The Second trimester- ideal time to plan a getaway! Our experience of a beautiful holiday at The Machan, Lonavala

Hubby and I both enjoy driving which explains our love for long drives and we also enjoy spending time outdoors. In fact before we embarked on this eventful journey of becoming parents, we would head out to to Lonavala, Nashik, Igatpuri & other such weekend destinations around Mumbai whenever we got the time.

Our little adventures have taken a back seat nowadays with the little one taking priority. I wasn’t allowed to travel during the first trimester. I was in fact asked to take it easy, so we were stuck in the city. By the end of the first trimester both of us were aching to head out of Mumbai. And with the monsoons approaching, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
We stumbled upon this beautiful property called The Machan in Lonavala. I looked up the website and the place looked like a lovely little retreat right in the lap of nature. The property is a little ahead of Lonavala (on your way to Amby Valley) & consists of 14 tree houses. Since we were talking about staying in tree houses in the middle of the forest I was a little concerned about how suitable this place would be given my condition. I had two main concerns
- One, given the place is in the middle of nowhere I was concerned about the bumpy ride
- Two, since the property consists of tree houses, I wasn’t sure of how convenient & accessible would the rooms be given my condition

I called their reservation desk and was happy to get in touch with a rather helpful and knowledgeable lady who was only too happy to address my concerns. She explained that the off-roading section was barely a small stretch and would definitely not be too bumpy a ride. It was accessible by most kinds of vehicles and didn’t require cars with off-roading capabilities so we need not worry about it causing any stress to me or the baby.

The lady also explained that they had different types of Machans or tree houses to cater to the needs of different guests and families.
- The Heritage Machan was for larger groups consisting of 6-7 people. The canopy machans are more private and accessible by a spiral staircase. The Forest Machans could be suitable for both couples and families and is accessible by a wooden bridge. They also have cabins in case you do not prefer Machans and the most recent addition to their property are the nested machans.
Given our love for outdoor and our keenness to stay in a Machan she suggested we book the forest machan which was also easily accessible through a wooden bridge thus addressing my concern on accesibility :)

We set off for our little holiday after half day of work on Friday. We were only too happy to beat the traffic (since most people were still busy toiling at work) and after a 2.5 hour drive we reached Lonavala. As I mentioned earlier this place is a little ahead of the traditional Lonavala hang outs like Tiger point & the area has little or no coverage hence they encourage you to carry a map or the set of instructions that are emailed to you with your reservation confirmation rather than depending on Google maps or any other GPS device. As promised the off-roading or the rickety road was a mere 1 km stretch, not too bumpy and Hubby’s Mahindra XUV 500 actually made the ride pretty comfortable.

This property is built on an untouched green patch of land in Lonavala so you are completely cut off from the crowds and the commercial madness. Little or no cellphone coverage only adds to the overall experience and takes you farther away from the city than you really are.

We were warmly welcomed by the property manager and offered a welcome drink while they finished the initial formalities after which were guided to our Forest Machan. I went expecting a pretty basic accommodation but was pleasantly surprised with what we got. The Machans were anything but basic; the rooms are nice and big with wooden flooring and French windows on three sides that offer panoramic views of the green hills. The huge bathroom has an open shower with a lovely hill view and a Jacuzzi where you can sit back and forget all your worries. The room also has a small refrigerator which is stocked well with beer, water, soft drinks and a cooler to keep you cool & comfortable in case it gets very hot during the day (sorry no air conditioners here). What’s more they even offer room service at a nominal extra fee. What more can you ask for in the middle of a forest (ok not exactly a forest but a patch of a forest). Each room offers utmost privacy with no one peeping into your room.

Lovely sit out area in the Forest Machan that offers stunning views of the lush green forest

Not much to do around here except maybe bird watching, star gazing (ruled out during the monsoons), play a few board games or reading. My favorite activity was watching the show the fire flies or jugnus put up for us each evening, we would just sit back in the balcony and watched the magic unfold. We also enjoyed the guided nature walk around the property which is organized every evening at 5.30 PM. You also have the option of exploring the place on your own as they provide a map in each of the rooms.

The very specious and comfortable Forest Machans (two at the bottom and one at top). We stayed in the one at the top

The meals here are pretty basic & almost like home cooked khaana with options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The dining area is also quite interesting, it a little canopy of sorts with provision for serving a buffet & a little fireplace (apparently it gets cold in the months of December & January). The seating is mostly outdoors with a provision for a couple of tables in the canopy although I would highly recommend a lovely candle lit dinner under the stars. You have to inform the staff about whether you would be joining them for lunch or dinner and these meals are chargeable (only breakfast is included in the room charges).

