Feb 06, 2009 05:25 PM
12900 Views
We are just back from a week long trip to Kokan. We went to Kudal taking the Mondovi Express from Dadar. From Kudal we took a ST Bus to Malvan which reached Tarkarli around 9 pm. We had a reservation at the Vengurlekar's beach resort.
The next morning we had a reservation for the MTDC House Boat named "Hiranyakeshi". We enjoyed the House Boat ride for the day and came back to our resort to spend the next two days on Tarkarli beach.
Here is how my experience was on the House Boat:MTDC operates two House Boats. One of them has an upper deck and so is a little expensive than the other one. It is called the "Hiranyakeshi".
We rented it for a day. When we made the booking, we were charged Rs. 7150 for a day. When we checked in, we were also charged 2% for "on board accessories" and 10 % for luxury tax. The total came close to Rs. 8100.
The house boat does not start from the MTDC Resort in Tarkarli. They are parked on the Karli creek close to a "Waadi" which is like a bungalow surrounded with coconut trees.This place didn't look well maintained as compared to the MTDC Resort in Tarkarli which is very nice.We got a little late checking into the House Boat. The staff at the MTDC was cooperative. They didn't rush us or anything. Probably because there was not other reservation on that day. :)
After taking a few pics of the House boat, we were onboard. The house boat has two rooms which can house 2 adults (and a child). The rooms weren't very big, but were adequate.Both rooms have an AC and an attached toilet. The rooms were clean. Mattresses were comfortable. The interior is typical MTDC type.
The lower deck of the boat has a sofa , a dining table, a TV and a sound system. You can take the stairs to the upper deck. Upper deck also has a few chairs and a mattress which serves the purpose of "Bhartiya Baithak". We really enjoyed being on the upper deck.
After we boarded the Boat, they asked us to order what we wanted for lunch and they took us on a ride in the creek. After a while they anchored the boat and served us Lunch. Their menu consists of Veg and Non Veg meals.
They serve excellent fish. We tried the Pomfret curry and it was delicious. We had also ordered "Aaloo Malvan" which is a local way of making Aaloo Curry. We loved it too. Overall the cook was very good.They have an onboard generator so you won't be without power while offshore.Although you can't watch TV, but they have some Movie CDs which you can watch.
We were anchored till about 5:30 PM. Then we started to sail back to the shore. The timing was perfect since we could enjoy the sunset along the way. This journey is a Photographer's delight.
I took quite a few pics along the way. After we came back to the shore, we ordered our dinner. Dinner was great.The Captain of our ship told us we will be going to the "Sangam" of the creek and the Sea next morning at 7 AM.
So we woke up early so we could enjoy the morning boat ride. With all the greenery around it is a beautiful sight. You can see many small boats taking the tourists to Dolphin spotting in the morning. The boat shakes a bit as you approach the Sangam.
They anchor the boat here and serve you Breakfast.We tried Upma and Shira which were pretty good. You can order an Omlet, Bread Butter etc. After enjoying the scenery at the Sangam, the Captain took us back to the shore. It was 10 AM by the time we reached there. By 10:30 we were off the boat.
We loved the experience on the House Boat. Although Spending Rs. 8000 for a day is a little expensive, but beautifull surrounding and food makes it worthwhile. One can rent the other boat which would cost around Rs. 7000 for a day.
The staff was alright. I wouldn't rate them very good but they were cooperative.I would recommend a day on the House Boat.Our stay on the Tarkarli Beach at Vengurlekar's Beach resort:We stayed the next two days at the Vengurlekar's Beach resort which is right on the Tarkarli Beach.
Believe me, it has an amazing location. The beach starts where the back yard of Vengurlekar's Beach resort ends. It is that good! Beach is beautiful with clean white sand, blue waters and 100s of coconut trees along the shore.
You hardly see any tourists, so you can be assured it is largely untouched. Watch your step while on the beach, because you might step on a Crab :) You can see a lot of baby crabs crawling around on the beach. From the Tarkarli beach, you can see the Sindhudurga Fort.
In the morning I was woken up by the sounds of fishermen. When I went up to the beach, I learnt that they are catching the fish using their nets. The Nets are called "Raapan". There was a truck parked on the beach which they loaded with fish and directly took it to the market for auction.
The locals are a friendly lot. They will go out of their way to help you our. Knowing Marathi helps a lot.We also visited the Deobagh beach, which is where Karli creek meets the sea.Deobagh beach and Bhogwe beach separated by the Karli creek.Land along the beach is what separates the Sea from the Creek.
Be there at sunset and you can watch the Sun go down while turning the Sea into melted Gold!.Frankly speaking, we didn't want to come back from Tarkarli. Writing this review was another way of refreshing my memories of Tarkarli. So if you get a chance, do visit Tarkarli.Phone Number of Vengurlekar's Beach resort is 9890035756, (02365)253227.Mr. Vengurlekar can guide you about places to see and things to do while at Tarkarli.Thanks for spending time to read this rather long review :) Bon Voyage!
