The Sankranti holidays were creeping up on us-slowly but surely and Goa was on our radar.It has 6-7 years since we last Goaed,so this time round we were certain that Goa is where we are headed to.
With the destination decided,I got onto the serious part of bookings-Hotels and Flights and that is when reality hit me.And boy did it hit me big time.All our earlier travels to Goa were almost always during the rains-yes yes not the times when the shacks are around,or when the sun's blazing down.The rains have always been mystical and this was the first time we were attempting a trip there during a peak season month.
The prices shocked us-period
The prices to Goa for a 3 night stay,travel expenses,food expenses all put together would have easily been enough for us to take an international vacation and I slowly began to see the Goan dream being washed away farther and farther into the Arabian sea-a vacation that was ending even before it had started.Sigh
Back to square one and back to the planning boards.The downside of having travelled almost all over the country is that you need to look that much harder to find places that you have not really been to,and we being these suckers for the luxury stays and hotels did not make the planning any easy.
I somehow don't subscribe to the much abused cliches that say a hotel just like home,food just like home,just a bed is enough and so on.If everything has to be just like home,why bother with travelling out. Our mantra has always been even if the place has nothing to offer,the place we stay has to be the best and this mantra has led us to staying at some of the most exquisite hotels across the country(not necessarily the most expensive,but definitely at hotels with a difference! )
Places started getting thrown around-Kodaikanal,Ooty,Coorg,Pench,Bandhavgarh,Mahabalesh war-none of these made the cut.We managed to come out with arguments that were not the least in favour of us going there.
Even when all these places were being considered,all of us knew at the back of our heads that we all wanted to go to a sea place and the disappointment of Goa not happening was looming large in our tiny heads.
This overwhelming urge inside us to go touch the Arabian sea this January made us look harder all along the western coast from Karwar till Alibaug.
And then I suddenly see this name staring at me from my small scribble pad,a notebook that I maintain in which I usually note down all the We- Want-to-go-to-hotels across the country.
The Fern Samali,Dapoli
I also looked up the internet for the Fern Courtyard at Ganpatipule but,sadly,with a little digging around I saw that the property was no more managed by The Fern.It existed as a standalone property now and was not inspiring enough after having read what people had to say about the place.
D-day arrived and we were all packed and set to leave for Dapoli,our first real Konkan experience and we were more than looking forward to it.This time roundwe decided not to drive from Hyderabad as the days available were far too less which would mean we would end up spending more time in trying to reach the place and trying to get back home than actually at the destination.With this thought,we decided to fly to Mumbai and drive straight from the airport to Dapoli and back to the airport.
We were on exploratory mode and hence decided to go via the NH17 from Panvel till Wadhkal Naka and then continue on the NH17 till Mahad.The overall distance from Mumbai to Dapoli was just a mere 270kms but thanks to the miserable conditions of NH17,the drive took close to 7hours(of which almost 5 hours were on the NH17).
For all the scenic options that NH17 has to offer,it is best to stay away from this highway atleast until the existing roads are relaid-4 laning is a distant dream.
At some locations between Panvel and Wadhkal Naka,the roads are virtually non-existent and to see this state of neglect on one of the most important highways of the country is a shame on the people concerned.
We stopped briefly for a Poha break at the Vithal Kamat just before Wadhkal Naka.Reccomendation-Do not stop here,if there was an award for the dirtiest
Vithal Kamat,this would be a serious contender for the top position.From thereon we drove non-stop to Dapoli.
At Mahad,we decided to test out the not-so-used route to Dapoli.The drive was scenic alright but I would not do this route again!
This was the comment that a friend had when I told him I took the direct route from Mahad to Dapoli via Visapur (
https://goo.gl/maps/R7rQ4pDWEDS2)
- "You would have felt like a living legend at the end of the drive"and that was precisely what I felt at the end of the drive,since there was not a soul on the road except for an occasional ST bus and some small hamlets scattered few and far between.
What was surprising was Bank of India has a strong presence in these interior areas of Maharashtra-atleast in the Konkan regions.I saw atleast 3 branches of BOI between Mahad and Dapoli in the middle of nowhere.So thats commendable.
We were just praying all along that there are no road blocks at any point due to stone slides or anything of that sort,because there was absolutely no space to take a turn and go back.
Halfway through we realised this was not a oh-so-great route to explore. Once we reached Visapur and joined the Mandangad-Dapoli road,we were one helluva relieved lot.
The roads after Visapur till we reached Dapoli were average to good and looked like these as seen in the pictures.
But then during our 5 day stay in the region,we understood that the Konkan areas are sparsely populated unlike the Kerala region which shares the same sea down the road where the areas are densely populated.
