The west coast of India covers the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The entire stretch is divided into three sections – the northern part of the coast which is the Konkan coast, the central stretch is the Kanara coast and the southern stretch which is called the Malabar coast. These plains are made coastal by the Arabian sea and are blessed with a tourism industry justifying their proximity to the sea. For these places, the sea provides food, shelter, job opportunities and revenue. A complete ecosystem flourishing due to the coastline.
The Konkan coast is the favorite coastal zone of the people of Maharashtra. From Daman to Vengurla, tourists from all over the world can be seen enjoying the beach lines of this coast. The historic forts, temples, waterfalls, lakes and landscapes are a major attraction generating revenue for the state and employment opportunities to the locals. Of course, double whammy for the tourists as they get to unwind at exotic locations and relish food that is trademark class; the immensely serene resorts facing the sea bringing the excitement back to your mundane lives.
The Konkan stretch in Maharashtra includes Ganpatipule, Alibaug, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Dapoli, Murud, Mahad, Roha, Chiplun, Shrivardhan, Thane, Harnai, Amboli, Malvan and of course Mumbai city.
My Konkan quest started with Kashid which is 30 kms from Alibaug and approximately 150 kms from Mumbai. It took us around 4.5 hours to reach the resort in Kashid and a rough road drive towards the last hour. However, there are two approach roads to Kashid – one via NH66 and other via Bengaluru- Mumbai Highway. NH 66 is the fastest route to this place. We had a pre – booking in one of the good resorts and were very comfortably placed once we set the baggage in our rooms. The long drive’s tiredness wore off with just the check in. A whole lot of goodness awaited us.
The coast at Alibaug connects you to a huge list of unique beaches. You will want to chart a differentiate between decide which one is good and which to skip. The entire coastal stretch is dotted with Kihim beach, Alibaugh beach, Nagaon beach, Revdanda beach, Korlai, Kashid, Nandgaon, Janjira – Murud beach.
Our stay at the resort made the Kashid beach near to us. It was a hop and a skip thing to the beach. The huge resort itself had manned golf course styled carts to take the patrons to and fro their rooms and the dining area towards the entry/exit gates. One could hire a lavish apartment or a villa to stay. The highlight of our stay was the food, an amazing spread helmed by excellent chefs. The resort had a huge conference room which could be hired for of course conference purposes. During our stay HDFC bank had hired this facility for the weekend. There was a DJ night and good food and drinks just flowed. It was a gala night and a refreshing change for us.
Our trip to the beach next day showed us that the 3 km shoreline was clean, safe and a perfect unwind zone. Mumbai madness was nowhere in sight at the beach and we enjoyed ourselves in oblivion. Kashid beach has some water sports which are handled by supervisors. We had a WOW time at the beach soaking in the sun, lounging on the cool sands and gazing at the pristine waters.
The first glimpse of the Konkan coast was just a drop in the ocean(sic)!!