Sunday, April 28, 2013

Aryawarta

It rarely happens that we decide to go to a place because we like a particular hotel or resort. The interest being more in terms of seeing and experiencing the place. But this is what we more or less did. The last time we had gone to Dapoli we had stayed here and the memories of that stay pulled us back. 

Aryawarta is a collection of well maintained bungalows which are available for your stay. Staying in these bungalows has its own charm. The one we got - Atharva, was fabulous. The interiors are good but what is better is the tastefully done landscaping. A good lawn, lots of cashew trees, bird houses and a good veranda to enjoy your morning cup of tea.
For more information on Aryawarta check http://www.aryawarta.co.in/

The meals, part of the package, are also great. They have a white board in the dining area which announces what is coming up for the meals. The meals are so good that by the time you get up to wash your hands after the meal, you take a peek at the white board to see what is coming up for the next meal.

Dapoli as a destination is a very good option. Dapoli + Aryawarta, means that you can have 3-4 days of holidays which involve great beaches, old temples, sea forts, great food and comfortable stay. Mumbai to Dapoli is around 6-7 hours drive.  

Have listed below the places that we visited. There are many which have not got covered here.
Murud: Murud has a 18th century temple of goddess Durga.  A short distance from the temple is the beach. It is a beautiful, long beach which is good for swimming. This is beach is seeing lots of visits from tourists and was fairly crowded. Thankfully, stalls for eatables have not yet come up on the beach.  Sand biking and bullock cart rides are available here.

Karde Beach: Around 12km from Dapoli, this is another beautiful beach. Here, you can get a chance to see dolphins in there natural surroundings. A early morning visit to the beach allows you to catch boats which take you into the sea to watch the dolphins.

Kadyavarcha Ganpati: This is yet another old temple located at Anjarle around 25 km from Dapoli. The drive is very scenic with great views of the sea. We got a smashing sunset here when we last visited the place.

Keshavraj Temple: Around 8 km from Dapoli this temple is located in village Asud. This requires a small trek of about 30 min from the main road. The road takes you through trees of coconut, betel nut, mango, cashew nut and jack fruit. The tree cover provides shade from sun for nearly the entire route. It involves a slight climb up a hill via stone steps.