Nov 08, 2010 04:57 PM
10081 Views
(Updated Nov 15, 2010 09:41 AM)
I had heard a lot about Harihareshwar and done some surfing on the net before planning a holiday over a weekend. I had zeroed in on MTDC resort after reading reviews of the same.
Harihareshwar is about 230 kms from Mumbai by road. on the Mumbai Goa route We started at 6.30 am so as to avoid the Mumbai traffic. If you start after 7.30 am you will be stuck in Mumbai traffic itself for 2+ hours which is crazy.
Take the Panvel route( there is a new bypass from the Palm Beach road to bypas the heavy Panvel traffic), cross Pen and turn left at Vadkalnaka and drive on the Mumbai Goa highway via Nagothane( stop by at Hotel Ruchi for refreshments( Veg Only), the toilets are very clean) to reach Mangaon. Mangaon is about 30 kms from Nagothane.
At Mangaon take a right turn and proceed towards Harihareshwar which is about 65 kms from Mangaon. The drive of 230 kms takes anything between 5-6 hours considering the traffic conditions. The road between Mangaon and Harihareshwar is a State Highway with some difficult patches in between. Make sure you have a spare tyre as the chances of having a flat tyre on the route is pretty high.
Also take care to notice the road signs which indicate Harihareshwar/ Hareshwar/ Srivardhan while driving. There are hardly any traffic on the way and so do not hesitate to ask viilagers help in finding direction when you are stuck.
We reached MTDC Harihareshway at 12.30pm as planned so that we could have lunch at the resort.
Harihareshwar is completely non commercial in nuture and the MTDC resort is placed at an excellent location. There are options of both AC and non AC rooms and AC Tents. We had booked AC tents( Rs 2200/ day+ luxury tax)which are on the slope towards the beach with and with excellent sea views. We did not want go for the bed and breakfast offers available at Harihareshwar as I had read mixed reviews about the same.
Just a word of caution: The tents are actually temporary structures made out of bakelite like material built on plinths. The facilities are basic like any other MTDC resort wiyhout any luxury add on's but the dramatic views make up for all that. The TV in the room had a cable connection which surprisingly had many channels.
The airconditioners chill pretty well and there is a generator backup in case of a power cut. The MTDC staff were very courteous.
The AC Konkani rooms are also good and better furnished but they do not have a direct sea view. You will like this resort only if a true nature lover and not if have a commercial frame of mind.
The food served at the resturant is pretty good( I had veg), the dining area is outdoors with a great view of a huge expanse of the sea. I also saw people feasting on sea food, so I guess the non vegitarians can have a good time too. The rates of food items are resonable and are on par with Mumbai.
The Kalabhairav temple is about 3 kms from the resort and one can go for a "parikrama" which actually means going around the mountain and getting down again to sea level. I undertand this parikrama is possible only low tide. We enjoyed doing the same, but would caution tourists from doing the same in the monsoon / hightide conditions as the sea can get really rough on the rocks.
The beach in Harihareshwar is beautiful but not suitable for swimming as it is rocky. The sand is also dark in colour which can be a put off to some people.
One can see dolphins in the morning chasing each other. As the days gat warmer the dolphins become rarer to spot. There is facility for boat ride/ water bike at the MTDC resort.
Srivardhan and oher beaches are around 25kms radius from the MTDC resort, but we decided agianst it considering the road conditions and the actual time it would take to undertake is 50 kms road trip. Our intention was to chill in the tent which we did.
Carry along essential items like medicines etc and. carry along enaugh cash as there are no ATMs in the 30 kms radius of the resort. It is better to fuel up at Mangaon as Idid not see any functional petrol pumps on the mangaon Harihareshwar route.
This place is ideal for a 2 night stay, preferably over an extended weekend. The check out time at the resort is 9 am. It is better to have breakfast at the resort bfore you leave MTDC resort as there are no good eating joints for the next 60 kms towards Mumbai.
So say cheers and get on to your drive:)
HS