In the Konkan region,you MUST have a real sound car and atleast some practical knowledge on how to change flat tyres,I hardly saw any mechanics or puncture shops anywhere in the region and the villages are far from each other and sparsely populated.
Finally after the adventureous drive we reach Dapoli town at 1315 after a departure from Panvel at 0700.
Dapoli is a nice little touristy town dependent totally on the fishing business.The place also has the Agricultural university campus-the Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth
www.dbskkv.org which must easily rank as one of the biggest in the country.It was earlier known as Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth.
The Vikri Kendra attached to the University that sells some amazing papads,pickles and other local organic produce at some unbelievable prices.
The Fern Samali is a further 4kms and a 15minute drive from Dapoli town on the Burondi road.
We were such a happy lot to see this after a long and tiring drive. The entrance is on a curve and you abruptly arrive at it when driving up from Dapoli town
The resort is an amazing place,easily one of the best kept secret resorts in India.
The last thing one would expect in a place like Dapoli is a luxury resort of this kind.The main gate to the resort lobby is a steep climb of close to 700 meters,it is such an exhilarating experience and the walks from the main lobby to the main gate and back opened up the lungs every morning.
Ample parking available and the parking is a very secure one too-open parking though.Check-in was smooth,they already had all the details available.What strikes you about the place is the almost
nil presence of pretence on the part of the staff and no attempts at fake humility or fake happiness-somethings that have become hallmarks of some of the urban luxury hotels.Nothing would have been more apt or refreshing than the lovely and chilled Kokum Sarbat that we were served with at the Lobby.
Everything about this place-property and staff was genuine which left a lasting impression on all of us.Also with the staff being a good mix of local people and people from as far as the north east of India and from the South of India,the mix was a very even one.
The Tulip rooms that we were in is at an elevation and overlooking a beautifully valley and further overlooking the Dapoli town in the distance.
The room was just the way it was in the pictures,overlooking a valley and had a huge balcony with a swing.The room was close to 600sqft,that must give you an idea of how spacious and large the room was.
We had booked ourselves the Tulip Rooms,as these are in the new block.The cottages do not offer the kind of views that Tulip offers,size and amenities-wise the stand alone cottages and Tulip are more or less the same.
And we were overjoyed when we saw this!This was the deal clincher when we decided on staying at this hotel and we were more than mighty pleased to find it exactly the way it was advertised. Most of the early morning coffees and late night gossip happened on this,with all of us fighting for space on it.
After the checkin,we decided to head to the restaurant for lunch.Food was excellent and reasonably priced,lesser than what you would pay for a similar lunch in a Mumbai or a Pune.The Solkadhis (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solkadhi) fired up our senses and drove away all the tiredness.
After the drive and the lunch we were confronted with the perfect dilemma-do we crash into the bed or do we crash into the waves:)It wasn't a difficult decision to make afterall-Hopped into the car and headed to the Murud Beach.This Murud beach is not to be confused with the Murud-Janjira one,that is an entirely different one.We departed the hotel at around 430pm for Murud.
Murud beach is approximately 15kms from Dapoli via Asud.The route involves a ghat section enroute.At Asud village enroute to Murud, there is the Vyagareshwar temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the temple is supposedly 800 years old.To reach this temple you need to divert off the main road that leads up to Murud.
This was our first time on a Konkan dedicated drive.So we were really in no hurry to reach anywhere and there were no targets or objectives to be met.Driving through the Konkan region makes you realize that the land and the ways of life of the people all along the Western Coast of India,more precisely the regions of Kerala,Karnataka Goa and Maharashtra are so similar to each other that you really can't pick out much differences.The major difference between Kerala and the other regions mentioned above is of course in terms of population density.
With a fair degree of confidence I can vouch, that no other place in the country is the density of population as high as it is in Kerala.The plus side of this is that you hardly feel alone or isolated while driving in Kerala.Driving through Konkan invariably makes one compare the lifestyle,the architecture,the people with those of Kerala as they are so strikingly similar.
Switching back to Konkan,the villages are separated by vast
distances and facilities in case of a breakdown.During the course of our drives in the regions for almost 5 days,we hardly spotted a roadside puncture guy or a car workshop / mechanics.Nature unspoiled and untouched!
The big towns like Dapoli were ill equipped.So if you are driving to the Konkan regions,ensure that you are good on tyres and that the car is in good condition.Road conditions are always just about average at most times of the year,thanks to the amount of rains these regions take in year after year.
We got to the Murud beach at about 5pm and the sun had just about begun its final hurrah for the day.It was the ideal time to be there.
Murud village is venerated as the home town of the great Bharat Ratna recipient Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve who was a great revolutionary reformist of his times.
