October 13, 2015

My TripAdvisor Review No.130: Mapro Garden, Mahabaleshwar - Panchgani Road, Maharashtra.

“Excellent Picnic Spot, Without Having to Carry a Picnic Basket.”
4 of 5 starsReviewed 12 October 2015NEW
Earlier we would never stop at Mapro Garden while travelling between Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar because of the traffic jams caused by the cars and buses parked on the road. But this time I was in for a surprise when I found out that they have developed a huge free parking lot, off the main road, where the tourists can park their vehicles.

So this time we did visit Mapro Garden, and we were not even troubled by a single ‘Jyotishi’ (Fortune Teller) who could make us a ‘lakhpati’ before entering, to have money to buy whatever jams, juices, chocolates and squashes and other products which Mapro manufactures here.

As you enter you are greeted by a giant strawberry and their chocolate factory. They make arrangements for a guided tour of their jam and squash factory, and their well spread out strawberry plantation. There is a small garden with a rockery and fountain, and a playground with colourful three wheelers, where small children can play around. The garden overlooks the Krishna Valley, and if it’s not cloudy you can clearly see the 'Elephant’s Head' near Kate’s Point in Mahabaleshwar. It is a good place for photography enthusiasts too.

After spending some time strolling in the gardens and enjoying the natural beauty of their plantation, we decided to have our picnic lunch. No, not from a picnic basket, but from their large alfresco restaurant which serves excellent wood fired oven pizzas, grilled sandwiches, soups, juices, milkshakes and ice-creams. You can, however, bring an empty hamper to fill up with your shopping of jams, crushes and squashes to carry home with you!

They have good, clean washrooms too, so travellers coming from faraway places generally take a break at Mapro Garden for a quick bite, and get refreshed for the last leg of their journey to Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani. Do keep in mind that this place is so popular that it is always overcrowded on weekends.
Visited October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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