Matheran (forest on top), credited as the discovery of General Hugh Poyntz Mallet, is a unique “no-cars” hill station, 108 kms from Mumbai, perched atop the Sahayadri ranges. The views of the surrounding hills, valleys and lakes are exceptional, providing breathtaking scenes for the eyes.
I didn’t know what to expect before I reached there. Another typical hill station maybe? But boy was I proved wrong! It’s brimming with British influences what with the beautiful old British-style preserved architecture and numerous Parsi bungalows scattered along almost every path. From reaching up by the toy train to its pollution free concept, it’s truly a marvel. The powers that be at the MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) decided to make it an ecologically sensitive zone by banning any vehicles from entering. Little wonder, it took a while for my shocked but pleased lungs to take in fresh air with every breath I took, instead of the pollution they are subjected to in the city!
A stroll in the meandering woods of Matheran will take you back to a completely different era. Just like at The Verandah in the Forest. From the minute you step in, you almost wonder if such hotels exist. And to think, it’s just 2 hours away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The service is exceptional but never overbearing. The hotel itself is a treat for the eyes with un-corrupt Victorian charm. Tucked away in the forest, all you can see are the tree tops around and hear only the sounds of the forest. The beautiful Lake Charlotte is a mere 5 minutes away as are a few of the famous viewpoints. Trek through the forest or just amble along the natural red mud paths, take a horse ride or just lounge in the Verandah. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll leave with a rejuvenated mind.
The food is finger licking I assure you. It’s in fact one of the high points of being at the Verandah in the Forest and the care takers take immense pride in their set menus prepared specially by trained cooks. The delight and satisfaction on the guests’ faces is something I’m certain, they are used to.
There’s much to learn while you are at the Verandah. From getting acquainted to nature, learning about the British culture and finding yourself in the silence, it’s an experience one must have at least once in their lifetime, if not more!
Stay
The rooms at Verandah in the Forest transport you back to the 19th century. Large and well laid-out with charming British touches in every nook and corner, each one of the 11 rooms in the house is elegantly furnished. Named after either a famous Parsi person of Matheran or an Indian freedom fighter, they are spread all over the house with 5 rooms on the upper verandah, 4 on the lower verandah, 1 near the Reception area and 1 near the generator room (Kapadia Suite). While this one specifically should be avoided due to the constant buzzing of the generator, the Elphinstone Luxury Suite is what you should go for (it’s the best room in the house)!
Each room has double four poster beds with some having an extra single bed as well. Really high ceilings with ornate fans make the rooms look exceptionally big. There’s no air conditioning but being in the midst of a forest, the temperatures are generally moderate, making it easy not to miss it. Pastel coloured drapes along with sheer whites flow down the tall, large windows. The view from every window is some part of the forest and sometimes, you may wake up to a family of monkeys munching away on some fruit or leaf right outside, on a tree nearby! A study table with beautiful lamps beckons you to sit down and write something, anything, on the lovely stationery. And the dark antique furniture, large wardrobes, bed side lamps only enhances the beauty of the room further. You sure feel like royalty lying on the delicious upholstery of the divan (day bed). The only difference was that I had a book in my hand instead of grapes! Paintings and photographs of probably eminent Parsi and British personalities grace the walls. The floors of every room have terracotta tiling, keeping it cool always.
Every room has a unique and more importantly, exceptionally clean bathroom with Neemrana or Bath & Body works toiletries. And if you end up loving these products, don’t fret; just walk over to the Reception where you’ll find a cabinet full for sale. The steel buckets and a ‘lotta’ (brass pot) instead of a mug bring out the ‘Indianness’ in you! The Neemrana attention to detail shows in the old style washroom fittings which have elegance written all over them.
Dine
The meals at Verandah in the Forest are literally an experience to look forward to! All of them wholesome, elaborate and delectable are a little steep, but worth every penny spent. Set menus are prepared for the week and made by cooks specialising in Parsi, Continental and Indian cuisine.
Breakfast is served on the verandah with freshly cut fruit (seasonal), juices, an array of home-made jams and marmalade, an Indian breakfast dish like poha (local Marathi-style flattened spicy rice), upma (a South Indian savoury), or paranthas (Indian fried wheat breads), or eggs to order and crisp toasts served at your table. Add to it a steaming cup of coffee or tea and it’s the perfect beginning to the day.
