[viper]

Originally Posted by amtak

AFAIK, if you don't own the place, you cannot enter there. Plus they were initially not allowing individuals to make a booking there but they might have changed now. In excess of 25,000 per day.

Originally Posted by TheOne®

You cannot go and stay there as a normal tourist. Unless you know somebody who owns a property this world is not open to public, at least this is what we have been told.

Hi Guys,

The above information is not correct. You could go there and stay even if you did not know anyone who owned a place there. This I can confirm 100 % as I know several people including my family members who go there regularly since the past 1 year.

As far as the rates go They vary from Rs.7500/- + taxes per night to Rs.12500/- + taxes per night for a 2 bedroom chalet. To the best of my knowledge and owing to recession you can now directly book your stay directly at the Amby Valley office in Lonavala for sure or their other locations(not sure of that).

Its just that they do not advertise this.

Viper

[Sam Kapasi]

After a quick tea and chat we decide to go to the waterfront.

Everything is impeccable. Unreal. Serene. But by now we're already "flashed" - things are all a little too perfect for Jenny and I. Sort of like a giant amusement park. We're grateful to be there, in the clean air and beauty and serenity - but everything is just too picture perfect. One can do anything he/she wants here.

























Time to get onto a boat and go for a beautiful little ride on the lake next.

[iceman7]

WOW, this place is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

I have always harped about how beautiful the drive up to Amby Valley is, but i never knew it could be so magnificent from the inside. Truly, hard to imagine that this place can exist so close to Bombay.

Waiting for the next set of pictures.

[Jaggu]

@sam: what are the gizmo stuff on the bridge (first & second pic)?

[navin]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

The person who invited us was building his home along the largest lake in the valley, called the west lake.

I was told all lake side properties were sold by invitaion only even before I inquired or came to know of this place. My cousin and I were hoping to get in so we are now considering Lavaza in Poona.

Originally Posted by TheOne®

I will answer on his behalf:
We did not go on the Pirate boat as this was anchored at this time.

Pirate Boat. You said the magic word. Now I have to go there.

Originally Posted by amtak

Thank you for the note Jenny. Aamby Valley is marketed through a 3rd party and they have their sales office in Andheri.

Any Info.

Originally Posted by viper

You could go there and stay even if you did not know anyone who owned a place there. As far as the rates go They vary from Rs.7500/- + taxes per night to Rs.12500/- + taxes per night for a 2 bedroom chalet.

If this includes food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and a ride in the pirate boat it would be great fun and VFM too.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

No need to apologise. Jenny has even grander plans than that, lol. We're going to try to find a ghat in Germany. lol.

I only hope you can afford to fly us all down there for it.

Great pics. Would love to visit it sometime, when I can afford it.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

@sam: what are the gizmo stuff on the bridge (first & second pic)?

Looks like an elaborate street lighting system. The stuff on the left would be the lights which reflect off the canopy kind of stuff and light up the whole road.

Looks pretty elaborate to be only street lighting though.

[mmmjgm]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

@sam: what are the gizmo stuff on the bridge (first & second pic)?

Jaggu bhai, on one side of the road the projections are the projector pods which illuminate the sails (triangular like surfaces) on the other side which has sail like appendages along the road.

Changing colours at night from the projectors portray a kaleidoscope of colours at night. Very picturesque.

Like the Burj Al Arab but on a smaller scale. (with Burj Al Arab the lights are projected internally upon the sails).

Cheers

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

@sam: what are the gizmo stuff on the bridge (first & second pic)?

The sails are decorative and by night the "gizmos" on the opposite side project psychedelic lights on the white sails, creating an ethereal effect.
Unfortunately they were not operational the one night we spent there.

Originally Posted by navin

I was told all lake side properties were sold by invitaion only even before I inquired or came to know of this place.
.

Correct you are. My host was a very important man.

Originally Posted by navin

If this includes food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and a ride in the pirate boat it would be great fun and VFM too.

Includes nothing. Every single thing is extra and not cheap by any standards.

We were told that Aamby valley had opened up its gates to more people, but in the recent past, the residents/investors had complained that there were too many people in what was originally touted as a "gated" community.
The rules have changed recently.

While we were not paying for our accommodation (As I said, our host was an important man) I was told that the value to someone staying there would be 15000/- a night. However you must now be brought in by someone who is a property owner or somebody with some influence there.

I believe what I was told, as you can see from my pictures, there were hardly any people anywhere (And we were there on a weekend!)

[gkrishn]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

The sails are decorative and by night the "gizmos" on the opposite side project psychedelic lights on the white sails, creating an ethereal effect.
Unfortunately they were not operational the one night we spent there

So every thing was not perfect after all. Hmmm... would have loved to see their pics taken in night, when they are operational.

[kalpeshc]

As I said, our host was an important man

I sincerely hope that he still 'is' an important man. Did you write this deliberately or a genuine mistake?

[sanjayatarizona]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

I sincerely hope that he still 'is' an important man. Did you write this deliberately or a genuine mistake?

????Care to explain what is out of sync here?


Sam, unreal terrain, picture perfect photoblog..magnifique

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Everything is impeccable. Unreal. Serene. But by now we're already "flashed" - things are all a little too perfect for Jenny and I. Sort of like a giant amusement park. We're grateful to be there, in the clean air and beauty and serenity - but everything is just too picture perfect. One can do anything he/she wants here.

Surreal was the word that came to me.

Very 'Dubai', if I may say so - everything to plastic and almost transplanted. Still, a great hideout!

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

I sincerely hope that he still 'is' an important man. Did you write this deliberately or a genuine mistake?

I think he meant that the gentleman WAS his host over the weekend and IS no longer his host because Sam is no longer staying at Amby Valley.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

I sincerely hope that he still 'is' an important man. Did you write this deliberately or a genuine mistake?

Originally Posted by sanjayatarizona

????Care to explain what is out of sync here?

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I think he meant that the gentleman WAS his host over the weekend and IS no longer his host because Sam is no longer staying at Amby Valley.

Steer is absolutely right guys. But OK - let's go for a quick English lesson here.

Hypothetical situation.

Kalpesh and I meet each other one day. Then we go out for dinner. Later when Sanjay meets Kalpesh he asks him to describe the meeting and the Yeti.

Kalpesh: Dinner was great. The conversation was great.
Sanjay: What about Sam?
Kalpesh: He was great fun!
Sanjay: In what way?
Kalpesh: He was wearing a blue skirt with white polka dots.
Sanjay: Really?
Kalpesh: Yeah and it looked super cool because he was over 6 feet tall.
Sanjay: You like that sort of thing?
Kalpesh: He had long hair let loose, below his neck and his halter top was stunning.
Sanjay: Uhh.. OK mate see you around.

Now note the following.

Sam is still over 6 feet tall. He still has long hair. He is still fun. But Kalpesh is narrating in retrospect so the past tense is used.

In the same vein, my host is still an important man.

Disclaimer: The above situation is hypothetical. I don't wear a skirt and halter top. Not usually in public anyway.

[Perakath]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Everything is impeccable. Unreal. Serene. But by now we're already "flashed" - things are all a little too perfect for Jenny and I. Sort of like a giant amusement park. We're grateful to be there, in the clean air and beauty and serenity - but everything is just too picture perfect.

A bar would remedy that situation instantly no doubt you found one in time!

[sanjayatarizona]

Crikey . Not exactly the kind of conversation exchanges one would find in Wrenn Martin, but it does drive home the point..