My TripAdvisor Review No.189: The Farm House Bar & Bistro, Benaulim, Goa.

“By the River Sal.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

This restaurant in Benaulim is not on the seaside but situated besides the River Sal in Benaulim. It has a beautiful riverside setting with boating and fishing facilities, and an excellent garden with a water fountain and ducks to keep the kids entertained. It is located a little ahead of the ‘Shop and Save’ grocery store on the Colva - Cavelossim road. You will see the sign board about 500 meters ahead of Shop and Save, and a small country road on the left leading down to the restaurant.

The open air restaurant is large and spacious and the tables are well spaced out. There is a separate section for smokers and non-smokers. The ambience is like a large farm house; very rustic, peaceful, and relaxing. There is ample parking space for your vehicle.

We ordered a ‘Prawn in Papad’ starter with our drinks, and followed it up with ‘Goan Green Salad’, ‘Fish Curry Rice’ and ‘Fish n Chips’. We quite enjoyed our meal, though the rates were a tad expensive.

I would like to visit this place again for the true Goan experience.

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• Visited August 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g306994-d8743043-r404512284-The_Farm_House_Bar_Bistro-Benaulim_Salcette_District_Goa.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.188: Papa Joe's, Orlim, South Goa.

“Authentic Goan Food and Ambience.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

We always visit Papa Joe’s for a meal whenever we go to Goa. This is a covered garden restaurant surrounded by a lot of greenery and gives you the true ambience of dining at a Goan home. It is indeed the home of the Mirandas, and you are served by the family members themselves.

The food is authentic and on the various occasions we have visited we have tasted their fish curry and prawn curry with rice, butter garlic prawns, shark rechado. They also have some select vegetarian dishes on their menu. Their rates are very reasonable too.

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• Visited August 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297606-d2086750-r403961437-Papa_Joe_s-Salcette_District_Goa.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.187: Cavatina Cuchina, Benaulim, Goa.

“Fine Dining Experience.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

We visited this restaurant between Benaulim and Varca since we were staying at a resort nearby. It is located very close to Joecon’s Resort and the Taj Exotica, but it is not a beach restaurant.

The restaurant was well furnished and air conditioned. Many of the items on the menu were unique and exotic and different from those of a regular Goan beach shack. There were many grilled and baked dishes, with a variety of fish and meat items available. The service was courteous and polite.

We ordered a Greek salad, with olives, bell peppers, lettuce, tomato and dressing, and a Fish Sizzler. Both the dishes were excellent and we enjoyed our very nutritious dinner.

The restaurant is closed on Mondays.

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• Visited August 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g306994-d3648177-r403588024-Cavatina_Cuchina-Benaulim_Salcette_District_Goa.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.186: Club Mahindra Emerald Palms, Varca.

“Good Place to Experience A Goan Monsoon.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

This was our second visit to Emerald Palms. This time it was to experience the rainy season in Goa. Yes, it did rain quite a lot when we were there, but luckily it would stop when we wanted to venture out.

Of course, it is advisable to go there in your own vehicle. The taxi union at the resort does not allow you to hire from anywhere else, and their charges are exorbitant too. There is a good parking area inside the compound for the private vehicles, though it gets full during the weekend.

The area around the resort is very beautiful and green, with a lot of coconut and other trees, surrounded by wild grassy meadows. We had a very good view of the beautiful scenery from our first floor balcony. However the beach is a ten minute walk away and visible in the distance only to a few west facing rooms. It is very nice to go out for a walk in the mornings, when you can even see and hear peacocks in the wild. Evenings were best to watch the sunset if the monsoon clouds let you.

The rooms are very spacious and tastefully furnished. The 1BR apartments have two bathrooms, and a walk in closet. There are also two LED TVs, tea/coffee maker and a pair of comfy sofas. The central air conditioning was very efficient and cooling.

There is a medium sized swimming pool in the resort which we used often. It was clean and well maintained. Swimming in the sea can be dangerous at this time of the year.

The restaurant serves buffet and ala carte meals, but the prices were on the higher side. There were very few local Goan dishes on the menu, so we would go out and enjoy the local delicacies at the nearby restaurants. There are many good restaurants between Colva and Varca which serve food with a local flavour.

All in all we enjoyed our stay at Emerald Palms, and enjoyed the Goan greenery in the monsoons.

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• Stayed August 2016, travelled with family
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1096236-d3240619-r403097205-Club_Mahindra_Emerald_Palms-Varca_Goa.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.185: Lingmala Waterfall, Mahabaleshwar.

“Best Attraction of Mahabaleshwar in the Monsoons.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

This waterfall is tucked away between two hills. It lies at the head of the Venna Valley. It can be accessed either from the Pune - Mahabaleshwar Road or the Satara Road. There is a small winding road through the forests leading to the falls. You can park your vehicle outside the Forest Office (Satara Van Vibhag) and buy your token to enter the ‘Lingmala Nature Trail’.

There is well paved track leading down to the falls. There are log benches to sit and rest for a while if you get tired climbing back. It takes about 10 minutes to walk down.

There are two parts of the falls. The left track leads to the minor falls, where the falling water forms a pool where one can take a dip. Be careful of the rocks, though. The right track leads to the point from where one can view the main falls, as it showers down into the valley below.

The Lingmala Falls are best visited after the start of the monsoons in July and August. Then one can see and feel the forces of nature in all its glory.

However, even at other times of the year it is a good place to visit, just to experience the walk through the forests on the Lingmala Nature Trail.

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Visited June 2016

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g635749-d4139087-r385538734-Lingmala_Waterfall-Mahabaleshwar_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.184: Mapro Factory and Food Park, Wai, Maharashtra.