I must mention here that unlike neighboring properties this place does not employ graduates from hotel management institutes; they choose to employ the locals. So the staff may not know their merlot from the Shiraz but they serve with all their heart. They go out of their way to make your feel comfortable and the property gets full marks for its hospitality.
We didn’t quite realize where the weekend disappeared and we enjoyed every moment of our little break. I would strongly recommend couples who are expecting to take such short breaks in and around your home town. It’s important to spend some quality time together before the baby comes. Some suggestions before you head out for such a trip.
- Check whether the property is accessible and comfortable for pregnant women and also check with your doctor if you are fit to undertake the journey
- Stop and stretch those legs during the journey and do your bladder the favor by taking a pee break (I know you just have to go so often these days)
- Carry basic medication
- Wear comfortable and loose clothing

- Wear comfortable and appropriate footwear (I picked sports shoes for this trip because this required a bit of walking in the middle of greens)

- Carry some snacks and foods for those hunger pangs

- Don’t get too adventurous with food and stick to the basics (you don’t want to fall sick during a holiday). Inform the staff about your condition and give specific instructions about your food like having your meat or eggs well done.

Here’s hoping that you can plan a similar break soon. Do write in to share your experiences.

Big 30 Birthday Celebrations :)

I have been away from the blog for a while now, too much happening at work and on the personal front. Both Hubby and I celebrated our respective 30th birthdays over the last few days. We have made a rule for ourselves that we don’t go to work on birthdays and our anniversary and we did the same this year. Both of us obviously make the effort to make the other one’s day special but this time hubby beat me hands down by planning a spectacular day for me.
I was quite excited about turning BIG 30 this year and we had made plans to head to the new Hilton property a little ahead of Lonavala. Unfortunately those plans went for a toss when my doctor announced that I should not be travelling for at least another couple of weeks. So there went my plans for a big grand birthday & then it was Hubby to the rescue. He planned something which I recommend everyone does at least once.

He booked a stay at the Taj Palace Hotel in Colaba.

Now one would think that what is so special about staying at a hotel in Mumbai?
Well, this place just transports you back in time. Be prepared to be charmed right from the minute you step foot into the property. You are warmly welcomed by the staff with a garland and requested to wait in the palace lounge while they do the necessary paper work and get your room keys ready for you.
The hotel pampers and spoils you silly. At the palace lounge you are welcomed with a refreshing drink and a cold towel to beat the heat.
It didn’t take them long to get the room keys ready and as soon as we were done with our welcome drink someone promptly escorted us to our room.
Now you may have seen the gateway of India many times but the pleasure of seeing the gateway of India and the Arabian Sea from the window of your hotel room at Taj Palace is something else. My hubby had informed the hotel that we were celebrating my birthday so the staff was kind enough to decorate the room with balloons, flowers, a cute little swan arrangement (made using towels) and a happy birthday cushion. This was just one of the many surprises in store for me, when we stepped out for lunch at the sea lounge (You shall hear about this later in my post) the staff left a yummy mango cake for me in the room. Wow! I was really floored by how the Taj staff went out of their way to make the day special for me.
When talking about the Taj I must talk about Sea lounge which often gets overshadowed by the other iconic restaurants like Souk & Golden dragon. This is a beautiful lounge with a stunning view of the ocean and Mumbai, to me it was like finding a hidden gem. The lovely blue décor and beautiful piano playing in background and the attentive staff who aren’t too overbearing (as can be the case with some properties) makes the whole experience truly wonderful. They serve high tea from 3 PM to 6.30 PM (you may want to check on this again) which is highly recommended. You also have the option of going in for the al- carte menu if you don’t wish to take the buffet but I would highly recommend the buffet. They serve some lovely local delicacies like pav bhaji, parsi meat burger in the buffet and a brilliant selection of desserts which you can’t afford to miss. And of course you could wash this down with a hot cup of masala chai or coffee.
Taj also conducts a tour of the property for its resident’s at 5.00 PM every day. This is another lovely experience which I would highly recommend as it takes you back in time with the story of how Taj came into existence and how it was built , the prominent guests that have stayed at the Taj and a host of other interesting stories. For instance did you know that Taj Palace Hotel has one of the largest collections of paintings in the country & the reason for this being that in the early days they would allow artists to host exhibitions and the artists would pay them in kind by gifting them a painting instead of cash. Its experiences like these that set the Taj Palace hotel apart from any other hotel in the country. In the evening, we dined at the golden dragon restaurant which needs no introduction as it is one of the most well-known Chinese restaurants in Mumbai.
Next day we enjoyed a swim in the pool followed by a filling breakfast at Sea lounge (I fell in love with this place). All I can say is a stay at the Taj Palace hotel is something that I would highly recommend, the property is an experience in itself and leaves you feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

The beautifully decorated room (dont miss the Happy Birthday cushion) ;)



Stunning views and the old world charm of the hotel takes you back in time