April 5, 2020

My TripAdvisor Review No.646: Mapro Garden & Chocolate Plant, Mahabaleshwar.

Superb Three In One Attraction. Picnic Spot, Shopping Place and Restaurant.

Over the years Mapro Garden on the Panchgani Mahabaleshwar Road has become a major tourist attraction and a must visit place for most of the visitors to either of the twin hill stations. It is a stopover for refreshments or a meal, a shopping spot to pick up jams, squashes, juices, chocolates and memorabilia. Now, with a new mini Khakhra (crisp roasted wheat crackers) factory set up next to the Chocolate factory you can even sample and buy different flavoured Masala Khakhras, fresh and hot from the assembly line. One can even stop here for a picnic in the vicinity as there are some good parks and look-out points.

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 the distance. It is a good place for photography enthusiasts too.

After spending some time strolling in the gardens and enjoying the natural beauty of their strawberry 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, chocolates, khakhras 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. They have also developed a huge free parking lot, off the main road, where the tourists can park their vehicles. Do keep in mind that this place is so popular that it is always overcrowded on weekends.
Date of experience: December 2019

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