[Saanil]

This is my 3rd post in the travelogue section. We visited Lavasa over the weekend and just wanted to share some insights from the trip which might be helpful for others.

Here are the links to my previous visits to Goa and Matheran:

Matheran

Goa


If you ask me to describe Lavasa, I would do so in the following ways:

-It is a nice place to spend 1-1.5 days with family.

-Accommodation here is expensive. I do not think one would find cheap places to live here.

-The adventurous lot might find this place boring as there is not much to do here. There are activities to do but not everyone will find them interesting.

-This place is like “Just book an expensive resort and no need to step out of it”.

- The drive to Lavasa (approx 200kms from Mumbai) is very good. There are some patches in Lavasa where roads are bad but overall, roads are excellent.

-An improved and better version of Lonavala.

-The place is much cleaner, less crowded and less chaotic than Lonavala.

-Food options are sufficient – I am not a foodie actually but I was happy with the food options in Lavasa.

-People who want a teaser of European styled cities can visit Lavasa.


I was most impressed with the organization in Lavasa – not surprising since this is a planned city. After entering Lavasa, there are guards stationed at number of places which can help you navigate the city. I was also surprised seeing the good state of cleanliness in Lavasa – note that my reference point here in Lonavala. The place is still to witness quite some construction and will surely become better in the future.

More details to follow...Pasting some pictures of Lavasa:

Green has so many shades!



Water body amongst the mountains



Roads are just too good



You will see many such waterfalls along the route



Our Hotel - Watershaw Front (more details later)





The famous promenade

[sukhoi30]

Had been there last year. Yes, it is very clean and well maintained. It is supposed to be a planned hill city with all facilities including schools, colleges etc. Wonder when this planned city will actually become a city. Except for the promenade where there are a few restaurants and the boating on the lake, there is nothing much to do there. Thanks for uploading the pics.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

Had been there last year. Yes, it is very clean and well maintained. It is supposed to be a planned hill city with all facilities including schools, colleges etc. Wonder when this planned city will actually become a city. Except for the promenade where there are a few restaurants and the boating on the lake, there is nothing much to do there. Thanks for uploading the pics.

Agree with you here. Those looking for a bit of adventure might find this place not exciting enough due to lack of activities - I will elaborate further on this in posts ahead. Hence I mentioned earlier that this place is good to go for 1-1.5 days to have a lazy vacation wherein you just stay in a good resort and spend time with your friends/family.

[karan561]

Hey Saanil,

Thank you for your crisp report

Just wanted to ask you how are the roads now (Especially the last 32 kms stretch after Chandni Chowk) & also how was the traffic condition on that stretch considering it was a weekend ?

Thanks

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by karan561

Hey Saanil,

Thank you for your crisp report

Just wanted to ask you how are the roads now (Especially the last 32 kms stretch after Chandni Chowk) & also how was the traffic condition on that stretch considering it was a weekend ?

Thanks

I am attaching a map below showing the route of getting to Lavasa which might be helpful for others too. Apologies if the map is not clear - just click on it and magnify.

Lavasa is about 42 kms from Chandani chowk. I did not encounter any sort of traffic on the way and I do not even remember any bad patches of road - there might probably be some few hundred metres of bad road but nothing to worry about.

We left home at 6.15am (on Saturday) and reached the place at 12.45pm but this included a 30 mins halt at Lonavala's Toll Naka (breakfast at Food Plaza). We also took a short trip to a Jain temple in Katraj, and we took a 15 minutes break for eating corn by the roadside (which I would definately suggest you do) . I would recommend leaving early from Mumbai (say 6'ish) so that you can comfortably reach Lavasa by 11.00am.

[Jignesh]

Hello Saanil,

Good pictures. Do you have some more pictures to post here?

You reminded me of my day trip to Lavasa last year: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...la-lavasa.html

While at Lavasa, what took me away was the sheer planning & engineering that would have gone in the making of this spectacular place. The planned architecture & the facilities are really amazing.

By the way how was your experience staying at the hotel there? Also did you indulge in any water sports?

Thanks,

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello Saanil,


By the way how was your experience staying at the hotel there? Also did you indulge in any water sports?

Thanks,

Thanks for looking into my blog. I do not understand how I missed your travelogue - yours has much better pictures actually. I do have some and will post them later.