The village by itself is kept extremely spic and span and has a very nice aura and a quaint charm and beauty associated with itself.
There is no grand entrance to the beach-if you are looking for one.There is a small road beside the Durga Devi Temple from Murud village,that takes you straight to the beach.
The beach is absolutely clean and very safe.There are life-guards on duty on towers-a la-baywatch style-but Murud style:)
I was always under the impression thatthe Muzhapilangad Beach in Kerala and Mandarmoni beach at WB are the only drive-in beaches in the country.But we reach Murud and lo,what do we behold,Murud,Karde beaches are all beaches that you can drive on.The shore-sand tends to be a little soft but I found all kinds of vehicles from SUVs to normal cars all driving around with ease on the beach.Vehicles can be parked on the beach,no designated parking space and neither is there any parking fees.There is a
20rs(or was it 40,I don't quite remember) tax that is collected by the taluk authorities at the turn off into the Murud/Karde road which goes towards keeping the place clean.After seeing the beach I did not have the least bit of regret for having paid the tax.The tax receipt is valid for a period of 24hours from the time of entry and multiple entries can be made.
Compared to the usual Goan beaches,Murud was a paradise.Hardly any crowd,very clean and plenty of water sports available.People were telling us this was the peak season and the crowd was hardly of any bother. Dapoli and surrounding regions of the Konkan,sees people coming in,mainly,from Mumbai and Pune and hence the weekends are always busy times.
The watersports included the usual suspects of Banana boats,speedboats,waterscooters. The rides were very reasonably priced.Most of the rides were priced at a nominal(ofcourse this is relative)price of around 300-500 per ride.There were enough professionals around to ensure that nothing went wrong.
We were able to see the SuvarnaDurg fort at the distance,since the sun was setting,the darkness and the fog enveloping the fort gave it a mystic feeling.The Suvarnadurg is a small island fort located just off the Harnai Bunder. This fort was built by the Maratha empire and there is supposedly a tunnel that connects this island fort to the land fort at Harnai. The tunnel is now defunct and the island can only be reached via the sea now.
As the sun began to set,the crowd also began to thin out and we too decided to head back to the hotel
.The drive back to the hotel was quite uneventful in pitch black darkness.Once the twinkling lights of Dapoli began to rise up ahead of us,we were a relieved lot.
Dinner was at the Fern itself.
The food I must admit was excellent and service was quick as well.Not too bad on the pockets either.If you are at the Fern,ensure that you don't miss out on the Gadbad!This is easily the only Gadbad that came close to the Pabbas Gadbad,in my humble opinion.
The nights were freezing and so were the mornings!The view from the Tulip Rooms are simply brilliant,you open your eyes to a beautiful valley which covered by fog andyou can sit on the swing in the balcony as you sip away your tea or coffee.Thankfully room service is operational quite early by about 6-630,a relief as otherwise you would have to depend on the coffee made by tasteless in-room coffeemaker and creamer packets and Nescafe pouches for your early morning caffeine shots.
The fog and mist filled sights of the valley from the room
Breakfast was at the hotel,since they had more than 8 rooms occupied the next morning,there was a buffet laid out.Breakfast was authentic Maharashtrian fare with some yummy Poha,Ksheera,and all the other usual suspects that one would expect to find on a breakfast buffet table.
After breakfast,we decided to lounge by the pool and walk around the resort.The resort is massive and is covered with extensive amounts of vegetation.It is truely a nature lover' paradise.All kinds of plants and trees within the resort grounds.One of the closest-to-nature kind of resorts in the country I am sure.
After lunch and the customary Solkadhi,it was a different thing to be drinking Solkadhi in the land of its origin.We were looking for a reason to have it every single time.
(Image sourced from internet.All credits to the original owner)
To be continued.
After lunch we decided to head out to Harnai and Anjarle to the Kadyavarcha Ganpati.
We set out from Dapoli around 4pm. First things in the Konkan regions,
distances and time taken to cover those distances have no bearing on each other.
The Ganpati temple at Anjarle is at a distance of 30kms from Dapoli
but takes about 90minutes to cover thanks to the unbelievably narrow roads and the congestion that one can expect to run into at Harnai Bunder.
This was one scary and adventeruous drive-something that we really had not signed up for when we left the hotel!
No other state in India probably had and still has such a dynamic and uniting personality as Maharashtra.
The influence of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj can be witnessed and felt in every walk of life as you drive through the length and breadth of Maharashtra,be it statues in his honor,be it forts,be it name boards,be it the slogans.
It always makes me think as to what kind of a person would he have been in real life to command such an aura around him.
Enroute to Anjarle,we passed by the lovely Palande beach.It had a lone bench standing on the roadside staring at the beach,it was something that refuses to go away the memory.
