WEEKEND GETAWAY AT GREEN GATE RESORT, MULSHI

Travel Date: 26th & 27th September, 2009

No of travelers: 2

Type of Trip: Leisure

Mode of Transport: Bike

Best suitable for: Family, Friends

Approx Expense: 3000/- for 2

Wikimapia Link: Green Gate Resort

ROUTE
Day 1: Pune - Pirangut - Paud - Mulshi (42km)
Road conditions were good even though we went in monsoons. It took us non-stop 1 hour to reach the Green gate Resort.

Day 2: Mulshi - Tamhini Ghat - Tail baila - Sawashnicha Ghat - Ambavane - Lonavala – Pune (120km)
Roads were good till we got down the Tamhini Ghat. But they got worse from Tail Baila to Ambavane. Fortunately at least the ghat part in between was better. We took the old Bombay - Pune highway while coming back, so no hassles on the way back at least.

STAY
Green Gate Resort, Mulshi
For Booking Contact Phone No. 020 32925062

The best thing about this place we felt was isolation...as no mobile signals were accessible. Green gate resort is located bang opposite to the backwaters of Mulshi Dam. They have 2 four bedded Family Rooms and 2 two bedded AC rooms. Wood and stone look of the rooms give them a cool and refreshing feeling. A cup of tea and long, peaceful chats on the sit out was our favorite activity. Service was quick. Food was pure veg but excellent. Amenities like Gaming zone were very well organized. Swimming pool was still under construction.

EARNING
• Amazing bike safari route for monsoon trips as there was a lot of flowering that we saw along the roads.
• Got quality time to spend with my husband, as it was a peaceful and short trip close by to pune.


LEARNING
• Travel with lighter luggage.
• Avoid peak noon hours for traveling on bike.

PANHALA – WALK IN THE CLOUDS

Travel Date: 18th & 19th July, 2009

No of travelers: 4

Type of Trip: Leisure

Mode of Transport: Car

Approx Expense: 6000/- for 2

Best suitable for: Friends, Family
ROUTE
Day 1: Pune - Satara - Kini - Warana Nagar - Panhala (250km)
NH 4 rocks….I think that’s enough to describe the road. Adding to this even the interior road that we took from Kini to Panhala was good. We reached in some 4 hours but with almost 2 breaks for food.

Day 2: Panhala - Kolhapur - Satara - Medha Ghat - Panchgani - Wai - Pune (320km)
Excellent roads as it was again my fav NH4…. But for that matter even the Medha ghat was very beautiful with numerous waterfalls to enjoy on the way back. Mahabaleshwar and back to pune via Wai was as usual a good drive.

STAY
Mahalaxmi Resort (MTDC approved), Panhala
For Booking Contact Phone No. (02328) 235333
Mobile No. +91 9422046609, +91 9422415444

Good place with lots of place to move around in the resort area itself. Not very clean…but we could manage as we were out most of the time. They have Standard Rooms, Family Rooms and even a bunglow for larger groups. We didn’t had food at that place…instead explored some ‘Khanaval’ around for typical kolhapuri food.


EARNING
• It feels very exciting to stay on a fort, with its old styled buildings around, the stone boundaries….monuments of that era.
• The most romantic climate we ever experienced…completely misty and foggy…with small showers.
• Spent good moments with friends as it was a after a long time that we had gone for outing together.

LEARNING
• Actually we had planned to go to Pavankhind the next day…but decided to skip as it was raining heavily there and the roads were also not very good. And then we spent some time in deciding what should be our alternative way to reach pune. Without any difference of opinion we decided to reach Mapro garden by evening…and visit the Kolhapur temple in afternoon. (But just imagine if we had not come down on one single decision) So the moral of the story is always go with a back-up plan.