Week end get away... Review on Alibag

There have already been two reviews about Alibag on MS. Still, I want to write this, as I feel they are good but inadequate.

Location

Alibag is located on the west coast of Maharashtra and is about 110 km from Mumbai, by road. However, it is only about 15 km. from Mumbai as the crow flies.

Connections

After recent development in and around Alibag (RCF at Thal, IPCL at Nagothane , Ispat at Vadkhal, Vikram Ispat at Salav, GAIL at Usar), it is well connected to all the major cities in Western Maharashtra by road. Regular buses are available from Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Pune, Sholapur, Kolhapur, Nashik, Ratnagiri etc.

However, the best way to reach Alibag is by sea.

Regular transport is available from Gate of India and Apollo Bunder during non-monsoon months.

It takes only 2-3 hours to reach Alibag and if you come by sea it is not tiring.

Weather and atmosphere

Alibag is surrounded by villages that are dotted with small hamlets. Coconut trees, sandy beaches, general greenery, pleasant weather through the year and most of all nice people.

What to see

There are number of beaches you can visit besides the one at Alibag. Few that I can name are Nagaon (8 km), Akshi (6 km, Varsoli(4 km), Sasavane (17 km), Mandva (18 km), Kashid (35 km), Murud (50 km)....

There are number of temples worth visiting too. Birla temple at Salav (18 km) being the best. There is a Kanakeshwar temple on the top of the hill that you can visit, if you can climb 1000 steps.There is a Ganapati temple at Nandgaon (40 km on th way to Murud) that is considered one of the major Ganapti temples. Datta temple at Chaul (on the hill, again and on teh way to Salav) is also good and give panoramic views of the surroundings.

Besides this, one must visit Karmarkar's statue collection at Awas (17 km). Karmarkar was a famous sculptor and the collection is really worth seeing.

Zanjira fort is 55km and Colaba fort at Alibag is also worth a visit. However, one visiting Colaba fort MUST strictly follow low tide and high tide times. There have been number of deaths due to drowning, around the place.

Food and Stay

There are large number of hotels in Alibag. However, those who are looking for change prefer to stay in cottages developed by local people in their wadis. (Wadi is a small area with palm trees, well and a small house)

If you like, there are number of places serving very tasty fish and mutton. I would recommend smaller places that big names, if you want real taste rather than atmosphere and interiors.

Especially for Mumbaikars, it is the best get away as one can just start on Friday evening, stay at Alibag for weekend and rejoin the duties on Monday mornings.

However, I would recommend those who visit Alibag should have their own transport, if one really wants to enjoy the visit.

Last but not the least it is worth visiting https://onesmartclick.com/alibag/alibag.html, before you plan a visit.