From Palande we drove along and before long we reached Harnai.
Sights of Palande beach enroute to Harnai
Harnai is your typical fishing village and Harnai Bunder is such a busy place where all the fishes get unloaded and there is an auction of the fishes that starts daily at 4pm on the dot.
The Harnai Bunder from a distance
We initially had plans of walking around the place and taking a look at howthings happen,but the sheer chaos of the place made us change that decision.The road from Palande towards Harnai Bunder is barely wide enough for a three wheeler to pass and here we were in a 4 wheeler,but surprisingly there were no swears or shoutings or screaming from fellow motorists.It was a life that was full of give way
and pass when you are given way.
PS: standing still on a half-clutch on steep inclines near the Bunder definitely made me sweat a bit:)
Once past Harnai,the climb towards Anjarle begins and it is one of the most scenic drives,but the sheer loneliness of the place for someone who is not used to the area can make you do a rethink.
Sights of the Arabian Sea as you begin the climb towards Anjarle
For the entire stretch between Harnai and Anjarle,we hardly saw 3-4 motorcycles and the setting sun made it creepier for us :)
The bridge over the Harnai Creek enroute to Anjarle was spectacular.
Once past the bridge there was hardly any traffic on the road and it makes all kinds of crazy thoughts run through your mind-what if the car breaks down?The roads too were nothing great to soothe the nerves.
Once we reached the temple,we find that the main road leading up to the
temple was closed for repairs.So we drove on towards Anjarle village.Like I mentioned earlier,here too in the middle of nowhere we find a Bank of India branch!
The adventure was never-ending.The climb up from the temple was via a rocky path and jungle!I really don't need to describe the thoughts
that were crossing our minds at that very juncture.The climb was a short 10 minute one,once on top,we were the only people there apart from the temple priests and some temple functionaries
The Climbing pathway
The Setting Sun at Anjarle
First glimpses of the temple dome as we climb up
We quickly finished with the paying obeisance part and saying hello parts and began our downward trek since we wanted to make it to at least Harnai Bunder by the time darkness set in.
The Downhill pathway
On asking around,the people told us that we could park the car anywhere in the village and climb up to the temple-this was the only option since the only road to the temple was closed for repairs!
The adventure was never-ending.The climb up from the temple was via a rocky path and jungle!I really don't need to describe the thoughts
that were crossing our minds at that very juncture.The climb was a short 10 minute one,once on top,we were the only people there apart from the temple priests and some temple functionaries.We quickly finished with the paying obeisance part and saying hello parts and began our downward trek since we wanted to make it to at least Harnai Bunder by the time darkness set in.
We had an uneventful drive back to Harnai and got back in about 40 minutes. There are many turn-off points and intersections which while going up looks quite straightforward,but while coming down,you suddenly don't know which fork to take since both the roads look straight and you hardly
find any population to ask around and plus Google Maps was of no great use either there.So if you are planning to drive up to Anjarle,make sure you mark your turning points while climbing up and definitely not a recommended drive post sunset.
The Bridge over the Harnai creek at a distance as seen during the descent.
The Anjarle Beach
All this adventure got us really really hungry.We did give it a thought to stop by at any of the zillions of Ghargutis that dot the entire Konkan region
but then we decided against it as we were not sure which one would be good and which would not be good!
So we headed straight to Dapoli and crashed straight into the most
popular restaurant in town called EatLocal which is a restaurant in the Emerald Comfort Inn.
The food was outstanding and so was the service.At around 9 in the night we decided to call it a night and headed back to Fern Samali and crashed after another round of the blissful Gadbads.
Next day was reserved for lazing around the pool and the hotel grounds.In the afternoon headed towards Karde Beach,which is another fantastic and clean beach.
To get to Karde the drive from Asud is a pretty scenic one with the sea on the one side and the mountains on the other side as you get to drive on parts of the Maharashtra Coastal Highway.The sights are brilliant and traffic is almost nil except for an occasional two wheeler or a car. Karde beach is again a drive-in beach and you can-if you want to-take the car onto the shore.
We however chose not to as we preferred walking on the sand and feeling the waves hit our feet.
From Karde we headed to Murud for one last hurray before we were scheduled to drive back home the next day morning.
The Three Musketeers!
On our return from Murud,we stopped at a place that sold some amazing Kurude,Nachni,Poha papads.The old couple spoke such crisp Oxfordian english and they said they are the ones who supplied papads to almost all the places in and around the areas of Dapoli.
We were in fact directed to this shop by another shopkeeper who said his papads were not that fresh!
Talk about absence of business competition and peaceful coexistence.Ah,life is so simple.