of 60+.

[rageshgr]

Wow! What a great place! and what great winding rode, hope you must have enjoyed the drive very much!