[sandeep joshi]

Weekend drive to Ganpatipule
Dates : 17 to 19 Dec 2010 (3 days)
Vehicle : Tourist Tavera (since we have 6 people and 3 children)
Lodging: None other than MTDC , Kokani house non A/C
This is only the best option, right on the beach, very near to temple with huge area and fantastic sea view rooms.
Rate : Only Rs. 1300 , cheapest in this season , other resorts in malgund road charges minimum Rs. 1600,1800+
Places visited : Ganpatipule beach and temple, Prachin kokan exhibition at Ganpatipule and Kavi keshavsut smarak at malgund , jaigad fort , Kuratheshwar temple,
Distance from Pune : 340 KM one way
Traveling time including breakfast and lunch break : 7 hrs
Toll : NH4 Rs. 55 + Rs .60 (Khed shivapur and shirwal) and Rs. 17 near patan SH 78
Route : Pune--NH4--umbraj--Right turn towards patan below flyover at umbraj Mahesh readymade shop—SH78--Patan--Koynanagar--chiplun--NH17--Sangamshewar--Nivali phata--Ganpatipule
Road condition : Mostly good, only some 5-8 kms before kumbharli ghat begins some potholes are there
NH4 and NH17 both in good condition and also SH78
Weather : very pleasant and best season to visit till Feb.
food: MTDC Tarang restaurant is the only good option . Outside MTDC there are some restaurants but I found MTDC is good compare to them.

Since 17 Dec Muharum was a holiday, one of my friend calls me about plans for weekend and we decided to go to ganpatipule. Initially plan was to go with his car but then one more friend shown his interest to join us so we were 3 couples so decided to hire a tavara so that we can relax in a journey. As soon as destination is final on 4 dec , I checked online booking at MTDC and everything was full for 17-19 dec , so start searching other options also but at the same time I was daily checking the MTDC booking availability , this is because daily there were some cancellation happening , and I was hoping to get booking against cancellation , so daily I was checking the site at least 3-4 times and found that tourists do cancels a week before , I was able to book 2 Konkani house and 1 deluxe room for 2 days against cancellations. Plan was to leave pune for 6 am in the morning but driver came late and we start from Pune at 7:30 AM. Hit the NH4 and our first halt for the breakfast was at Hotel Viranglua , near satara
Fantastic food, especially Thalepeeth , Somewhat crowdy and self service is there but very good halt for breakfast. After that we continued to NH4 till umbraj and then below flyover at umbraj , there is right turn for Patan SH 78. Patan to chiplun , hardly any traffic , except some ST buses , you won't find any heavy traffic on this state highway 78. Also there is hardly any eat outs for breakfast and lunch till you hit NH17 at chiplun. Kumbharli ghat is with beautiful views with lot of monkeys in ghat. Ghat road is in very good condition without any potholes. Reached chiplun around 2 pm and take left to NH17 for sangameshwar. Now till nivli phata , we are on NH17 , Mumbai-Goa highway. Beautiful road with lot of greenery around , After sangameshwar, before you reach nivali phata , there is one signboard for right turn for ganpatipule but remember , this road is too narrow and in very bad condition , we by mistake take this turn which was mentioning Ganpatipule 32 Km but again came back and moved toward Hatkhamba and after say 10-12 kms you will hit nivali phata and signboard for ganpatipule is there. Landmark is Hotel Kokanratna on this phata , from this you have to turn right for Ganpatipule which is 32 kms from here. Reached MTDC resort at 3 PM , completed the formalities, you have to pay Rs. 100 as deposit and 10% service tax in cash once at the time of check in. I booked Konkani house non a/c , Konkani house a/c and one deluxe room for 3 of us. deluxe rooms are at the entrance only and Konkani houses are some 400 meters away in the same campus. The area is huge with more than 180 rooms and cottages so majority of the tourist get accommodate here , deluxe rooms are with a sea view and also A/C Konkani houses are with sea view . There is separate way to reach the beach from MTDC resort which is some 200 meters away from main temple beach , so less crowed here on MTDC beach. Beach is very clean with white sand. Lot of starfish you can find here, from beach you can directly go to your rooms since it is hardly any distance,after taking some rest , we just have one round on the beach and had dinner at MTDC restaurant.
Next day morning , enjoy at beach till lunch time and then had lunch at their beach restaurant , here service is very slow and it takes us more then a hour to get our dishes. Since location of this restaurant is right on the beach , we just relaxed there and waited for lunch.
Evening we visited Prachin kokan exhibition , which shows ruler life of kokan , takes around hour to see it ,this is just 1 km from the resort
Next day morning visited the temple , temple is very clean, beautiful architecture. After that we want to try something different for the breakfast so visited lane near then temple with some restaurants , but majority of this restaurants dose not open or close and serves only lunch and that too only thali , so there was only 1-2 hotels available for breakfast , it was 10:45 am and we entered at hotel Durvankur of Kelkar group, and very interested story starts here.
I asked for menu card and there was some limited south Indian and maharashtraians items are there , so asked for Idli first , he replied "Nahi aahe" , OK then I asked for Dosa and then for Upma , same answer , "Nahi hai" so finally i asked him what you have , he said only Poha ,misal and medu wada. OK then we order some dishes of it . since we are planning to have lunch late , I again asked some more dishes of poha and he said "Nahi hai". I got really annoyed , he said breakfast time is only till 11 AM and after that we did not serve any breakfast. Though I placed order at 10:45, only 2-3 dishes are there and after 11 am nothing is there . Misal quantity is very less and poha was somewhat good.
This kind of experience I want to share with you because in majority of kokan belt you will get this experience in hotels.
You go to any place like dive agar,Shrivardhan, ganpatipule, guhagar, dapoli , you will get same experience as
Very limited items on menu card - Pohe,upma,shira
Strict time limit
Less quantity
Bad quality
Good rates
Only maharashtrian thalis and nothing else