We were staying at a place called Waterfront Shaw – this was a place suggested to my father by a friend. We were a total of 3 families and we had booked three 1BHK flats. Flats were compact and well furnished. We had the promenade facing rooms which had good view. The hotel staff was very courteous and helpful. We had booked mountain facing rooms but the manager upgraded us to promenade facing rooms. We were also offered welcome drinks upon arrival - I know these are small things but such hospitality really impressed me. Breakfast was also complimentary in the package. Some of the facilities which I liked were:

-Free Wifi for 24 hours. The Wifi had good speeds and I even did a video call on Google Hangout using that Wifi.
-Option to play Xbox in your room for 3 hours (did not get time to use it though).
-The hotel also provided bicycles which can be used to roam around in the city.
-Dish TV connections in all rooms (not all channels though).
-Ample parking space.

The only negative I would say is that the club house (i.e. Gymnasium/swimming pool etc) known as “Dasvino” was not inside the hotel. One had to walk 10-15 mins to reach the club house (driving there is also an option but we preferred walking). Using the gym and swimming pool was complimentary while other services like Pool/Lawn Tennis/Table Tennis were chargeable. The club house also had a spa with basic massages starting from Rs 700.

[Saanil]

Before leaving for Lavasa, I had done some preliminary Google search for "Things to do there". I came across a place called Xthrill (Website) which was supposed to provide me the required dose of adventure in the otherwise relaxed/lazy trip. We decided to go there after checking out from our hotel room. This place was about 11kms from our hotel but the journey felt like 50kms – The road to Xthrill is absolutely pathetic. There are just potholes on the road and those with back problems should avoid it. It was really painful to make my car endure all this pain. I would have agreed all this if the place was actually that good but when we reached there, I had realized that coming here was not a good idea.

There was a list of activities displayed outside the main office of Xthrill – list was pretty big and interesting. I thought of trying out Paint Ball, Rappelling and ATV bike ride. I had to wait for 15 minutes in the office as there was no one in the office. Finally a lady came and I started asking about all the activities. Paint ball was not available. Rappelling was available but all slots were full – plus it would require walking on foot to another place and the entire activity would take 3 hours. ATV ride was available and they were charging 500 for 2 rounds (1 round was about 35 metres). I know this is costly but I thought since I had come so far, at least I should try out one activity so decided to go for it. It just lasted for about 10 mins but was good fun nonetheless – those ATV bikes are really difficult to manoeuvre. My father decided to do 'Zip Lining' which turned out to be another disappointment. Another bad thing about this place is that there are no restaurants up there – I did not find any place where one could eat.

In short our visit to Xthrill was not all fruitful. In case you decide to go to Lavasa, do not get fooled by the impressive billboards of Xthrill – this place was not that good to be honest and can definitely be avoided.

[Saanil]

Now since this a place known for its resorts, we paid visit to another famous one of Lavasa – ‘Ekant’. This one is at a higher level (altitude wise) from our resort and about 3-4kms from the famous promenade - the view from here was good as it was a higher altitude. I did not inquire about the rates but I am sure this place will be very costly. We had some food here and went to do the only thing available here: ‘Nature Trail’. It is nothing but a path made through the forest where one can walk and which gives you a trek kind of a feel. There were ‘machans’ which were a good spot for bird’s-eye view of Lavasa and some photography. There was small man made ponds where they had fishes. It was a simple way of spending 30-40 minutes amidst the nature.

A word about Pune traffic situation:

I always thought traffic in Mumbai was worse. I realized how narrow my thinking was when I visited Pune while going towards Lavasa. I went through Pune’s Hinjewadi area and I was literally frustrated by the bikers here. There was no sense of lane discipline here. On a 2 lane road the bikers will ride in the middle of the road and do not give side easily to cars. I usually do not honk a lot but in Pune, my horn was used in full capacity. In my limited encounter, I found Mumbai's traffic to be much better.

[DipakDZireLover]

Originally Posted by Saanil

We were staying at a place called Waterfront Shaw – this was a place suggested to my father by a friend. We were a total of 3 families and we had booked three 1BHK flats.

Hi Saanil

I am from Mumbai too and plan to visit Lavassa just for fun with family.
I just wanted to know if this place can be just covered in a day? Or is a night halt really required? Do not consider the driving needed. That is doable for me. Have been to Pune and back many times in the past.

From the fun and enjoyment perspective, what do you recommend? Also, if you suggest to stay over for a night, do you recommend the hotel that you booked? Could you also share the tariff?

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by DipakDZireLover

Hi Saanil

Hi Dipak,

The cost for our 1BHK flat with double occupancy was Rs 6,500 (inclusive of taxes and 1 breakfast). You can get more information about the current rates by calling them or checking here (on this page there will be a link on the right hand side for Online Reservations which will open another window showing all the room rates – We had taken the Promenade facing 1BHK).

If Lavasa is a 1 day thing? Well this is not a definitive No or Yes. Just consider this as Lonavala. If you see there is not much to see in Lonavala – you can probably cover it in a day (going early morning and returning by late night) but it will be a bit hectic. Similarly for Lavasa if you plan to do the adventure sports etc, 1 day might be too hectic whereas 2 days would be too much. So probably 1.5 days would be better I guess if you are going with family.

