My TripAdvisor Review No.211: Hotel Aryaa Regency, Ozar.

“Clean and Well Maintained Hotel in Small Town Ozar.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

Ozar is a small town in the interior of Maharashtra, about 100 km from Pune. It is famous for its Ganpati Temple as it is one of the AshtaVinayak Ganpatis. The Lenyadri Caves and Ganpati Cave Temple is also nearby. The famous Shivneri Fort is also nearby at Junnar. We also visited Malshej Ghat from here.

We stayed for 3 days at the Hotel Aryaa Regency as it happened to be one of the cleanest and better maintained hotels in Ozar, Junnar and Lenyadri. The rooms were nice and cosy and well within our budget. We had a small balcony which overlooked the Ganpati Temple and we could sit there and listen to the morning and evening aartis. There was an LCD TV and a small cupboard in the room and the bathroom had running hot water.

The restaurant was also very neat and clean and served the local vegetarian dishes which were quite tasty. The service was courteous.

We had a very relaxing and peaceful stay at Hotel Aryaa Regency.

• 
• 
• 

• Stayed December 2016, travelled as a couple
  • 
    Value
  • 
    Sleep Quality
  • 
    Service

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g2282382-d4790133-r470289230-Hotel_Aryaa_Regency-Ozar_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.210: Pavana Lake, Lonavala.

“Remote but Beautiful.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

This lake is about 20 km away from Lonavala town, but can be approached also from Pune via Paud and Mulshi. The latter approach is not very good due to rough roads so it is better to go via Lonavala, INS Shivaji and the Amby Valley Road.

The surroundings of the lake are very beautiful and peaceful. There are many exotic birds to be seen and heard early morning and late evening. It is best to go during winter and monsoon seasons when the climate is cooler. The Pavana Dam is constructed on one side of the lake.

We stayed in a resort overlooking the lake and got to witness a beautiful sunrise early one morning. The Tung Fort is very near the lake on the western side.

• 

Visited March 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1156430-d4088541-r467971387-Pavana_Lake-Khandala_Lonavala_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.209: Cafe Goa, Pune.

“Delights of Goan Food in Pune.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

One of the best things about Goa is to have a lazy afternoon sitting in a beach shack and enjoying a spicy local Goan meal, and this was what we were craving for one afternoon last week. We found ‘Cafe Goa’ quite by chance while searching on the internet for the best seafood restaurants in Pune.

The restaurant is quite close to our house and still relatively undiscovered. It is just off the new road leading to airport and close to the Maruti Nexa showroom in Viman Nagar, tucked away in a building called ‘Faith Centre’.

It is a small Cafe which can accommodate about 6 tables including the outdoor seating, and it is not air conditioned, so it may become a bit uncomfortable in the hot season. But the taste of the Goan dishes were genuine, and the music and the pictures on the walls brought back sweet memories of our holidays in Goa.

We ordered some simple dishes like Prawn Curry Rice, Surmai Curry Rice and Fried Pomfret in Rechadeo masala with pao. It tasted exactly like what we have had at the beach-side shacks in Goa. The prices too were quite affordable.

We would definitely be visiting ‘Cafe Goa’ more often in future.

• 

• Visited March 2017
  • 
    Value
  • 
    Service
  • 
    Food

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297654-d10243108-r467719960-Cafe_Goa-Pune_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.208: Tung Fort, near Lonavala.

“Small Fort but with a Steep Ascent.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

Tung Fort is about 25 km from Lonavala. The base of the ascent starts just about 2 km before reaching Club Mahindra Resort at Lake Pavana. The climb is not recommended for the faint hearted.

There is a parking area near the base of the hill on which the fort is situated. There is a small Hanuman Temple nearby at the base. The road leading up to it is very narrow.

After parking your vehicle at the base there is no other option but to climb it on foot. The initial ascent is very steep and slippery because of loose rubble and rocks. After the initial ascent the climb becomes easier and one can accomplish the trek in an hour. Be sure to wear your hiking shoes and carry a water bottle.

The view from the top is indeed mesmerising with the Lake Pavana in the foreground and the Lohagad, Visapur, Tikona and Koraigad forts visible in the surrounding hills. It is well worth the climb.

There are very few eating joints nearby, but we managed to find a small dhaba by the name of ‘Holiday Garden Dhaba’ where we got some delicious ‘kande pohe’.

Visited March 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297654-d3243464-r467119336-Tung_Fort-Pune_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.207: Club Mahindra - Tungi Lake Pavana.

“Best Club Mahindra Resort in Maharashtra.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

Club Mahindra’s resort at Tungi Lake Pavana is arguably one of their best resorts in Maharashtra. It is located about 26 km from Lonavala town off the Mumbai Pune Expressway.

Coming from Pune you have to take a left turn at Kumar Resort and carry on ahead of INS Shivaji till you reach Cloud 9 Resort. Just after Cloud 9 you will find a turn on the left pointing you towards the Club Mahindra Resort. The resort is 9.9 km from this turning, and it is a narrow country road going uphill through the ghats and forests. Much of the road has been repaired and only a small patch of about half a kilometre was still being repaired when we went in early March.

As soon as you enter the gates it is like arriving in paradise. You have to abandon your car which will be driven to a huge parking lot by the valet, and you will be taken in the resort vehicle to your room. Our check-in was fast and we were in our 1BR apartment within half an hour.

Our room was very well furnished, and there was a small kitchenette with a microwave and a fridge, a covered sit-out where we could have our morning cuppa and watch the sunrise, a bedroom, and a living room with TV, and a walk in closet with an e-safe.

There are 3 swimming pools with one of them being an infinity pool overlooking the Sahyadri hills and valley. There is a basketball and badminton court, a spa, gym and activity room with plenty of indoor games. Bicycles are available on hire and they also arrange Lake and Forest treks. We wanted to go on a trek to the Tung Fort which is just a few kilometres from the resort, but this could not be arranged as the climb is quite difficult and not for the faint hearted.

The restaurant, ‘Ripples’, is well laid out, with a separate section for the buffet and ala-carte. The buffet meals are quite expensive, but the ala-carte section had good options and quite tasty as well. They also have the ‘Gourmet Express’ where meals in a box are delivered to your room.

This resort is a place where you can go for a spell of rest and relaxation, but not too amenable to sight-seeing and monument hopping. You can go for long walks within and just outside the resort and even spot some exotic birds. In fact, the resort units are all named after the birds, and we stayed in the one named ‘Golden Plover’.

We had a very relaxed four day vacation and would love to come again at least once every year.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• Stayed March 2017, travelled with family
  • 
    Value
  • 
    Sleep Quality
  • 
    Service

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g608474-d2709543-r466201010-Tungi_Lake_Pavna-Lonavala_Maharashtra.html#