[Rajat347]

Viraj will turn 3 this May so let's plan something for him. A party? A toy? Hmmm, let's plan a small outing for him. Yeah, he will enjoy beaches!

His first two birthdays fell in lockdown and we were not able to entertain him much and kids are far away from materialistic stuff. All they need is a good time with family.

Hey folks, although travelling to Alibag region is not a very good idea during peak summers but we thought of giving it a try. Checked on to travel portals and realized that prices have shot really high. We somehow zeroed our choice to Ice Apple Resort and dates decided were 26th to 29th May.

Office leaves approved, car's check-up was done and the maid was also given a leave. But was the kiddo excited? Not much but his parents were damn excited. It has been 4 years since we have seen a beach and nearest beach is just 130 KMs from our place in Pune. We both hail from Jammu so we have already spent a good of time in hills.

It's time for our hard earned small vacation!

Day 1 - 26th May 2022.

We both woke up at 6:30 AM as planned and got ready in a jiffy. After 2 hours of efforts Viraj woke up at 8:30 AM. We started late and highway's heat was inevitable.

We followed the conventional Pune - Alibag route but we didn't take left for Khopoli just after Lonavala. Road work is going on which usually cause massive traffic jams. We took a left turn at Khalapur Toll Naka. It was easy.
Petrol filled 18 litres @ Rs 111.50 and Toll – Rs. 203.



Reached our destination at 1 PM, checked in to the room and had lunch. It’s time to settle for a while and relax. My wife says that I am a very slow driver and the journey took around 4 Hours.

The Ice Apple report is a beautiful property amidst tall Coconut and Supari trees (not advertising ) and was just 1.5 Km from Nagaon Beach.

At times a casual stroll on grass is also refreshing during evening!



It was 5 PM and we decided to have a visit to nearby Nagaon Beach. The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Nagaon is the landmark which guided our way to the beach.



The way to the beach contains a lot of home stays and small eateries which generally provide basic accommodation and home-made food. Do not expect anything fancy here but AC accommodation is a must in this season.



The beach has ample parking. The sand was black and the water was not that clean. But it was warm and relaxing to the feet. The waves were calm. The beach was not much crowded and there were some shops nearby which serve tea and snacks.

Tried to capture some moments.



At 6 PM the sun was preparing to decent.



Got a call from one of my friend Abhijeet at 6:30 PM. It was his wife's birthday and they were also having a vacation in Alibag. He invited us for a dinner. It was a pleasant surprise and ironically we were not able to find any flower, gift shop in the vicinity. We met the Sinha family at 8 PM and had a wonderful time together.

Happy Birthday Amrita!!!



Reached back at 10 PM and we were drop dead.

Viraj had an awesome day today. He was happy and so were we.



Day 2 - 27th May 2022

Happy Birthday Viraj !

The Resort was courteous enough to blow some balloons for us which we obviously provided but they were not able to arrange a cake for us.

What are the plans for the day?
Kashid?
Mandwa?
Lazying around?

Hmm let's go to Mumbai in M2M RORO.

Wow! I jumped at the idea as it was a new experience for me. Online booking was done and per head charges were Rs 400 per sector and kids under 3 were not charged.

Let's go!!!

The ship was supposed to leave by 12:30 PM from Mandwa Jetty and we reached sharp by 12.
The car was parked in the car park at the Jetty as we had a plan to return same day. So why to spend Rs. 1020 (Honda Amaze) for the car in the ferry per sector?

Our Ride for the day!



The ship has an AC lounge, a deck with breath taking views and a Cafe.

It takes 1 Hour to reach Mumbai (Princess Dock), Port Trust of India.

While in the Ship I didn't sit even for a while and was constantly gazing at the beautiful metallic sea creatures.



Reached Mumbai in around 80 minutes.



But what to do now? Return Ferry was scheduled at 3:30 PM.

Gateway of India was just 4.5 KM from here as shown by Uber. So we decided to have a visit. It took us 30 minutes to cover 4.5 km .

The monument is beautiful and needs no introduction. However, the monument was built in early 20th century. It was erected to commemorate the landing of King-Emperor George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911.



Just look at the Taj! Standing tall with Pride.



After spending around 30 minutes there under scorching sun we decided to go back. We had a boat to catch and kid was getting uncomfortable.

But this time we reached 30 minutes before departure and the Ferry was still getting filled. It is said that RORO Ferry can accommodate 500 passengers and 140 cars. They have dedicated Pet zone too.



