Weekend Trip to Diu

From : DNA
12 October 2014

The Foodie & The Fotographer – Kim & Brajesh explore Gujarat through their road trips

Let’s face it : Living in a Dry State like we do, the minute you say that you want to drive to Diu, most minds jump to the most obvious. But there is so much more to see and do in Diu, including just enjoying the sun and sand on one of its many beautiful beaches, bordered with Hoka Palms that were originally imported from Mozambique.

The drive to Diu from Ahmedabad is approximately 350km and takes around 6 hours. You can go via Dhanduka on SH 236 or via Bhavnagar.

We prefer the Bhavnagar route, because it also gives us the option to break journey at the beautiful Nilambagh Palace Hotel for lunch. Whether you eat in the formal dining room with its humongous Burma Teak table and Czechoslovakian chandeliers or at the serene Garden Restaurant, you will always remember this place. They serve Indian, Chinese and Continental cusine, but we heavily recommend their Indian food, especially the local style chicken curry and tandoori chicken with rotis.

If you are heading straight to Diu for lunch, our first recommendation is O’Coqueiro. (No relation to the infamous restaurant in Goa with the same name) It’s a simple space, with food cooked in the house behind and while service is sometimes slow, it is worth the wait. Try their Penne Calamari, Bavette con Gamberi, Caldo de Camarao or the Fish in Tomato Curry. They also have quite a range of vegetarian dishes that are good, but the seafood is outstanding - absolutely fresh and tasty.

After lunch, pay a quick visit to the St Thomas Church next door, which is now the Diu museum. It’s a 10-20 minute stop, but has some good antique statues and wooden carvings. Try the Sao Tome Retiro upstairs, for budget accommodation and great BBQ parties (for residents only)

Once it’s slightly cooler, head to the Diu Fort to work off some of those calories from lunch. Built by the Portuguese in the 1530’s, it is worth climbing its ramparts for the magnificent sea views and a glimpse of the Island Fort - Panikota Forte do Mar.

For dinner, head to Cat’s Eye View at The Resort Hoka / Hoka Island Villa. It’s a lovely chilled out Garden venue which also serves brilliant seafood – Indian and Continental. If you are not in the mood for a heavy dinner, choose from a wide range of snacks to go with your drinks – batter fried prawns or fried brinjals there’s something on offer for everyone and their breakfasts are great too. The rooms here are quite quirky, but comfortable.

Heranca Goesa is a great option for breakfast after a swim / dip at one of Diu’s many beaches – Nagoa, Jalandhar, Chakratirth or Ghoghla. Gangeshwar Mahadev is a Holy spot with 5 Shivlingas supposedly constructed by the Pandavas to worship Lord Shiva before eating. During high tide, the Shivlingas are constantly washed by the sea spray. St Paul’s Church is a functional Church that holds services on Sunday, but can be visited almost anytime.

If you want to do something more adventurous, head to the Naida Caves, that are extremely picturesque (they are the backdrop to Rani Mukherjee’s opening dance sequence in Aiyya) and great fun to scramble around. If you want to do some serious caving, carry a flashlight and always go with a companion.

Honour our brave sailors who died defending our country at the INS Khukhri Memorial. This is also a perfect spot for a sunset viewing.

If you are not particular about staying on Diu itself, the Hotel Magico Do Mar is an interesting option just before the bridge that crosses over into the island. The cottages are very cosy and they have a private beach too.

Entry to all places of interest on Diu (except the Shell Museum) are free. Timings vary, but are generally sunrise to sunset. The Fort has a functional prison, so the timings here are a bit stricter.

5 Accessories to carry on driving trips
• Sunglasses & Caps for all
• Sufficient supply of water
• Camera - not the phone variety
• Music
• Phone

Read the Entire Article on the DNA Website

Velavadar : The Black Buck Lodge & Velavadar Blackbuck National Park

One of the easiest drives for good wildlife sighting in Gujarat is to the Velavadar Black Buck National Park. Velavadar, is about 140km away from Ahmedabad and a leisurely drive, takes around 2.5 hours with random stops for photography or food.

You also have the option to visit Lothal and the Uthelia Palace en route, for a peek into some history, if you so choose.

The drive is very comfortable, roads are good and the only thing that you need to watch out for is - the actual turn off from the Highway towards Lothal / Velavadar that isn’t very clearly marked.

The Velavadar Blackbuck National Park is open from sunrise to sunset (except during the monsoons) If you want to make just a Day Trip, depart from Ahmedabad about 5:30-6:00am, reach the park, go in for a drive. Have lunch at the Black Buck Lodge, relax there until the sun loses a bit of its fieriness, go on another drive around the Park and then head back to Ahmedabad.

The only reason I suggest a day trip option is because : The Black Buck Lodge has just 14 independent cottages and is constantly at high demand. However, to truly enjoy the beauty of this place and relax, it is advisable to spend at least one night at the resort.

