Madvi Beach-for Travelers
Madvi Beach-for Travelers
Mandvi beach is the only privately owned beach in India with the property extending right up to the waterline
Twoandahalf kilometers of beach all to yourself. A waiter from the restaurant trudges across the sand bearing provender. Long poolchairs under a thatch umbrella. The waves gambol in a few feet away. A fairly determined sort of breeze comes in from the west. A chap could get used to this.
It sits in the middle of the 450 acres of mildly domesticated jungle that make up the backyard of Vijay Vilas the summer retreat of the former rulers of Mandvi. Seeing the tent resorts in touristy places you will decide that tents made better sense to start up with raters tan builtup structures which require lots of paperwork.
There is accommodation for 10 pairs of guests at the moment so it works out to a comfortable 200 metres of beach per couple at peak occupancy a ratio that I have only seen in one beach in Goa and one other nearer home. And no Im not telling you where either of them are. Since its an eightkilometer drive to Mandvi which in turn is many miles away from the rest of the world youre not going to get Anjuna levels of madding crowd any time soon.
The camp consists 10 tents in a clearing each sleeping two a sand dune and a line of scrub and tress separating them from the beach and protecting them from the worst of the weather. Each one is set on its own concrete plinth a little sitout in the front with a couple of dinky camelleather deck chairs. Te styling is reminiscent of royal expedition tents of yore: scalloped edges carved finials atop the tent poles awning over the entrance. One looks around automatically for men on horseback returning from the shikaar or from a battle.
A quibble: considering the vast acreage available theyre set rather too close to each other with the support ropes of neighbouring tents overlapping. Given canvas walls it might get noisy when the place is fully booked.
The tents are triplelayered a candy striped inner tent over that a thicker outer and over it all a waterproof roof. It keeps the rainout very well and the lack of natural ventilation is more than compensated for with a high power airconditioner.
Inside a coircarpeted floor twin beds bedside tables with a small storage space carved wood chairs and a writing table. The chairs are nicelooking; Lighting is a couple of lamps beside the beds. AT the back behind the flap is a largish titled walled bathroom its roof an extension of you tent. Electricity and water are on 24 hours.
Meals are delivered to your tent or you can amble over to the thatched roof restaurant that looks out on to the beach. The restaurant claims to serve India Continental and Chinese and local specialties.
Overall the place does itself a disservice with its branding: it calls itself a luxury beach camp which raises expectations way too much. It is no doubt very comfortable ACs and proper plumbing in the tent woohoo! and gives fair value for your money Dismiss the claim of luxury and take the place for what it is and you have a pretty unique getaway.
The service is excellentpolite attentive and eager to cater to personal preferences quick to acknowledge and compensate for shortcomings. And the location the location.
Item: A waiter making the long walk from the restaurant with a tray of tea and toast waving out to you as you wallow in the bloodwarm tide pool you have discovered waiting patiently for you to get back and get dry to offer to pour a cup for you. As along as the Mandvi Maharao and his family use their property as they have thus far their little slice of paradise is likely to stay pristine.
THE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Bhuj a title over 60km away is the nearest airport and railhead. There is at least one flight in and out every day mainly to Mumbai. Two trains connect with Mumbai and other parts of Gujarat. From Bhuj you can take a local bus roughly halfhour frequencies to Mandvi and ten take a taxi or a rickshaw to the Beach Camp. Or you cold haggle for a taxi fares are extortionate higher even that Goa so you could wind up paying as high as 50 for the trip. Other possible connecting points: Gandhidham 90km Rajkot 250 km: Ahmedabad 450km.
THE CAMP
The tariffs at the 10 tents currently available at the camp are 150 per night for two people with breakfast lunch and dinner. Packages are also available. The standard package which is for three days and two nights and includes all meals costs 120 from Monday to Thursday. On weekends public holidays and the Christmas/New Year week the rate goes up to 150 for a couple.
WHAT TO SEE amp; DO
The Places is open for guided tours during the day. You can also take walks or camel or horse rides on the beach or within the woodland around the camp effectively a private sanctuary with plenty of birdsflamingo in the right season partridge peacocks and if youre lucky nilgai chinkara and jackals
The management will make arrangements for you if you want to make day trips from the camp. The Lala Bustard Sanctuary is 74km north of the camp where you can see the Indian Bustard an endangered species and the rare Lesser Florican. You may also see gazelles foxes jackals wolves and of course a wealth of bird life.
For the devout the 72jijalaya Jain complex at Badreshwar the Jain temples at Naliya and Tera the Hindu sore temple of Kotshwar and Narayan Sarovar and the Lakpath Gurudwara are within striking distance. The BhujMandvi area is god for shopping for the exquisite Kutchi embroidered textiles and other handicrafts.
Mandvi is a big boatbuilding centre and on your way in you cross a creek where you can see massive wooden boats being built from the ground up.
WHEN TO GO
Gujarat gets some pretty extreme doses of the monsoon so while the place is breathtakingly beautiful and pleasant in the rains you could wind up stranded if transport succumbs to the weather. And though the water deepens very gradually the current is strong and the water the choppy and brown summer gets extreme too over 40C in the day peak season December to March When the westerner come in search of sunbathing. The water is calm and blue thenso management says and the photographs lve seen agreeand its cool. In fact nigh temperatures in December can go as low as 7C so take thick pajama.
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