I have been on a hiatus from my blog, courtesy a new addition to our family, *drum-roll* our 3 1/2 years old Cocker Spaniel - Her Highness, Princess Audi. I have wanted a dog since the time I could spell D-O-G and the husband has grown up with several (spoilt to the core) dogs. My demands for a dog while I was still under the care of my parents, was always met with, "we have you and your sister to take care of, we think that's enough for now". And once I got married, our work, travel and personal schedules plus the determination not to 'buy' a pet, made us put away brining one home for the longest time. But, Audi just happened and we got her home 4 months ago. Life has been fun and maddening ever since.
A lot of our shenanigans have been curbed since, as much of our time and energy go into catering to Her Highness. Though we have given up on a few things, one thing we never will is our quest to holiday.
Last month, when Holi presented us with a long weekend, we got down to business and started researching pet-friendly resorts around 3-4 hours drive from Mumbai. Though there were some resorts available, we were astounded that it was so difficult to find decent, livable ones, which were ready to give out only one room. Several calls, mails and discussions later, a friend suggested Bordi/Dahanu as an option.
We got very mixed reviews when we discussed the destination with friends, but decided to take a chance as 1. It was Her Highness's first holiday, 2. We wanted her to experience a beach, 3. It was close enough to drive her without stressing her out and 4. The place we choose - Tapovan - seemed quite pet friendly and was very, very affordable.
Armed with 3 bags (1 for us and 2 for her), we set off for 3 days. Even though it was an extra-long weekend, the roads were surprisingly empty. We happily drove along and reached Bordi in 3 hours flat. The drive was nothing great. Straight, broad roads. No scenery or eateries worth mentioning. Our home stay pleasantly surprised too - - it is an old, very spacious and clean Parsi bungalow. After a thorough inspection and OK from Her, we un-packed and settled in for our 3 days stay.
This was our first holiday with the owner for a melting pair of eyes and the cutest black nose. It meant that we couldn't just wake up whenever and head off wherever. The gypsy in me was apprehensive about this new way of holidaying. But, at the end, it didn't turn out too bad.
What we liked about Bordi:
*The place we choose. Big, spacious, clean, kind to pets. Sparse and rustic - which they have frankly mentioned on their website - but with lots of light and air. Charming in its own way
*The warmth and ease of a small town. The only traffic jams were caused by herds of cows
*The awesome sea food
*The many Chikoo farms/Wadis, which you can visit, walk around, buy really fresh, cheap Chikooos and even dine under the tress - -some of the wadis house resorts as well as Turkeys (who Miss. Audi was terrified of)
*The old, huge Parsi bungalows. You can see that many of them are getting old and crumbly now, but are still quite pretty and quaint
*The simplicity and warmth of the people, who are ever-ready to chat and give you information
*Opportunity to buy Warli paintings directly from the artisans
*The cute, man-made Asvali dam. Nothing spectacular, but a nice picnic spot, under the trees
*The fact that there isn't much to do, except relax, read, tank up on food and sprits and catch up on your sleep
*Her Highness's successful debut in a beach, which she took to quite well, despite our anxiety
What we weren't impressed about:
*The beach. It was super crowded (of course the long weekend added to it), fairly un-clean and not very pet-friendly. A lot of territorial strays guarding their turfs, some poor camels and horses (who her highness kept a safe distance from) giving rides and a ton of vendors and hawkers. If we had gone there on a weekday or when there wasn't a public holiday, it may have been better
*The poor service and lack of flexibility in most resorts - - which I guess goes with most small towns
*No chance to relax or read by the beach
*Lack of too many options to stay. There are quite a few resorts, but very few which meet any quality standards. It need not be posh, but basic cleanliness and a bit of aesthetics (red curtains with green bedsheets and orange cupboards are a bi no-no) are important to us
Overall, we give it a 6/10.
The season did not allow us to visit the famous Bahrot caves - - a holy place of the Parsis, which apparently is also a tough trek and best undertaken in the winter. On our way back, we drove via Dahanu, which was a decently scenic route of about 10 kms, along the coast. Dahanu is a much bigger town and seemed more geared up to take tourists, though the beach looked a bit murky.
I can imagine Bordi being an idyllic, charming little town, with old Parsi buildings, fresh food, a clean beach and a lot more greenery, about 10 years ago. But today, it is on the brink of becoming just another busy, dirty, crowded, costal town.
If you want a quick get away from Mumbai, which is a bit different from the jaded Khandala, Lonavala, Alibaug, Panchgani routine, is pet-friendly, won't lighten your wallet, gives you access to great sea and Parsi food and doesn't compel you to get out and explore much, give Bordi a chance. You may just end up going on a day when the town may decide to show you a bit of its old charm.