so this is major hurdle for tourism development in kokan so I discuss this thing with owner there . I said how you can put time limit when somebody is on vacation? I told him that if you visit any Shetty restaurant or udupi management , they will serve you upma even at 12 o clock in midnight. (Jokes apart) So answer I got for this is "Saheb shetty ke khun mein hee hotel dhanda hota hai" , Majority of the these hotels are owned and run by Kokhnstha Maharashtrian which are very reluctant to serve you. They do not bother customer going back due to lack of food or strict timing or limited menu in their hotels .
Customer for them is like a headache, rude service, high rates , less quantity and very limited menu . Let me know any of you also share the same experience in Kokan region. They just don't care for loss of money and loss to tourism industry in kokan. I also observe that internal roads , state highways are without any signboards. From nivali phata to ganpatipule and also from ganpatipule to jaigad , all signboard was erased or hardly any paint on them . Signboards not at all readable and waiting for repaint for so many years. Also at junctions , no signboards. once you left NH17 , internal kokan roads also in bad condition. At diveagar , there is no signboard exist at all which will guide you to reach the beach , same is the case at other beaches in kokan belt. Kokan has lot of potential to grow as tourism destinations but what I observed in my trips is that people living there or not at all interested to develop kokan as tourism destinations. They want to leave peaceful, calm , and cool life without any disturbance from mumbai,pune tourists. They are not behind the money and happy with their livelihood and tourist for them is disturbance to their cool and calm routine life. On the contra , if you visit coastal Karnataka (Gokarna, murudeshwara, udupai etc), lot of hotels , best food , best udupi management , best quality and quantity with reasonable rates and smiley service.

Ok , then after that we moved towards Kavi keshavsut smark in Malgund. Very beautiful place and for those who are interested in Marathi literature , this is place to visit. All the major poems are carved on stone , and portraits of all major Marathi novalist are there. After malgund, we headed towards Kuratheshwar temple on jaigad road. Small temple on the sea with beautiful surrounding , then we visit Jaigad fort which is
near to kuratheshware temple . There are only walls remain now of this fort. Nothing much to see on the fort but view from this fort is very beautiful. Jaigad fort and kuratheshwar is around 20 kms from ganpatipule. After that again we reached nivali phata and take left towards sangameshwar for return journey to pune. Lunch break at Hotel Green park , around 10-15 kms from nivali phata on NH17. Very clean and good location with good quality food. Open kitchen so youc an see what they are preparing for you. Returned to pune at 9:30 pm via same route. We were planning to visit Derwan but it was already 4 pm when we reached a junction on NH17 from where Derwan was just 4 kms but skipped that since we want to reach home till 10 pm max .
Photos in order
MTDC resort
Ganpati Pule beach
Ganpati Temple
Keshavsut smark
Kuratheshwar Temple
Jaigad fort
Kumbharli ghat

[sandeep joshi]

Some more photos
Keshavsut smarak , Kuratehwar temple, Jaigad fort and kumbharli ghat.

[ambivalent_98]

Kumbharli ghat photos bring back lots of fond memories of my driving down to Guhagar. Nice photos. Thanks for sharing. Kokan is always so inviting and beautiful.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by sandeep joshi

1] Patan to chiplun , hardly any traffic , except some ST buses , you won't find any heavy traffic on this state highway 78. Also there is hardly any eat outs for breakfast and lunch till you hit NH17 at chiplun.
2]we entered at hotel Durvankur of Kelkar group, and very interested story starts here.
I asked for menu card and there was some limited south Indian and maharashtraians items are there ,
This kind of experience I want to share with you because in majority of kokan belt you will get this experience in hotels.
You go to any place like dive agar,Shrivardhan, ganpatipule, guhagar, dapoli , you will get same experience as Very limited items on menu card - Strict time limit Less quantity Bad quality Good rates Only maharashtrian thalis and nothing else.

