Lavasa: A Review

We travelled to Lavasa on the eve of Valentine’s Day this year. Considering, it was a Friday (followed by a weekend) we had anticipated it to be crowded. However, unexpectedly, it was not.

A metallic structure @ Promenade

I had read and heard a few good reviews about this place and had high expectations however I would say my trip to Lavasa was not very exciting. The place did not have much to offer except that it is a huge township amidst mountains.

Probably I was there during the wrong time of the year as many suggested monsoon is the good time to be there.

We had booked our 1 night stay at Hotel Mercure Lavasa, which was a little costlier option. The hotel was decent and I would cover about it in a separate review. 

Hotel Mercure

There is not much to do at Lavasa except walking along the waterfront promenade, the prime attraction, which is very well maintained and clean. It was about 10mins walk from our hotel, Mercure.

Pinky hai paise walonki...

Lavasa offers various options for dining at restaurants serving delicacies from different countries like American, Australian, Lebanese, Singaporean, Chinese along with Pizzas, Ice-creams and Indian street foods like Chats & Tikkas. Some of these are overpriced. It is recommended to have meals at the hotel; however, one can try these restaurants for one meal.

We had our dinner at American Diner, which was obviously a costly affair. The place had on offer, a 5 course dinner for a couple (Valentine’s eve) at a discounted price of Rs. 1000/- (we did not opt for it). The restaurant serves imported drinks. We tried a Vodka brand called Pinky (this is the first time, we heard about this brand). It was ok.

What one can do?

• Water sports activities offered a family boat ride (for 6-10 persons) (Rs. 200/person, even for kids above 1 year - which I thought was on a higher side). There were few other options like individual/twin pedal boats, Kayaking and Jet Skis.

Boating jetty

• Fun zone for kids had most video games in non-working condition. Can try bowling, pool table, car/bike racing.
• There is an option of adventure sports – X-thrill, which offers rock climbing, rappelling, valley crossing etc. We did not try this.
• There was also a mini golf, which looked not worth trying.
• One can also witness a musical fountain show in the evening at around 7 pm.

 Minuses

• There is lot of construction activity going on so expect some disturbance and dust     around.
• Some restaurants were closed or highly priced.
• There were not many options of entertainment and most games were not operational

Weather was the only plus, it was very pleasant and started getting colder towards the evening.

The place turned romantic by the evening when many couples, newly-weds arrived to enjoy the dusky mood, strolling around, clicking photos on the picturesque background.

Some metallic creation

My friend mentioned that the place also has independent villa’s – Ekaant, situated amidst the mountains, which offers a nice, never-ending view of the mountains and a panoramic view of complete Lavasa. (However, since we did not stay in these, cannot comment).

Probably, it will turn into a good holiday destination once the place is completely developed and ready.  Overall, it is a place worth staying for a night.