[ARAY]

It had been some time since the 2.5 of us had taken the highway. The last trip we did was West Bengal to Hyderabad.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...d-asansol.html

It was decided that the destination should not be very far and should be secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city. As usual, on Thursday night, we googled "weekend gateway", obvious options flooded the screen. Ah, well all were done! Wait hold on, Bhavani Island - how could we miss that? Mostly, because of lack of feed back from fellow travelers we knew. Just last month, we went to Suryalanka beach the third time. The road conditions were perfect for a drive and the path was just the same... well, for most part.

I would like to just move away from the topic and introduce "Here maps from Nokia". Yes, its from Nokia and it's the most accurate offline map I have seen. I had an iPad running Sygic Map my India and it was not very good at re-routing.

Bhavani Island is not very huge, but I would like to share the exact coordinates of the reception at APTDC Harita [ 16.514556,80.592159 ]. Road conditions were excellent throughout and I could maintain an average speed of 80 kmph.

We started at around 8:30 am and reached at 1 pm. That included a 30 minute breakfast. There isn't much to share about the route as it's very straightforward. However, for the last 30 kms, you could either take the mud road that runs parallel to the Krishna river or the main road (NH9). I took the broken road, as I was told that I could spot some rather uncommon birds near the river bank. That never happened and I was left sour. I left the car at the parking and the Harita was on the other end. As I parked my Punto, my wife smiled. Yes, she knew that I would be a little sad to leave it.

The overall ambiance is breathtaking and you would cherish the scenic beauty of the place. The booking was pretty straightforward. We booked online at http://aptdc.in/aptdc/login/OnlineLogin.jsp . However, if you are three members planning on staying in a single room, it would be a difficult task. Unlike other Haritas, where they provide a mattress, here you would only get a bunch of bed sheets to pass the night on the floor. It's rather inconvenient.

Enough talking. Let's get right into some shots.

The road, as usual, was great and so was the weather:


The boat ride was short and sweet:


Probably, there were around 5 steamers that were doing the rounds. Prakasam Barrage at the far end of River Krishna:


Finally, I got the first glimpse of the resort. Secluded indeed! The island is spread over an area of 133 acres (54 ha):




APTDC Harita Resort, Bhavani Island:


I would not say that the food at the resort is top notch, but its decent. It's the peace and calmness that sets this place apart. A night shot of the place:


A view from the resort:


A temple just on the other end of the river bank. The Kanaka Durga Temple (located close by) is the abode of Goddess Durga. She is also known by another name - Bhavani and hence, the island is named Bhavani Island:


The restaurant would close by 9 pm, so we had an early dinner.

The sunrise next morning was great. APTDC always manages to nail the the best location:


We went outside the resort via a "secret door and stairs" and there was a small garden to greet us. The morning was lovely:



Later in the day, we were told that there were some adventure sports available. Kids would enjoy this place. We decided to go for a boat ride on the Krishna river. The weather was great and so was the ride:


Water sports were also available and who could not enjoy that?



There were few a quad bikes / ATVs. I liked this one especially:


I was told that there would be few bird spotting opportunities early in the morning and I shouldn't miss them. The birds were common and we had spotted them back in Hyderabad. Probably, in the peak migratory season, I would get to see some more.

A few birds just made my day:






The return was equally fun. We started at around 3 pm. NH9 had always been good to me. A picture of the sunset:



We had plans of having dinner after reaching Hyderabad. But, we halted for a quick tea break and ended up having dinner at 6 pm . It was the hospitality of the place and the aroma. Who am I kidding? We were hungry as hell:


The trip came to and end and it was a great one. APTDC nails the location every time, be it the Blackbuck Resort, Rushikonda, Suryalanka or Araku Valley. Bhavani Island is a great place for a quick breather and its just 360 kms away (via ORR, I love ORR).

Posting some pictures of the resort. It is very well maintained and would make a great place for a family trip. I did not find many pictures on the internet. So I would like to share these for those who are planning a trip to Bhavani Island:




A view from the garden:


The only entry and exit point of the hotel:

[Raaj*]

Originally Posted by aritraray

We went out side the resort via a "secret door and stair "and there was a small garden to greet us . The morning was lovely .

A short but sweet photologue Aritraray.
Fantastic photos of birds & sunrise, could print as greeting cards
The resort looks Pristine. Seems a perfect location for a day out or parties/functions!
"Secret door and stair" - Interesting. What is that? Can you post a picture of it please!?

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[ARAY]

Originally Posted by Raaj*

"Secret door and stair" - Interesting. What is that? Can you post a picture of it please!?

The stairs were nicely concealed behind the fireplace of the room .