3]so this is major hurdle for tourism development in kokan Majority of the these hotels are owned and run by Kokhnstha Maharashtrian which are very reluctant to serve you. They do not bother customer going back due to lack of food or strict timing or limited menu in their hotels .
Customer for them is like a headache, rude service, high rates , less quantity and very limited menu . Let me know any of you also share the same experience in Kokan region. They just don't care for loss of money and loss to tourism industry in kokan. I also observe that internal roads , state highways are without any signboards.

1] There is a hotel right at the start of the ghat from patan side. great food and good views from this location.

2] That is major problem with food in konkan. sometimes, you have to order the food 2-3 hours in adv with cash advance.

3] The attitude of the people in this region is the major hurdle in development of konkan.

Nice pictures,
after looking at the pics, i am tempted to visit this place on coming week end but hotel booking is the problem.

[selfdrive]

Its great to know that the road are good now in Konkan. The issue with hotels in Konkan remains, and the proprietorship issue is well summarised - we have issues in Pune with Maharashtrian hoteliers; very few get it right.

[advaitlele]

The photos bring back memories of Ganpatipule. Last three years we were there around this time; not this year. We are off to Malshej Ghat tomorrow

The MTDC has a common factor I observed everywhere - I have stayed in MTDC resorts in Karla, Mahabaleshwar and elsewhere and found
1. location - too good. The best location that you want when you are on vacation and want to be away and yet near to hustle-bustle.
2. food - better not to write anything else I would be banned from this forum. We've made it a habit after first couple of experiences - Stay at MTDC; eat outside.

In Ganpatipule we stay about 10 kms away from main village at a farmhouse. They have excellent accomodation and home-cooked food - We never want usual Panjabi food or idli / dosa stuff when in Konkan. It has to be authentic food with fresh aamras in season or garam Puranpoli or Ukdiche Modak with lots of Ghee. Ohhh why did I start this here; can't resist my tastebuds now

Good narration Sandeep. More please.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

after looking at the pics, i am tempted to visit this place on coming week end but hotel booking is the problem.

Taking inspiration from the pics posted here, i am heading to Ganapatipule with in laws and family for the year end dhamaka.

Today, i got MTDC reservations for konkani house non ac for 30th and 31st dec, thanks to last min cancellation from some other party.

yupee!!!

[MX6]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

1] 2] That is major problem with food in konkan. sometimes, you have to order the food 2-3 hours in adv with cash advance.

3] The attitude of the people in this region is the major hurdle in development of konkan.

Sirji. On the other side, the attitude of people also help preserve a bit of nativity and not commercialize this part of the coast completely. Goa is a crowded mess. Sometimes, it's a lot of fun to play the game by the rules of the locals. That's my humble opinion.

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

Taking inspiration from the pics posted here, i am heading to Ganapatipule with in laws and family for the year end dhamaka.

WOW! I'm now tempted to become kebab mein haddi. Enjoy the new year bash.

@Sandeep Joshi.

Surprisingly, Shetty and Udupi group will give upma at 12 noon only in pune and mumbai!

I had to roam around for 2 hours in UDUPI from 8 pm to 10 pm searching for just one plate of Idly or curd rice in that order. Finally had to settle at a hotel which served Rasam Rice as they claimed.
When the Rasam rice came over, I thanked the hotel guys for giving Sambhar, Curd, Dal and vegetables free with "Rasam Rice".

Refreshing to see Ganapatipule photos here.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by MX6

I'm now tempted to become kebab mein haddi.

You are welcome.
Looking at your and mine physique, i will say that it will be haddi me kabab rather than kabab me haddi!
People here will easily guess who is haddi and who is kabab!!!

[Kalesh]

Nice snaps Sandeep. Konkan is a great place to visit. I agree with MX6 comment there regarding the living by the rules of the local..as they say, 'When in Rome, behave like Romans'. But this I would only agree to the timing part of it at the most. Good quality of food and the service is a must to invite good reviews

All said, its heavenly to spend time in Konkan, very close to nature.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers!!

[mayurpalav]

[quote=MX6;2187063]Sirji. On the other side, the attitude of people also help preserve a bit of nativity and not commercialize this part of the coast completely. Goa is a crowded mess. Sometimes, it's a lot of fun to play the game by the rules of the locals. That's my humble opinion. [quote]

Agree with MX6 on this particular issue, Being from the Konkan belt they are a few things which irk me however it is better that way.

[Crazy4Power]

Hi,

Is it possible to take the car upto Konkani House ?

I am confused between Konkani house non a/c & deluxe room non a/c, pls help

cheers!

[mm403]

Originally Posted by Crazy4Power

Hi,

Is it possible to take the car upto Konkani House ?

I am confused between Konkani house non a/c & deluxe room non a/c, pls help

cheers!

They have a parking lot in front of the rooms ,also mtdc property has a parking lot where you can park the car

[sandeep joshi]

Originally Posted by Crazy4Power

Hi,

Is it possible to take the car upto Konkani House ?
cheers!

Yes , Kokani house has sepreate parking lot .