Weekend Getaways around Pune and Mumbai

The journey to Kashid from Pune starts and ends on SH60. The 4 hour long drive on this 170 Km stretch is all about nature; her color, variety, landscape and fauna. As you hit Paud Road in the city, take the turn at Chandani Chowk towards Mulshi, cross the ghats of Pirangut and speed aside the lake, the color of spring welcomes you at the Tamhini ghats. Mulshi has always been a monsoon-delight; the raging falls enticing you to drench in gay abandon as the deep blue waters of the lake lay calmly in the picturesque backdrop. While Mulshi lets you touch and feel her wildness, Tamhini this spring unfolded as an ethereal beauty that stays at a distance. Driving down that stretch till we hit the Goa highway was therefore a fascinating journey of feasting the eyes that’s best reproduced when clicked. Nudity of nature has never been so pristine, we felt, as the mountains tried to guard her privacy.

Taking a detour at Kolad from a small stretch on the Goa Highway, SH60 continued again as we reached Roha. This is where you replenish yours supplies, stretch and rejuvenate yourself in urbanity till your return journey. As you leave behind the dusty town and take the way through the dense greenery, a narrow waterbody starts running parallel to your path. It plays hide and seek through the trees and the landscape, till you realize, once you cross the Steel Plant at Salav and approach the Revdanda bridge (that brings the Mumbai traffic through Alibaug), this longitudinal aquatic stretch would welcome you to the western shorelines of India – the Arabian Sea!

What happens beyond Revadanda is a thrilling experience of driving along the perimeter of India! The seas kiss the highway now and then, withdrawing at times, only to come back with all wildness that the shoreline can only resist. Urban vegetation has long been left behind, what passes us now are small coastal villages after every milestone. Chener, Mithekhar, Ambali, Yesde, Shirgaon, Walke, Satirde are but poor glimpses of what lay in the shores beyond the hills ahead, populated by mankind not more than a thousand. The afternoon sun reclined towards the sea, as the skyline in the horizon turned shimmering emerald before we lost the sea view at the impending turn into those hills.

Downwards from the hills, out of nowhere, what appeared to our right, below, was a long arching shoreline bathing in raw sunshine. A façade of blue and white, nestled by hills on her two sides and a long row of Casuarinas, shading the third. Joy at first sight . That is Kashid !

Far from the madding crowds that throng Alibaug-Murud-Janjira in the vicinity, Kashid is a sleepy village that has its own niche tourists. As you hit the sea level from the hills again, dense foliage pervades the highway on both sides. The sea and the sand appear across the long stripes of the trees, secluded and un-spoilt. Park your car in the shades and sway in the cool breeze from the hills. Sultriness is gone…. you do not sweat…..and amazingly the sea breeze does not bring in any humidity.

It is criminal not to savor every moment in Kashid. Forget sightseeing, there’s nothing to see except seas and the sky. Forget shopping, there no shop except those small village joints. Forget water sports, you do not even see a fisherman’s boat. Kashid is all about virginity epitomized. Laze around in the sun, drench under the deep blue sky and doze off in those innumerable hammocks. That’s Kashid for you.

Kashid is all about hammocks. Gearing up to rush into the seas? Collect your energy on the hammocks. Tired after that wild jig? Catch your breath in the hammocks. Not in a mood to get wet? Watch from the hammocks. Is the poet in you coming out? Pen those lines in the swings of the hammock. No wonder then, in any dwelling you land up in Kashid, hammock is an amenity more than an AC. With 6 hour power cuts during summer and the cool breeze of the coconut grove, who wants an AC anyways?

Kashid is all about silken sands. Pristine white, loose and clean; A stark contrast in the Konkan coast where the shorelines a typically dark and sticky. Kashid is an exception. Run like a sprinter, they don’t drag you; roll like a kid, they don’t itch you; sleep like a log, they don’t burn you. One wonders, why Rakesh Roshan went all the way to NZ for shoot.

Kashid is all about the Rawas fries by Mrs. Khopkar. Barge in to the cool garden house, check in to the brand new room upstairs, flip open the kingfisher cans….and have a Rawas fry. Drop dead on the beach; trudge back to the car; collapse on the hammock - with a Rawas fry. Order a veg. meal, finish off the roti-sabji, gulp down the dal… top up a Rawas fry. Go dipsy in the evening… over a Rawas fry. Wind up dinner… after the last Rawas fry. Kashid is full of such warm, homely people, spreading out comforts of stay and food in a home away from home. Tired of Rawas fries? Have Rawas fry, for a change.

….and Kashid is all about the moonlight at dawn. Its 6 o’clock in the morning. Pitch dark under the shades. The sea froth vigorously hitting the shores. The hills on the far side projecting into the sea as a dolphin’s nose; and the skyline is not yet crimson to make you see all these. It’s a full moon dawn on Kashid beach! A morning shoreline basking in midnight glory; Who ever said cuckoo heralds the dawn? In Kashid, it’s the moon.

Driving back home that afternoon, upwards into the hills, as we took that impending last turn, what appeared to our left, below, was a long arching shoreline bathing in raw sunshine. A façade of blue and white, nestled by hills on her two sides and a long row of Casuarinas, shading the third. Sorrow at last sight - That is Kashid!

Blowing a flying kiss behind, we lost her across the sylvan slope of the hills.

Last 4 times I have stayed with locals and for people who like adventure this is a good option. I would recommend Sagar Toursit Resort as a very good option. This is managed by Deepak Khopkar and his wife both of whom are friendly. The arrangement is that they give you the complete house - one hall and 2 small bedrooms and a toilet and bath. This place is less than 1/2 km from the beach around 200 meters from Suman resorts. The house is in a plot which is full of coconut and areca nut plants and is really homely. The food served by Mrs. Khopkar is traditional but nonetheless very tasty. Also it should be noted that the Khopkars have a separate house in the village where they stay and sot you have complete privacy.

Another similar place is Sea Touch Cottage. Sarve Huts is also highly recommended from my friends – though it is slightly on the costlier side. The tariff when I last visited was Rs. 800 per head for stay and food. The food served here is also Awesome.

Contact Information:
Sagar Tourist Resort: Deepak Khopkar 9422692463, (2144) 278525 (Resort)
Sarve Huts: Mr. A. G. Sawant 9820548997, 952144278539 (Resort), 56243067 (Booking Pune)
Sea Touch Tourist Cottages: Tulasidas Belose (2144) 278550, (2144) 278588

If someone finds updated contact information please put in the comments so that it can be updated.
Click here to get the detailed route information from Mumbai and Pune.