Monsoon is good time for weekend trip and nothing sounds better than trip to Mahabaleshwar, a hill station near Mumbai. Compare to Lonavala or Khandala, Mahabaleshwar has more to offer and good weather to enjoy your time amongst the cloud.
Approximately 7 hour drive from Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar is in the Satara region of Maharashtra. The roads are broad till you start climbing the mountain. On your way to Mahabaleshwar, you will pass through Panchgini, an another hill station, well known for many boarding schools situated there.
Let’s see what one can Eat, Travel and have Fun in Mahabaleshwar.
TRAVEL
Arthur’s Point
Mahabaleshwar is well know for various view points and one of them is Arthur’s Point. It has the best view and quite famous in the city.
Elephant Head Point
Well, it is said that from this point, you can see the mountain in the shape of elephant, hence, the name. Frankly, I kept on wondering which mountain is that! Good place for cool breeze and yet another amazing view!
Lodwick point and many others
After visiting famous point, you need to go to point where there is less crowd and that’s where Lodwick Point comes! Not many people visit this point making is less visited point. Apart from this, there are many other less famous/crowded point like Savitri Point etc.
Mall Road for shopping
Another way to spend time in Mahabaleshwar is heading to mall road for some shopping and eating. There are many restaurants offering all types of cuisines. For those who love shopping, you can buy things like footwear, antiques, clothes, show pieces and many more. Kids can also explore mall road for some gaming time!
EAT
Mapro Garden
Must visit in Mahalabeshwar is a good stopover at Mapro which comes before you enter Mahalabeshwar. It is beautiful place for some shopping, eating and obviously photography. The Mapro Garden has their product on sale, small visit to their factory, clicking pictures in strawberry farm and not to forget, trying their Strawberry with Cream! The cafe offers delicious pizza’s and sandwich apart from their shakes and ice cream!
Bagicha
Another place for food is Bagicha. Again their strawberry with cream and also blackberry with cream is must have in the menu. It is also place which has been recognised by many celebrities (you can see that from the pictures on their wall)
Apart from above two, there are many other restaurants and cafe offering good food in the city. Whichever place you visit for food, don’t forget to try strawberry with cream!
FUN
Strawberry Picking
Mahabaleshwar is known for strawberries and you find it not just healthy but also red, big in size and definitely delicious. Most of the people buy them from the streets and if you fancy something new, you can pluck them fresh from the farms and buy your own plucked strawberries. There are numerous small organic farms where they allow you to pick your own berry and buy them as per the weight. The experience is good, only downfall is that these plucked strawberries are 50% more expensive then what you get on the street.
Go Karting
It is small touristy place and adventure is not big here. But for those who seek to have some fun, go karting is available at 2-3 spots around Mahalabeshwar. It is good and reasonable activity for kids. Tracks are little short, but with the price it is offered at, it is good option to try!
Paintball
Many Go Karting place also have Paintball available. Honestly I loved this activity, especially since I did with my crazy cousins. They have 3-4 rounds where each team plays against each other with various rules for shooting. Amazing fun and really competitive to do!
STAY
Le Meridién Mahabaleshwar Resort and Spa
Mahalabeshwar offers many stay options from basic accommodations to five star hotels. Le Meridién has opened up a few years ago and I decided to stay their during my stay. The property is beautiful and quite huge. The rooms are scattered around and they provide gift cart service to travel from your room to restaurant / reception. The best feature of this property is their infinity pool. The view is to die for! Overlooking the beautiful mountains and valley of Mahalabeshwar, the pool is heated pool, making it accessible during the nights too! Rooms and bathrooms are spacious. The bed is soft that you can really submerged into the deep sleep! Each room has a balcony, making it perfect for morning / evening tea point! Beautiful property to stay in!
Category: Hill station and Nature
Location: It is 270 km away from Mumbai and 120 km from Pune. Nearest airport and railway station is Pune. Easily accessible through road journey from Pune.
Time: It takes around 6-7 hours drive to reach Mahabaleshwar from Mumbai and 3-4 hours from Pune. Since the road is curvy and on mountain, safe driving is advisable.
Carry: During summers, do carry sunscreen and glares. Nights are bit chilly, carry extra jacket or scarf, especially during monsoon. In winters, wooden clothing is must.
