Botanical Masterpieces at Japanese Tea Garden California USA

Anywhere around the world, enter a garden and you will automatically slacken your pace from the frantic one that you maintain during your routine schedule. You slow down to a leisurely stroll, and you feel at one with nature, stopping here and there to appreciate nature's masterpieces. This is prominently so at the mesmerizing Japanese Tea Garden in California, USA.

Visit to Semmozhi Poonga Garden Chennai 2023

Semmozhi Poonga, Chennai is a lovely green landscape where you can spend quite a while just relaxing. There are benches here and there and you can even sit on the soft grass. However, you can't bring along a basket of goodies and have a picnic the good old-fashioned way. Just wander around and breathe in clean air. You can take your kids along to enjoy the playground equipment. 

It is a good idea to check local newspapers for events scheduled here, such as a flower show that we missed out on but were there when a food fest was ongoing.

A home near the hills - Amreena Farmhouse Avalas Karjat review 2023

Amreena Farmhouse

A picture-postcard house in the shadow of Songiri Gad (fort) hills with a garden out front, somebody to cook piping hot food (all meals), somebody to do the house chores of sweeping, swabbing, and washing the dishes, somebody to tend to the sun-dappled garden – sheer bliss! 

Amreena Farmhouse, Karjat is a gem of a place in more ways than one. It is located in the rural area of Avalas in Karjat Taluka, District Raigarh, Maharashtra. Follow this helpful photo guide. It is isolated in the sense that it is some distance from the main town of Karjat, but in no way is it some secluded place, though. There are homes adjoining it and helpful locals to provide directions to wherever you are heading from there. The house itself is not only pretty and charming with its joyous colours that give happy vibes, but is a well-designed one with useful features. Enjoy some unique activities too! This review is after a stay in December 2022.

Zeenath Taj Gardens Yelagiri review 2022

Yelagiri is a scenic hill station in Tamil Nadu and attracts a lot of people who are seeking a short break from routine. Its location within driving distance from the metros of Chennai and Bengaluru is advantageous. Having visited before, a group of my relatives headed there recently and stayed at Zeenath Taj Gardens. Yes, it is a quiet and cool resort located within a short distance of most tourist spots, including the lake, and on the face of it is pretty, but...

Nature at its best at Gulmohar Homestay Nashik

At first glance, you may think Gulmohar Homestay, Nashik has the usual bunch of trees, plants and shrubs. In fact, this is the generalized statement in many of the online reviews. The real fact is that it is not just the "usual" greenery of nature out here. While staying here, other than enjoying the delicious food, walk around the premises and take a closer look. 

It is nature at it's unique best, with beautiful and well-maintained plants, whether flowering or plain. The entire place has its own pretty charm and is a photographer's delight!

Gulmohar Homestay - overeview with accommodation rates and contact info

A charming home, unpolluted air in the midst of greenery, good food - what more do you

need on a vacation at a homestay?! The figurine in the first image below aptly sums up our stay at Gulmohar Homestay, Nashik. It fulfilled our expectations of having a relaxed weekend, doing absolutely nothing and thoroughly enjoying it!  

A plus point was having homemade food cooked exactly to the T as per our request. The place was homely, with lovely decor and furnishings in the main house and in our rooms as well, located in the midst of nature. All in all, we had a nice time with caring, friendly hosts Kamala and Vinod Parekh.

Beauty of nature at Dhathri resort Kerala

There is plenty of jaw-dropping beauty to see at Dhathri Ayurkendra & Panchakarma Centre's resort, Kayamkulam, Kerala. Views from the cottage room as well as outside are simply breathtaking.

Flowers of varied hues, orchard trees, the sun & the lake's waters playing hide and seek and even dried leaves of amazing colours! 


Have a look at the photos below and see nature at its finest.

Dhathri Ayurkendra & Panchakarma Centre Kayamkulam Kerala review

Dhathri Ayurkendra & Panchakarma Centre, located at Kayamkulam, Kerala, is a great place for those looking for not just a quiet vacation, but also to get expert treatment for the everyday ills that plague our contemporary lives. 

At their resort, just let go - simply relax and do nothing other than feast on the yummiest food you've ever had, get pummeled (gently of course!) with expert massages and give yourself up totally to the Ayurved treatment customized for you as per your ailments. 

This is a first-hand review based on the details given by my cousin and her husband who stayed for 10 days at their resort. 

General tips for visitors to Annapoorna Farm Karjat

Based on our 3 nights/4 days stay at Annapoorna Farm, Karjat, Maharashtra, here are some useful tips.

Arriving at Annapoorna Farm Karjat

After a seemingly endless auto ride from Karjat railway station, we finally arrived at Annapoorna Farm. 

We were greeted with a smile by Mrs. Smita Kalamkar (more of this lady’s extraordinary hospitality in the other blog post on the food arrangements) who asked us if we would like to have breakfast (upma). Since it was a little past 11.30a.m. already, we decided we would just have tea and have lunch directly which she said would be available after 12.30noon. 

Annapoorna Farm Stay Karjat review March 2016

The initial annoying arrival notwithstanding, we had a truly marvellous time at Annapoorna Farm, Karjat. Totally digital free too - no WiFi, no TV, not even a newspaper! Just clean air, lots of blooming flowers and a marvellous time with the family bonding over TT, swimming & swinging. Absolutely the best aspect was undoubtedly the food. Read: Dining at Annapoorna Farm.

Visiting Bordi Beach

During our stay at Save Farm, Gholvad we decided to visit Bordi beach which was just 10 minutes away by auto. We had called up the auto drive a day ahead and, on the cautious advice given by the office staff, decided to venture out & return to the farm by 6p.m. We realized why that cautious advice was given to us when we reached Bordi beach.

Service at Save Farm

The service & hospitality at Save Farm is something which others in the hospitality industry should learn. Having staff with morose faces and looking like as though they are doing a huge favour to the guests is one thing which can put you off. We were glad not to experience this even once at Save Farm.

Traveller tips for visiting Save Farm Nursery Gholwad

Here are some useful tips based on my experience of visiting Save Farm, Gholwad. The main tip is that there are fixed meal timings & if you are late, you will not enjoy the food cold, especially the thalipeeth which should be eaten piping hot.

Save Farm Gholwad review 2015: investing in a second home

At the end of our 4 night stay at Save Farm, Gholwad, my aunt summed it up beautifully when she said that instead of spending big bucks on a second home as a vacation home, far better would be to spend on a regular visit a couple of times in a year to Save Farm! It is such a charming, lovely agricultural retreat that it is indeed as good as staying at one’s own vacation home in the midst of nature somewhere in rural India.

Saguna Baug Neral review 2015

We were a bit apprehensive of the cleanliness & hygienic standards of Saguna Baug, having read quite a few scathing reviews on the Net. Let me assure you here that it is 100% clean and hygienic. All over the premises are large circular dustbins and visitors & staff do use them. A round is made by two staff members who collect the trash from each and every dustbin. We were informed that the trash is not dumped anywhere but is taken to a compost spot.

Why you should stay and not just visit Saguna Baug Neral

We had heard and read that Saguna Baug is a good place for a one day picnic. Let me correct that: it is a great place to not only just spend one day, but I would strongly advise you to stay there for at least 2 nights to truly enjoy the spectacular elements of nature. My aunt summed it up beautifully, saying that you can enjoy all the elements of nature in one place, namely Sky, Earth, Air (Wind), Water and Fire.