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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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