Gaurav Malani's Travel pages, Trip activities, hotel reviews, photos & videos

About Me

Just a couple of years back, I realized that I love to explore new places and then I wondered what was I doing all these years!!! Ever since, I started to travel (within my time and budget constraints) and enjoyed every bit of it. Then I thought why not share my travel/hotel experience with others who could benefit out of it and so I am here... From Movie Reviews (I am Film Critic at www.timesofindia.com) to Resort Reviews, I am exploring and enjoying! Of course I have just started and there is a lot of world I wanna see... So here I come :)

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Gaurav Malani
Male, Age Range: 26 - 35, Mumbai, India

Nand Residency Hotel Mussoorie
3.5		rating
18 People reviewed this Hotel View all reviews

There is nothing bad about this hotel but that essentially doesnt mean everything about it is... .. There is nothing bad about this hotel but that essentially doesnt mean everything about it is good. The good part is that itâ€™s just a 30-second walk from the mall road (main market) and yet away from the hustle-bustle of the market. The rooms are decent and the common balcony on the backdoor of every room gives a serene view of the valley and a nice ambience for open-air dinners (if you can sit in the windy verandah). The major issue I faced was that dinner was served as late as 9 pm. It becomes a problem esp. when you have kids with you. When I asked if they could serve me soup or plain rice for my kid a little in advance before the buffet was arranged, they agreed but on extra charge. The hotels idea to make some extra money through such tactics appeared too cheap to me. Soup was served in tea-cups! Toilet paper was given only when asked! The bath fittings were plain average and yet the hand shower wasnâ€™t working! Bathroom didnâ€™t have proper ventilation. I agree all these problem areas are trivial and I could have easily ignored them. But when the tariff is as premiumly priced at Rs 4500/day, you expect nothing but the best from them. They had all basic amenities from 24-hour hot water service, inhouse gym and game zone to day-long (7am-11pm) room service. The best part was they had a desktop with internet for easy net-surfing. The street running down the hotel (to Camel Back point) stinks of horse dung but I guess the hotel can hardly do anything about it. To sum up, Nand Residency is not bad but not complete value for money. Either they can cut their tariff or enhance their standards. More » « Hide

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Green Valley Homestay Dandeli
3.9		rating
3 People reviewed this Hotel View all reviews

Green Valley Homestay is a sprawling property comprising of 5 bamboo cottages perched over... .. Green Valley Homestay is a sprawling property comprising of 5 bamboo cottages perched over trenches, amidst banana and beetle-nut plantations. It is something between a resort and a home-stay. It doesnâ€™t have the service and facilities of a standard resort for sure. Itâ€™s run by a family who stays in the premises and everything from food to festivities would be like arrangements made at home. But the family is hospitable enough to help you out with alternatives wherever they canâ€™t offer you actual solutions. The location has its plus and minuses. Its cutoff from world (is some kms away from Dandeli city) and is amidst real nature. Itâ€™s a good 10-minute walk amidst the fields from the parking area to the entrance (and with luggage some good exercise too). Practically no mobile network! Acres of open fields available to play outdoor sports! The best part of the place is it has its private in-house natural waterfall where ground water flows for 24 hours (no motorized pumps used) and one can enjoy a family shower. Rooms are not bad but insects, pests and some crawlies can â€˜bug you offâ€™. It would take some time for families to adjust to these creatures â€“ you can just not avoid or ignore them. The home-stay could do with some pest control possibly to make their guests feel at home. Also better maintenance of rooms would help as some bamboos seems to be bending off. Washrooms are too small for comfort but who cares when you can enjoy open (and safe) bath in the natural waterfall. Electricity is for limited hours and hot water is provided on request. This home-stay is ideal for large groups â€“ we were a group of 23 comprising of 5 families and so took the entire home-stay. There wasnâ€™t anybody else and so privacy and priority was ensured. The tariff was economical enough at Rs 3000/person for 2 nights with all meals inclusive. Food was quite basic â€“ nothing exquisite but the homely touch assured there were no upset stomachs. Also they catered to customized requests wherever necessary. The proprietor (Ajit) and his-agent-cum-our guide (Vinay Desai) were helpful enough to come with us and guide us personally through all our outings (jungle safari, Syntheri rocks, boating, etc) and get us packaged products from nearby villages on advance request. The location is great and all it needs is â€“ more maintenance, better landscaping, pest control and most importantly more staff for service (there were hardly two helpers) â€“ to be a more tourist-friendly getaway. More » « Hide

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Mount Abu, Rajasthan
Gaurav Malani, Mumbai, Posted Date: 17th December 2011

Mount Abu is the only hill-station in the entire Rajasthan state and a popular tourist..... Mount Abu is the only hill-station in the entire Rajasthan state and a popular tourist destination. The original name of the place was \'Arbudaanchal\' which is derived from the word Arbuda (meaning lips in Hindi). As per mythology, when Lord Shiva was enraged on the death of his wife Sati (Shakti) and was doing a tandav, Lord Vishnu intervened using his weapon Sudarshan Chakra, cutting Shakti\'s corpse. Various parts of the body fell at several spots all across the Indian subcontinent and formed sites which are known as Shakti Peethas today. Shakti\'s lips fell in Mount Abu thereby making it as one of the shakti-peeths. The Shakti peeth over here is called ‘Arbuda (lips) Devi Mandir’. That is how the place got its original name as Arbudaanchal. More » « Hide

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Daman & Diu, Daman & Diu
Gaurav Malani, Mumbai, Posted Date: 8th December 2011