From chaotic trains to quiet beaches, kayaking rivers to sunset Maggi in the hills – here’s how we turned a packed 6-day route into the ultimate little-long-weekend escape across Maharashtra’s underrated gems.
Our itinerary?
Ahmedabad → Mumbai → Diveagar → Kolad → Lonavala → Mumbai → Ahmedabad
This wasn’t your typical pre-planned anniversary trip — we missed trains, skipped temples, got stranded in Mumbai at 1 AM, and couldn’t go rafting.
And yet, it was one of our most peaceful, wholesome, and adventure-packed getaways.
From the triangle-shaped luxury room in Diveagar, to kayaking through Kolad’s calm waters, to a quick-fire Lonavala sightseeing sprint with filter coffee and sunset Maggi, every stop gave us something to remember.
Add a late-night Mumbai mess, police help, and unexpected pav bhaji moments – and you’ve got the full chaos-and-calm package of this pure vegetarian, filter-coffee-fueled escape.
First Stop: Mumbai Mornings & Missed Connections
After our overnight train from Ahmedabad, we reached Mumbai early in the morning – tired, hungry, and craving something comforting.
Our first bite? Of course – Mumbai vada pav, piping hot and packed with flavor.
From Bandra Terminus, we aimed to catch a connecting train from Panvel to Mangaon, but missed it. So, we rerouted, took a cab to the bus stand, and hopped on a bus to reach Diveagar, our first destination.
Diveagar: Peace, Private Beaches & No Plans
After nearly half a day of travel, we finally arrived at Namaste Beach Resort in Diveagar around 3 – 4 PM.
Tired but excited, we spent the rest of the day exploring the beautiful triangle-shaped luxury room and taking some Instagram-worthy pictures right inside the resort.
Later, we walked to a restaurant near the bus stand where we had simple yet satisfying sol kadhi and rice.
With no fancy cafes in sight, no streetlights, and the entire town shutting down by 10 – 10:30 PM, we had an early dinner and called it a night.
The next morning, we brewed ourselves some black coffee and walked to a secluded beach just 1 km away.
Black sticky sand, green mountains on one side, cloudy skies, and crystal-clear water – and not a single soul in sight.
We spent a blissful two hours there, feeling like it was our own private beach, before heading back to the resort for breakfast.
Kolad: Kayaks, Cancelled Rafting & a Dhaba to Remember
From Diveagar, we headed straight to Kolad. While we originally planned to go white water rafting, we missed the only rafting slot at 7 AM – not because we were late in the day, but because it’s a once-a-day activity (when the dam opens in the morning, the river waves flow through), and we couldn’t make it in time.
Instead, we made the most of our time by doing some peaceful kayaking in the calm river waters – a relaxing detour from the original plan.
Lunch? A local dhaba that honestly stole the show: great food, generous portions, and totally pocket-friendly. An unexpected gem on our route.
Lonavala: Quick Tour, Filter Coffee & Sunset Maggi
Our next stop was Lonavala, where we had just one day – so we made it count.
We spent the night at a nice cozy wooden cottage style abode – Hill Forest Resort, which peaked its beauty in the late monsoons (we visited in the last week of August).
We hired a local taxi for about ₹1500 and did a compact 5-6 hour tour of all the major tourist points. Yes, it was quick, but the weather, views, and cozy vibe made up for it.
Somewhere in between, we stopped at Annapurna for a cup of South Indian filter coffee – warm, comforting, and just what we needed.
And then came one of our favorite moments: having Maggi at a sunset point, watching the sun slowly dip below the hills – masaledaar, simple, and perfect.
Midnight in Mumbai: Stranded, Scared & Mumbai Police to the Rescue
After catching the last train of the day from Lonavala to Mumbai, packed to the brim, we finally arrived in Mumbai around 1 AM.
Here’s where things took a turn.
We unknowingly ended up in a red-light area while searching for a budget stay. Hoping to escape the shady vibe, we hired a taxi to take us somewhere near Siddhivinayak Temple.
But instead, the driver misguided us to yet another red-light stretch, stopping to show us some truly sketchy hotels.
Fed up and uneasy, we got off the taxi and approached a nearby police patrol for help.
They calmly explained that it was indeed a red-light area and guided us to a more decent hotel: Hotel Balwas.
It was barely a box of a room, and although we only needed to stay from 3 AM to 10 AM, they weren’t ready to negotiate the price for the room and we didn’t have the energy to argue at that point of time.
Still, we were just grateful to have a place to crash.
And the words of the police officer stayed with us:
“Tension mat lo, Mumbai Police baithi hai aapki safety ke liye.”
It gave us just enough reassurance to breathe and finally sleep.
Final Morning in Mumbai: Pav Bhaji, Sea-Link Views & Two Much-Needed Coffees
The next morning, we made our way to Siddhivinayak Temple, but the queue was too long, so we gave it a pass.
We wandered off to a beach nearby, right outside Kirti college – calm, scenic, and with a stunning view of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
Before we knew it, we were rushing again – this time to catch our train back to Ahmedabad, not because we were late, in fact, we were about an hour early, only later to find out that the local train station and Indian Railways station with the same name are about 20 minutes away from each other, and then the twist came in – a railway station too huge and a platform too far off, but we still somehow managed to make it to our train just in time (so much so that the train departed the moment we got on our seats).
Totally drained, we wrapped up our chaotic but fulfilling trip the best way we knew how:
Two hot cups of coffee each on the train, letting it all sink in.
Would We Do It Again?
Absolutely.
Maybe not the exact same way. Maybe we’d catch the rafting slot this time.
But we wouldn’t trade the memories, missteps, and messy midnights for anything else.
This wasn’t a honeymoon-style anniversary getaway.
This was us – full of adrenaline, chaos, food, and lots of unplanned laughs.
Sure, for some it might sound hectic –
But for us?
It was the perfect blast of adventure.