“Best Pizzas, Sandwiches and Milkshakes near Wai.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

Mapro’s Factory and Food Park is located between Surur on NH4, and Wai on the Pune to Mahabaleshwar route. It is about 90 kms from Pune, and about 5 kms from Wai. You will first see a huge Indian flag fluttering on the right hand side of the road as you are approaching Wai. You can enter the gates and park your vehicle inside the huge compound next to their restaurant.

The restaurant menu is the same as the ‘Mapro Garden’ menu located near Mahabaleshwar. However this place is not as crowded and popular as the Mahabaleshwar outlet.

You can enjoy some of the best vegetarian pizzas, grilled sandwiches, soups, fruit squashes and strawberry milkshakes at the restaurant. All the Mapro products like squashes and juices are available at the store. They also have an outlet for their organic vegetables which are grown on their farms, and the prices are very reasonable.

It is a good stopover if you are driving from Pune to Mahabaleshwar. They have clean washrooms as well.

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• Visited June 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g3175986-d10246080-r385271051-Mapro_Garden_Factory_and_Food_Park-Wai_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.183: Kalubai Mandhardevi Temple, Wai, Maharashtra.

“Hilltop Temple dedicated to a Goddess.”

Reviewed 1 week ago

This temple is dedicated to a goddess Kaleshwari Devi. She is fondly called Kalubai by the mainly Maharashtrian devotees.

The temple is located 22 km north of Wai and about the same distance from the town of Bhor, in the district of Satara in Maharashtra state. There is a decent state highway connecting Wai to Bhor and one has to take a right turn up a hilly road, known as the Mandhardevi Ghat, and drive up about 3 km to reach the hilltop temple. The views of the surrounding areas of Wai, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani are worth going for. One can also see the Purandar Fort and the Krishna River.

The temple is colorful and brightly painted. It is surrounded by shops where one can buy offerings for the deity. There is a big open space for parking behind the temple. One has to pay entry charges (per person) and separate charges for parking. Public washrooms are available though they are not very clean. There are some restaurants nearby but it is better to carry your own food and water.

There was not much of a crowd when we went and we got a good darshan of the Devi. There is an annual pilgrimage here in the month of January when it gets very crowded.

Photography is not permitted inside the temple.

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Visited June 2016

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

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https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g3175986-d6889253-r380758358-Kalubai_Temple-Wai_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.182: Underground Temple, Hampi.

“Cool Temple Below Ground Level.”

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

This temple is situated close to the Hampi Bus Stand and near the Nobleman’s Quarters. There is no admission fee and photography is allowed.

The ceiling of this temple is at ground level. There are steps at the eastern end to go down into the precincts. There is a Linga with a Nandi facing the steps. There is a canal system flowing through the temple and you have to move around carefully to avoid getting your feet wet.

There is a beautiful lawn built around the temple. You can relax for a while on the lawns or take a walk around if you do not want to get down into the dark and damp insides of the temple. This place is generally less crowded than the other monuments.

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Visited January 2016

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

See all of your reviews

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d4138624-r376328949-Underground_Temple-Hampi_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.181: Pattabhirama Temple, Hampi.

“Large but Isolated Temple Complex.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

This temple complex is just half a km from the Archaeological museum and is located in Kamalapura area of Hampi. It is away from the other main monuments and temples and gets much fewer visitors even though the monuments are as good and equally imposing. At the time of my visit in January 2016 some restoration work was in progress by the ASI.

The temple is supposed to have been built in 1540 AD by Timmaraja during the reign of Achyutaraya. The temple complex has a large courtyard enclosed by a high wall. The large and square hall has tall and splendid pillars of different types. Though not as ornate, the Pattabhirama Temple complex is as large as the more popular Vithala Temple complex.

The temple complex is open from morning to evening. There is no admission fee and you are free to take photographs inside.

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Visited January 2016

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

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d4139045-r372964107-Pattabhirama_Temple-Hampi_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.180: JJ Garden Wada Pao, Pune

“Popular Street Food.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

Wada Pao is the most popular street food in Maharashtra, and is easily available on the streets of Mumbai, Pune and Kolhapur. It is sometimes called the local vegetarian burger, and consists of a deep fried burger of potatoes coated with a batter of gram flour. It is then enclosed in a small bun of soft bread (pao) and eaten with fried chillies and some chutney.

The JJ Garden Wada Pao is actually a mobile cart located across a garden by the same name in the Camp area of Pune. It has become very popular because the burgers are bigger in size than others, and served with a special spicy-sweet green chutney spread on the bun. You can also add some green chillies and another chutney mixture of garlic, red chilly powder and groundnut powder.

There is always a crowd around the cart at meal times. You can grab your burger and carry it home or eat it seated on a bench in the garden.

• Visited May 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297654-d1769051-r372758203-JJ_Garden_Vada_Pav-Pune_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.179: Archaeological Musuem, Hampi

“Gives a Good Overview of Hampi.”

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

This museum is located in Kamalapura area of Hampi. The restored statues, weapons, ancient coins and other artefacts are worth seeing. A miniature replica model of the entire Hampi area has been created in the middle of the building.

The museum premises are relatively new, and there are clean washrooms and water coolers for drinking water available. However photography is not allowed inside the building. You have to show your entry ticket which is clubbed with the other monuments.

It is best to visit this museum at the start of your Hampi trip as it can help you plan a route after seeing the replica model.

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Visited January 2016

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

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d3912767-r368709858-Archaeological_Museum-Hampi_Karnataka.html#