Peaceful week-end get-away for Mumbaikars

There is a resort just a couple of hours drive (about 90 kms) from Mumbai, at Vikramgadh, western Maharashtra, about 80 kms northeast from Mumbai. It’s called the Divekarwadi resort and it’s one of a kind. In the sense that it’s great for a day or two, if you love nature and want a bit of peace and quiet. But don’t expect anything fancy. The beds are hard, there is no TV and no air-conditioning. No room service either, although they will deliver a thermos flask full of tea outside your door at 6:30 in the morning. The bathrooms are clean though and so is the resort.
There are no telephones but that’s no problem as mobile signals are fairly strong.
The place attracts a decent middle-class crowd. Naturally, as it’s inexpensive and a double room is available for as little as Rs 2000/- including meals and tea.There is a dormitory for large groups at a reasonable price, great for students. A good place to go with friends particularly if you are interested in the outdoors.

One can wander around identifying trees, the names of which are written on the trees. There are over 500 species of trees and shrubs.
Adventure sports like Rappelling happen here too and there is boating as well. There is a well-stocked nursery. There is a pool (more like a large pond!) which is okay for kids. The waterfall is an artificial one.
One can go for long walks here, either towards the Khand Dam, Palusa Waterfall or Tiger Caves or just chill out on the hammocks, reading, but no, you can’t drink beer. At least not in public. Alcohol is not allowed.

The service is average. The staff is homely and not trained to be customer friendly. Efficiency is not the name of the game here. Meals are served late, and lunch can served as late as late as 2 p.m.

The only thing we didn’t like about the Diwekar resort was the food. It was too spicy for our taste and extraordinary oily. A big drawback for families who come with children and want to feed their kids something substantial. We had a far better experience when we went to the resort in Durshet (run by the same people) where the food and service was good.

The slide show below will give an idea as to what the ambiance of the place is like.

It’s worth driving to Jawhar town to see the Maharaja’s palace, but not for the palace itself. The drive is a beautiful one and so is the walk to the palace. You cannot drive in, but have to park your car at a dhaba (small roadside restaurant) and walk for about 20 minutes in the forest, which is private land. This slideshow will give an idea as to the country one drives through. We went there in great weather and traffic was minimal.

You can find out about what else there is to see in Jawhar from this maharashtra tourism site. Jawhar is close to Nasik as well and the railheads are Nasik, Igatpuri and Dahanu. Jawahar itself is 180 kms from Mumbai (by road and 80 kms from Nasik.

Related Reading: Matheran, the best hill station near Mumbai and Pune
Durshet. week-end getaway in the Western Ghats
Holiday in Daman