Colva To Ganapatipule

Beach, beer and a 5km walk

Post by Shankar | Mumbai | Apr 26, 2008

Ganpatipule is an ideal weekend getaway from Mumbai and Pune. If you have a car, the journey (around 350 kms) should get done in 6-7 hours , marginally lesser for Puneites, marginally longer for Mumbaikars. We did not have a car. We took the Janashatabdi from Mumbai, an ideal train to get there. It leaves Mumbai at the crack of dawn and touches Ratnagiri before 11 am. Ganapatipule is less than an hour’s ride by auto, so we were checking in by 12 noon. The autorickshaw guys charge a flat Rs 350. For those on a budget, there’s the bus option. You could take the excellent bus service from the rail station to Ratnagiri ST bus stand (7-8 kms), and find a bus from the ST stand to Ganaputipule. There is a bus almost every hour. The bus ride is a bit longer and lasts approximately 90-120 minutes. You could end up reaching Ratnagiri after 1 pm, which, if you ask me, is not the same as 12 noon. A third option, if you can put up with night travel in a bus, is a direct ST bus from Mumbai or Pune. The ride is around 9-10 hours. A bus leaves Vashi at midnight, while there are buses from Borivli and Pune in the morning as well as the evening. You can check with the nearest MSRTC depot. The advantage of the ST is that you don’t need to change buses to get there. The fare is also economical (Rs 175 one-way for standard STs) but I don’t savour a night ride in a bumpy bus. I did when I was in college, but not any longer. We stayed at the MTDC resort. The location is terrific as the resort hogs the beach. It spans half a kilometer of the prime beach front and is adjacent to the Shree Kshetra Ganapati temple, which lords over the rest of the beach. The gates of the resort and the temple face each other, the temple on the south and the resort on the north. The resort is divided into two sections, upper and lower. Separating the two sections is a hillock which is part of the MTDC estate. The two sections run like independent hotels, with independent receptions, room services and restaurants. It is wise to select your rooms depending on which section you would like to stay. The section closer to the temple, and therefore closer to the main gate, is the upper or higher section. This upper section has more rooms and has a larger and better-stocked restaurant. It is 30-75 feet above sea level, depending on the type of room you take. The price of the rooms goes up with the altitude. The rooms closest to the main gate are the cheapest, as they are non-AC rooms in one-storey buildings. The most expensive rooms in this section, the Sea View Cottage, are at the highest altitude (75 feet). In between them are the Super AC row houses. Each type of room has an independent flight of stairs heading down to the beach. The second section is nearly a kilometre away from the main gate. The path to this lower section skirts the hillock that separates the two sections. If you take an auto from Ratnagiri and have chosen the lower section, ensure that you take the auto right in. The lower section is at sea level, so you don’t need a flight of stairs to reach the beach. The independent rooms in this section are called Konkani huts. These huts are barely 50 metres away from the beach and the windows in the huts have a breathtaking view of the ocean. For budget travelers, this section has tents. I wouldn’t recommend the tents. The lower section also houses an unimpressive ayurveda centre and a rudimentary water sport facility (read paddleboats and motor scooters). The restaurant here is a satellite of the main restaurant in the upper section. It is open air and is very close to the beach, making it ideal location for beer (Rs 100 a chilled bottle). On the flip side, some of the dishes available in the upper section are not available here. Upper or lower, where to stay: We stayed in a Konkani hut. When I visit Ganapatipule again, I would opt for the Super AC row houses in the upper section. These are roomier than the Konkani huts: they have a little parlour inside beside the bedroom and toilet. They also have a sheltered verandah outside. The view of the sea from the altitude is breathtaking; the wooden benches in front of the row houses are breezy cuddling spots. The only problem with these row houses is that you need to climb down 30-40 steps to reach the beach. On the way up the stairs is a shower in an alcove where you can wash the sand away. I really wouldn’t climbing up and down, but I can understand why some guests would find that inconvenient. The lower section is at sea level and senior citizens would find it easier on the knees. My problem with the Konkani huts is that they lack the shower, the parlour and the verandah. You come out of the beach and you are into the room. You drag sand in with you. If you are driving there, you can always drive down to the lower section for a beer or for a dip, if stairs are discomforting. The best thing about Ganpatipule is the clean beach and the cleaner water. Early March is a great time to visit as the place is not too crowded and the weather is pleasant. I can imagine it getting warmer in April and May. The sea is not very rough, either; if anything, perhaps a bit too gentle. There are warnings all over the beach cautioning you not to venture deep. The beach lacks a lifeguard, so you are pretty much on your own. We returned to Ratnagiri to take the Janashatabdi back. On hindsight, the choice of train was wrong as we chugged into Mumbai around midnight. The MTDC check out is at 9 am. It would be ideal to return by the Netravati which leaves Ratnagiri at 10 am and reaches Mumbai by 5 in the evening. You have time to unwind before heading for work the next day. Those who don’t have the luxury of the extra day could consider a return bus journey (the only option for Puneites, really). The ST stand is just outside the MTDC resort. There are also a few private buses that leave in the evening.

Paradise of western coast

Post by Sushil | Lucknow | May 31, 2006

From mumbai one can go to Ratnagiri by train , which is over night journey. After that one can hire a taxi to reach Ganpatipule. Mumbai to ratnagiri is 375 km and from ratnagiri to Ganpatipule is 50 km. Dont go deep in the sea. there may be under current in the water.

Place to lay back and enjoy

Post by Rajani | Mumbai | Feb 28, 2011

If you are going from Mumbai, just take Dadar Sawantwadi express. Get down at Ratnagiri and take a bus 30kms. You reach MTDC resort. If at all you plan to visit any other places by car/bus, make sure to take good driver/good car as roads are curvey and bit dangerous too