For us, this is hopefully a beginning of many more adventures with the new gypsy of the gang.
A lot of our shenanigans have been curbed since, as much of our time and energy go into catering to Her Highness. Though we have given up on a few things, one thing we never will is our quest to holiday.
Last month, when Holi presented us with a long weekend, we got down to business and started researching pet-friendly resorts around 3-4 hours drive from Mumbai. Though there were some resorts available, we were astounded that it was so difficult to find decent, livable ones, which were ready to give out only one room. Several calls, mails and discussions later, a friend suggested Bordi/Dahanu as an option.
We got very mixed reviews when we discussed the destination with friends, but decided to take a chance as 1. It was Her Highness's first holiday, 2. We wanted her to experience a beach, 3. It was close enough to drive her without stressing her out and 4. The place we choose - Tapovan - seemed quite pet friendly and was very, very affordable.
Armed with 3 bags (1 for us and 2 for her), we set off for 3 days. Even though it was an extra-long weekend, the roads were surprisingly empty. We happily drove along and reached Bordi in 3 hours flat. The drive was nothing great. Straight, broad roads. No scenery or eateries worth mentioning. Our home stay pleasantly surprised too - - it is an old, very spacious and clean Parsi bungalow. After a thorough inspection and OK from Her, we un-packed and settled in for our 3 days stay.
This was our first holiday with the owner for a melting pair of eyes and the cutest black nose. It meant that we couldn't just wake up whenever and head off wherever. The gypsy in me was apprehensive about this new way of holidaying. But, at the end, it didn't turn out too bad.
What we liked about Bordi:
*The place we choose. Big, spacious, clean, kind to pets. Sparse and rustic - which they have frankly mentioned on their website - but with lots of light and air. Charming in its own way
*The warmth and ease of a small town. The only traffic jams were caused by herds of cows
*The awesome sea food
*The many Chikoo farms/Wadis, which you can visit, walk around, buy really fresh, cheap Chikooos and even dine under the tress - -some of the wadis house resorts as well as Turkeys (who Miss. Audi was terrified of)
*The old, huge Parsi bungalows. You can see that many of them are getting old and crumbly now, but are still quite pretty and quaint
*The simplicity and warmth of the people, who are ever-ready to chat and give you information
*Opportunity to buy Warli paintings directly from the artisans
*The cute, man-made Asvali dam. Nothing spectacular, but a nice picnic spot, under the trees
*The fact that there isn't much to do, except relax, read, tank up on food and sprits and catch up on your sleep
*Her Highness's successful debut in a beach, which she took to quite well, despite our anxiety
 |
| The Warli artist whose house I visited |
 |
| Asvali dam |
 |
| One of the Chikoo wadis |
 |
| Set set from the Bordi beach |
 |
| Local, fish thali |
What we weren't impressed about:
*The beach. It was super crowded (of course the long weekend added to it), fairly un-clean and not very pet-friendly. A lot of territorial strays guarding their turfs, some poor camels and horses (who her highness kept a safe distance from) giving rides and a ton of vendors and hawkers. If we had gone there on a weekday or when there wasn't a public holiday, it may have been better
*The poor service and lack of flexibility in most resorts - - which I guess goes with most small towns
*No chance to relax or read by the beach
*Lack of too many options to stay. There are quite a few resorts, but very few which meet any quality standards. It need not be posh, but basic cleanliness and a bit of aesthetics (red curtains with green bedsheets and orange cupboards are a bi no-no) are important to us
Overall, we give it a 6/10.
The season did not allow us to visit the famous Bahrot caves - - a holy place of the Parsis, which apparently is also a tough trek and best undertaken in the winter. On our way back, we drove via Dahanu, which was a decently scenic route of about 10 kms, along the coast. Dahanu is a much bigger town and seemed more geared up to take tourists, though the beach looked a bit murky.
I can imagine Bordi being an idyllic, charming little town, with old Parsi buildings, fresh food, a clean beach and a lot more greenery, about 10 years ago. But today, it is on the brink of becoming just another busy, dirty, crowded, costal town.
If you want a quick get away from Mumbai, which is a bit different from the jaded Khandala, Lonavala, Alibaug, Panchgani routine, is pet-friendly, won't lighten your wallet, gives you access to great sea and Parsi food and doesn't compel you to get out and explore much, give Bordi a chance. You may just end up going on a day when the town may decide to show you a bit of its old charm.
For us, this is hopefully a beginning of many more adventures with the new gypsy of the gang.
