Diwali this year was all about a much-needed break from the city hustle, infact this has become a tradition of sorts with us. The first year we had brought Chewy home, we decided to getaway so he could have a peaceful time [ crackers would rattle him, and he would want to snuggle with one of us]. But now it has become a tradition, and we look forward to escaping and going to a property that is away, and has enough space for Chewy to run & play in. This time around, we packed our bags and headed to the serene coastal town of Dapoli.
The Journey
We started the process by looking for a pet friendly property somewhere in MH, preferably within 6hr drive and that is how we found the airbnb. it was a home in Dapoli, and map said it would take us about 5hrs. The drive to Dapoli was a beautiful journey through the Western Ghats. The winding roads, lush greenery, and occasional glimpses of the Arabian Sea made for a scenic and relaxing drive. The property is tucked into what looked like a forest region, about 4.5kms from the main town centre which has all kinds of stores, cafes and restaurants and the road to the beach and other places.
The property is in The Great Konkan Valley and was a simple house. I had reached out to the property owner right after booking the place, he told us to pick up groceries and stuff from the stores nearby and said there are very few places to eat. I have been to Dapoli in Jan 2023 and therefore instantly recognised the road, and places as we drove by. It made me realise there are more than 2 restaurants and enough places around the place we were going to stay at.
The trip
The first day we reached around 2, stopped at Surali Garden restaurant, ordered food and headed to the property. We checked into the place, got a sense of what we had and let Chewy run around the house.
The food from the restaurant was fabulous, we had picked up Chicken for Chewy as well, which he devoured. After lunch, we decided to laze a bit, and that evening went for a drive to pick up some basic stuffs and then used the InstaFoGo app to order in dinner from MOD [Moods of Desserts] – Veggie grilled sandwich, chicken nuggets and cheese maggi along with a cold coffee, all of which were yumm. Infact, next night dinner was also from MOD, but that evening app failed us, and we ended up driving out to pick up food – a paneer cheese sandwich, chicken nuggets, chicken grilled sandwich, and cold coffee. Also picked up a slice of Lotus Biscoff cheesecake from the pastry store next door- Salt & Sugar.
We went for a drive towards Panhalekaji caves, and the last stretch of road was terrible, can’t even call it a road. You need a four-wheel drive to handle that route. We then ended the day with a drive to Murud Beach, the car could go inside, but whoa what i saw was so different from the last visit. Even though I couldn’t go into the water, and it was crazy crowded, walked along the road and enjoyed the beach.
The first morning, we went around town looking for a place to pick up breakfast from- got idli and dosa from a place which turned out to be disastrous, but the vada pav from a food truck nearby was yumm. On the last morning Breakfast was from Rohini hotel on the main road- omelette with pav, which was oh so good.
Chewy’s Paradise
Our furry friend, Chewy, was in his element in Dapoli. The compound wall was short, and so one of us was there with him. He was happy to explore, and on one side of the wall he jumped over, only to realise the other side was far lower than the property. Took him a minute to figure his way back, and he managed to jump back in. Since we live in an apartment in Pune, it is a dream to have an independent space where this fellow can be free.
Dapoli is a small town, that relies primarily on tourists and most stores/cafes/hotels open quite late in the morning – past 8am. There are plenty of beaches, temples and places to visit around here – Keshavraj temple within the forest, Anjarle Beach, Harnai Beach [ if you go in the evening you can see Fishermen come back after a fishing expedition, and auction out the fish], Murud Beach, A Ganesh temple up in the hills, The hills around here are beautiful, if you enjoy just driving around, it is a fabulous place.
If you’re looking for a peaceful and rejuvenating getaway, Dapoli is the perfect destination. It’s a hidden gem on the Konkan coast that offers something for everyone.