My suggestion – Call the hotel and ask them what all things can be done in Lavasa. Depending on that you can get a fair idea.

Regarding Hotel - Waterfront Shaw is good. If money is not an issue try going to Ekant (better location, better infrastructure but will cost more).

[Aditya_P]

I went couple of days back to Lavasa, and basically was just looking for a short drive of 1-2 hours from Pune to someplace nearby and hence started a bit late in the afternoon around 4:30. Since I was just back from a long journey of Pune to Goa, knew quite well the fuel average my Jazz would give and hence started of with a quarter full tank. After crossing Urawade,the ghats started and although the roads were really good and full of scenic locations, I was somehow looking for petrol bunks as well and surprisingly couldn't locate a single one. The ghats screwed up the fuel efficiency in a royal way.
Reached Lavasa by 5:45 to 6:00, and asked a localite about the petrol bunk @ Lavasa to which he replied, it should be closed now

Nevertheless, spent sometime at the promenade, had some food and then started back the returning journey at around 7:15. It was raining heavily and all foggy on the top of mountain once you cross Lavasa entry gate. Was worried whether we can even make it till the end of ghat, which we fortunately did. After the ghat, there is small village where we enquired a tractor driver about nearby petrol bunks, to which he replied "Sir, there is a bunk about 15 -18 odd kms from here, and there is a small shop here who stocks petrol, let me check with him." Unfortunately , the stock had finished with that person

That guy asked us to check a small tapri at village called Mutha, which was about 3-4 kms away after crossing a ghat. My fuel check mark was already on, and drove to the village. Since it was raining heavily, had to turn on the AC and de-fog front screen which was again consuming more fuel. Somehow reached the village, and saw only one single light in whole of the village and enquired with the lady sitting there. Fortunately she had a whole can of fuel, which she was selling for about 100 bucks per litre. Filled up about 5 litres and reached pune.

Really surprising that Lavasa being so popular with folks from Pune, mumbai and other cities, not even a single bunk is there before the ghat starts or nearby.

[fiesta1.6]

Originally Posted by Aditya_P

Really surprising that Lavasa being so popular with folks from Pune, mumbai and other cities, not even a single bunk is there before the ghat starts or nearby.

Yes, if I remember it correctly, Pirangut is the last place where you find the petrol pumps. There are BP, HP and Shell pumps in Pirangut. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by Aditya_P

I went couple of days back to Lavasa, and basically was just looking for a short drive of 1-2 hours from Pune to someplace nearby and hence started a bit late in the afternoon around 4:30. Since I was just back from a long journey of Pune to Goa, knew quite well the fuel average my Jazz would give and hence started of with a quarter full tank. After crossing Urawade,the ghats started and although the roads were really good and full of scenic locations, I was somehow looking for petrol bunks as well and surprisingly couldn't locate a single one. The ghats screwed up the fuel efficiency in a royal way.
Reached Lavasa by 5:45 to 6:00, and asked a localite about the petrol bunk @ Lavasa to which he replied, it should be closed now

Nevertheless, spent sometime at the promenade, had some food and then started back the returning journey at around 7:15. It was raining heavily and all foggy on the top of mountain once you cross Lavasa entry gate. Was worried whether we can even make it till the end of ghat, which we fortunately did. After the ghat, there is small village where we enquired a tractor driver about nearby petrol bunks, to which he replied "Sir, there is a bunk about 15 -18 odd kms from here, and there is a small shop here who stocks petrol, let me check with him." Unfortunately , the stock had finished with that person

That guy asked us to check a small tapri at village called Mutha, which was about 3-4 kms away after crossing a ghat. My fuel check mark was already on, and drove to the village. Since it was raining heavily, had to turn on the AC and de-fog front screen which was again consuming more fuel. Somehow reached the village, and saw only one single light in whole of the village and enquired with the lady sitting there. Fortunately she had a whole can of fuel, which she was selling for about 100 bucks per litre. Filled up about 5 litres and reached pune.

Really surprising that Lavasa being so popular with folks from Pune, mumbai and other cities, not even a single bunk is there before the ghat starts or nearby.

You were lucky that you could enter Lavasa easily.On Sundays sometimes the line extends to more than a Km from the check point.So it's always advised to tank up as you don't know where you might get stuck.

[ADI_77]

nice short travelogue, have been to Lavasa thrice on a company team building workshop. Out of all two places we stayed Fortune & Ekaanth, the later is a good place. Perched on the highest point with few rooms. They have an interesting nature trail walk up the hill starting from Ekaanth.