We reached Mandwa at 4:40 PM and were hungry to the core. The Mandwa Jetty was deserted. Upon enquiring from one of the shop keepers there we come to know that Alibag - Gateway of India ferry service has been halted temporarily due to the onset of monsoons. Also Fishermen were withdrawing their boats from the sea to safer areas. This is a regular practice and happens even monsoons.



The Mandwa coastline is beautiful too!



It was 5:30 PM and still we didn't arrange the cake for Viraj. Our stay was 27 KMs from there and we were optimistic of finding a cake shop on the way. Luckily in Mandwa we found a cake shop. We reached our place by 6:30 PM and spent rest of the evening with the kid and Swimming Pool.

Day 3 - 28th May 2022

Viraj is already 3 but still loves to wake up late.
Today we will start late and let’s spend some more time in the Pool.

What Next?

Let's go to Kashid via Revdanda.

We left at 2 PM and headed towards Revdanda Fort which was 9 KM from our place.

The is easily accessible by road. The Alibag-Murud road passes through the fort.

This fort is an ancient Portuguese fort. The Revdanda Beach is an isolated beach and is situated near the fort. This beach is still not commercialized, gives an excellent natural view and beauty and one of the best beaches in the in the region.

The one seems to be the boundary wall of the fort but now in ruins. Its a refreshing place with tall coconut trees and lush green environment.



The Watch Tower is still standing tall.



We tried to visit the beach nearby but the heavy sea waves just didn't allow us. The waters of mighty Arabian Sea were touching the outer walls of the Fort.



We spent some time roaming around and there were beautiful small farm lands having Jackfruit, Coconut, Supari and little bit of Cashews Cultivation.

Jack Fruit Tree!



The fruit will yield cashews in a few weeks.



Fresh Coconuts!



While coming back to Chaul, we halted for few moments at this beautiful old temple.

The Rameshwar Temple



21 KMs from here was the Kashid Beach!

The clear blue water of the Arabian Sea, with white, sandy beach is a must go. But the beach was terribly crowded.



The sun set has its own beauty!



It was 7 PM and we decided to go back. The road from Kashid to Chaul is beautiful with Arabian on one side and hills on other.



The sun has settled for the day and this was our last evening in the region.



We reached our place at 9 PM, had dinner and then retired to bed.

Day 4 - May 29 2022

It’s time to go back home. We had our breakfast at 10 PM and check out was done at 11 :30 AM.

There was heavy traffic from Alibag to JSW Dolvi and it took us more than 1 hour to cross the stretch. Rest of the journey was peaceful and we reached home by 3:45 PM.

Our Amy (Honda Amaze Petrol) returned an average fuel consumption of 15.3 KMPL with 100 % AC and 431 KMs run. I am not very much pleased with it.



Some Points to Consider -

1) While coming from Pune, try to avoid Khopoli as much as possible. Take a left at Khalapur Toll Naka and pass by India Bulls Golf City.

2) Take Pen bypass and this way you will save 1 hour of your time by not entering Pen.

3) Take Vadkhal bypass but make sure to catch the service lane on the left to merge on the Alibag road.

4) Try to have as much water as you can. We used to have more than 4 litres of water per day and still felt dehydrated.

5) There are Fuel stations in the region but very less tyre check-up points.

Many thanks for your time while reading. Have a safe drive always!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[VikramCS]

Nice travelogue. Very nice snaps as well...seems an enjoyable trip without any hiccups (touchwood!), especially with a little child onboard.
However, you mention about mileage - it's per MID. Have you calculated tankful-to-tankful for such highway journeys so far? If yes, can you please share the numbers?
Also, is yours manual or automatic?

Regards.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Beautiful travelogue with great pictures too! Nothing beats a good photo of a sunset on a beach.

Originally Posted by Rajat347

The Ice Apple report is a beautiful property amidst tall Coconut and Supari trees ( Not Advertising ) and was just 1.5 Km from Nagaon Beach.

Coincidentally, we also stayed at the same resort when we visited in October 2021!

Really beautiful property as you said.

I got up early to visit the beach in the morning (6:00 am)and was treated to this magical sight.

We drove from Hyderabad to Pune, then to Lonavala after staying a night. After Lonavala, we headed to Alibag on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The roads at the time were absolutely terrible though. Great to see you enjoyed your trip.