The 35sq km Velavadar Blackbuck National Park park has grasslands, shrub lands, saline plains and mud flats, which support a variety of grass, 95 species of flowering plants, 14 species of mammals (blackbuck, nilgai, Indian Grey Wolf, Striped Hyena, Indian Fox, Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat and smaller ones like hare, gerbil, field mice, mongoose and hedgehog), over 140 species of birds and many reptiles. The Alang and Paravalia Rivers, three artificial ponds, two check dams and nearby coastal marshes provide an ideal habitat for aquatic flora and fauna. From a conservation viewpoint, a unique feature of the park is that it is the only tropical grassland in India to be given the status of a national park. This used to be the private grasslands of the Maharaja of Bhavnagar before it was converted into a National Park.

Serious Birders head here for rare sightings of the Lesser Florican, endangered vultures, Demoiselle cranes and a variety of Raptors. The park also hosts the world’s largest harrier roost.

We visited during the monsoons when the main park is closed (mid-June to mid-Oct), but we saw lots of black buck and birds and even a jungle cat on a general drive around the outside of the national park. It is a single lane road and the road behind the Velavadar village has massive craters, so you need a vehicle with higher clearance (like one you could use inside the Park) to make this drive.

As long as you don't have any noisy families visiting at the same time as you, this is the most peaceful resort that you can visit in the State. The cottages are spaced out more like an African (think Kenya / South Africa / Tanzania Safari Resorts) Resort than a Kutchi / Gujarati one. It spreads across acres and acres, with no boundary wall in sight, just rolling swathes of green and blue. The chirping of birds is brilliant background music to this visual relaxation.

They have a fantastic in house library (small, but with plenty of books on wildlife and lots of different magazines if you prefer) at the reception and the sit out here overlooks a beautiful lake, that makes it the perfect spot to cosy up with a book or just sit and contemplate the glorious silence. (that is until a noisy family comes along loudly debating on whether to make their accompanying maids carry their own food or let them eat at the restaurant or some other such BP inducing topics)

The rooms at The Black Buck Lodge are beautiful, wide open and spacious. Each cottage has a little open shower area behind the bathroom that is walled, but open to the sky, we had a tree in our open shower area, that often had birds in it.

The bathtub / shower area inside the bathroom is brilliant. I hate having a shower inside the bathtub, because the tubs are normally curved and small and you keep struggling for balance, but at this resort, they are large and spacious, so it was perfect. (unless you have someone in your group that has a problem climbing up a high stair.)

There are beautiful sit outs all over the resort (including outside the cottage) that are perfect for settling in with a good book. The planters chairs are also ideal for taking a post lunch siesta (weather permitting)

I loved their themed accessories - the cutlery, the bed sheets, the lamps etc. Everything has been very tastefully put together without going over the top. We loved everything about this resort except for a couple of other guests who were obnoxious without even realising it (one maid inside the 20 seater dining room insisted that her 5 year old charge sing ring-a ring-a roses 45 times in a row and he proceeded to do so at the top of his little high pitched voice, a grandfather sat on a seat a foot away from the lake, plopped his just-learnt-to-crawl grandson on the ground and we were subjected to half an hour of "no's" at various volumes and pitches - Vin Diesel could have learned from this grandpa)

This is however my favourite resort in Gujarat and I hope we get a chance to go back and visit inside the park.

You have to take the all inclusive plan as there is no other place nearby to visit for lunch or dinner, unless you plan to visit Bhavnagar for the day. But the food at every buffet was very good (you just have to adjust salt and chillies to your taste - they are served on the side). The non-veg is excellent and quality is high. Since they cater to just the small number of in-house guests (and the occasional lunch crowd), food sometimes gets cold (if you go late etc) but the service is very helpful.

The buffet includes salads, a fairly large vegetarian spread, a non veg dish (chicken / mutton) and a dessert. We had some awesome mutton kurma, mutton Rogan Josh, kofta curries and guab jamuns. Definitely don't miss the amazing pista colored gur which is made in the village nearby. It’s worth waiting to arrive here for your meal.

However, if you feel peckish along the way, the most popular stop is the recently opened Gallops that serves better than average highway food (for Gujarat), although most of the options are deep fried. The complex has a restaurant upstairs, an eatery downstairs, a couple of outlets outside selling chikkis, paan, channachor and frenchfries. CCD and Havmor are due to open shortly.

The Gallops kitchen isn't very clean or inspiring, so we much prefer driving a little further to Pipali and eating at Darshan Hotel which serves the most awesome dhal we have ever eaten on Gujarat's Highway's. Just order that with some hot rotlas and whatever veg side dish that the servers recommend and you and just trust them blindly, you can’t go wrong.
 

Whether you head here just for a day’s outing or for a long weekend, enjoy the park responsibly, do not harm or frighten the wildlife, avoid loud obnoxious behaviour and respect Mother Nature.

Disclaimer : every story/rant mentioned here is completely true.

5 Point checklist before a long drive.
1. Fuel (The obvious full tank)
2. Air in tyres (including stepney)
3. Tool Box & Jack (you never know)
4. Papers - RC, PUC, Insurance, Licence (right side of the law)
5. Map Route - Paper or Virtual (while getting lost has its own charm)


A shorter version of this trip appeared in The DNA on 5 October 2014

You can read the shortened version here.

Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad

Courtyard by Marriott,
Ramdevnagar Crossroads,
Near S.G. Highway,
Ahmedabad 380015

Courtyard by Marriott in Ahmedabad is in the centre of the newer business location of Ahmedabad- Satellite.

When we first moved to Ahmedabad, this was where we stayed and we were very happy with our stay here. Comfortable beds, lovely staff.

The breakfast buffet at Momo cafe is huge and includes chaat and ice cream too. There is a smaller buffet that is set up upstairs in the business center, for people who are in town on work and in a hurry.

The Java+ Coffee shop has a lot of buzz around it right now, but honestly the food isn't worth it.

The lunch and dinner buffets at Momo Cafe are average, the food ordered a la carte is much better.

Shakahari - their vegetarian restaurant is excellent.

We have a lot of official functions here in their banquet rooms and they have always given us good service and good food.

You have to pay for wifi in the rooms.

Their in-house spa is run by O2. I haven't used it so I don't know how good or bad it is.

Rating : 4 / 5


Value : 4 / 5
Location : 5 / 5
Sleep Quality : 4 / 5
Rooms : 4 / 5
Cleanliness : 4 / 5
Service : 4 / 5

The Gateway Hotel, Athwa Lines, Surat

The Gateway Hotel
Ambika Niketan
Athwa Lines
Dumas Road
Surat

The Taj at Surat is a lovely hotel. Service and staff were extremely helpful, polite, attentive and co-operative.

When I requested a 4 am wake up call for my inlaws who had to catch the morning train to Bombay (we were driving back to Ahmedabad), they offered complimentary bed tea for them and told us that they could pack them a breakfast box that they could eat on the train. They volunteered this information themselves and had the tea and breakfast ready on time. Double Thumbsup for this attention to detail and prompt service.

We ate dinner at Flow and I think their Indian food (served as part of the buffet) was phenomenal. The buffet had a much better spread than most 5 stars in Ahmedabad. The Chicken curry and Goan fish curry were stand outs and the dessert selection was amazing.

The breakfast was not as great a spread though it was still quite subbstantial.

Room Tip: Try and get a river facing view, its beautifully calming

Rating : 4 / 5

Value : 4 / 5
Location : 4 / 5
Sleep Quality : 4 / 5
Rooms : 4 / 5
Cleanliness : 4 / 5
Service : 5 / 5

Darbargadh Palace - Morbi

Darbargadh Palace
Near Machhu river and Jhulta Pul (hanging bridge),
Morbi 363641,

We had a lovely trip to Morbi this weekend. We had the whole resort to ourselves, and it was an amazing experience.

I know some people have complained about the dust and cleanlines, but given that we went here during the monsoons, everything was washed clean.

Some visitors, have complained about general cleanliness and maintenance. But you have to remember that this is a 100+ year old palace. There will be construction issues. To see how much they have actually improved the rooms. Walk up to the 2nd floor and peep into some of the rooms that are still to be renovated and you will realise how far this property has come.

The service was excellent and I have hardly seen a cleaner kitchen.

The only recommendation I have for this place is to have brighter lights in the rooms (or at least one bright light per room) the yellow light is very atmospheric, but given that there is not much else to do in Morbi, I would visit the Darbargadh palace to relax and read or write or do other creative stuff and I would love to have brighter light for it.

The food is absolutely excellent and we had the most amazing shahi tukda, laal maas, pepper chicken, soups etc etc. The range of food is so large, that it was too much for us, so after the first meal, we insisted that they reduce the number of items served to us, because it was so difficult to manage portion control with such great food.

Room Tip : “There is no lift, so if you don't want to climb, opt for the Vijayba Mahal on the ground floor or maximum first floor, rather than Mayurdhwaj Mahal on the second floor.”

Rating : 4 / 5

Value : 4 / 5
Location : 4 / 5
Sleep Quality : 5 / 5
Rooms : 5 / 5
Cleanliness : 3 / 5
Service : 5 / 5

Jambughoda Palace - A Home For Nature Lovers

Jambughoda Palace - A Home For Nature Lovers
District Panchmahal,
Jambughoda 389390,
India

We spent the night here on our way back from Champaner towards Ahmedabad via Sankheda, thinking it would be a lovely place to rest in the midst of wildlife, greenery and a Royal setting to boot.

While this is the location of the Palace of the local king, the rooms available for rent are in what used to be a guest house. Rooms are extremely basic, with decent airconditioning. Cleanliness leaves a lot to be desired (I understand leaves and dust in a nature setting, I don't accept, weeks worth of peeled off paint on the floor)

Also, if you can't sleep in a room with creepie crawlies - spiders, lizards, etc etc, then this is definitely not the place for you.

The food here is excellent. Personally, I'd just stop here for a meal, rather than staying over and drive to Baroda or Ahmedabad for the night.

Rating : 3 / 5

Value : 4 / 5
Location :  3 / 5
Sleep Quality : 3 / 5
Rooms : 2 / 5
Cleanliness : 2 / 5
Service : 3 / 5