Lunch is usually Indian and again, served on the verandah. What makes it special is that it’s simple, tastes just like a lovely home cooked meal and leaves you asking for more. Unlike many places, where the non-vegetarian set menu is more elaborate than the vegetarian menu, lunch at the Verandah is lets say, well-balanced. There was dhansaak, masala aloo (curried potatoes), tinda (a local Indian vegetable that has no English name!), chicken curry, muttar paneer (cottage cheese and peas),dal (lentils in curry), rice, poppadoms, salad, pickles, vegetable yoghurt and hot rotis served to you even before you finish your first one. Dessert was fresh gulab jamuns (difficult once again to translate!) made by the cook and a wheat flour-sugar syrup and coconut based Parsi dish called ‘Khaja’. There’s only one thing you can do after a meal like that and that’s what I did. Took a snooze under the trees, on the hammock. Ahh, the life!
While the breakfast is filling and lunch, lip smacking, I can assure you, the meal that will leave you amazed is dinner. It’s when everyone staying at the hotel comes together, and bonds (if they choose to) over a lovely candle lit 4-course Continental meal in the dining room. Very fancy but so not ‘hotel like’. Let me just leave you with an example and a desire to taste it for yourself – celery soup with bread, onion pie and salad with garlic vinaigrette for the entrée, vegetable moussaka with chicken and mushroom in chicken and white wine sauce with fusilli pasta for the main course and apple crumble with home-made mango ice cream for the dessert. Top this up with some very interesting people and great conversation!
The best part about being at The Verandah in the Forest is that there’s no pressure to do anything! The sole aim of the hotel is to make you relax with no fancy entertainment facilities like a spa, pool, or television. But what it does have is a lot of board games to play, coffee table books on various interesting topics, many novels and magazines, Indian and Western classical music to soothe you, lots of nature to explore, silence to soak in, hammocks to laze in and tourist attractions around. Enough and more to keep you busy for as long as you are there.
Matheran is a walking, horse riders and trekker’s paradise. There are altogether 28 scenic viewpoints, 2 lakes, 2 parks, 4 major places of worship and a racecourse to visit and with no ‘opening’ or ‘closing’ time; you can see them at leisure. You could walk around for hours and if you are a nature lover, come across some interesting trees, birds and insects. Not to forget, the monkeys you’ll meet every 10 steps and I am not exaggerating! But before you decide to amble along the shady forest paths, get a map from the MTDC office at Dasturi Naka or any of the shops in the Bazaar area.
Scenic Viewpoints and Treks
Lake Charlotte, a must on every visitor’s itinerary and Matheran’s main source of water, is just a 5 minute walk from the hotel as are Lord Point and Celia Point (a.k.a Danger Point). Another 15 minutes in the opposite direction takes you to Echo Point and before you reach there, prepare to give the loudest yell you can muster up! If you’re an early riser, a visit to Panorama Point or Rambagh Point, both an hour away from the resort is a must-see to watch the much talked about sunrise. One can get a bird’s eye view of Neral town from Panorama and if you get the time right, also the toy train chugging upwards along the narrow mountain tracks. Louisa Point, to the west of the market, offers an undisturbed view of the ruins of Prabal Fort. Follow the southward footpath from the One Tree Hill Point and you’ll reach Shivaji’s Ladder, which descends into the Chauk Plains. The locals use this path to reach Matheran.
The days after monsoon are the best time to trek to and in Matheran. The slopes are green, there are numerous waterfalls along the way and the air is as fresh as fresh can be! Beginners should opt for the Neral-Matheran tar road trek while more seasoned trekkers can begin from Dhudhani which emerges at Porcupine Point.
Food
While nothing can undoubtedly compare to the meals at The Verandah, sampling the vegetarian meal at Gujarat Bhavan is recommended. Forbiryani (spiced pilaf) lovers, the chicken and mutton biryani at Shabbir’s near the market place is sought after.
Shop
The shopping is pretty disappointing except for the range of peanut candy and fudge, which are both sell-outs!
While the owners do not consciously promote the hotel as sustainable accommodation or have any structured responsible tourism policy, they do have some basic initiatives to reduce their environmental impact. But what is conspicuous and inspiring though, is the overall guiding philosophy of award-winning Neemrana Hotels which has restored, preserved and now manages Verandah in the Forest – using tourism as a tool in the preservation and restoration of historic and traditional architecture.
Environmental Responsibility:
For starters, there was no cement and concrete addition made to the original heritage structure, in the process, the forest around remained untouched (to the credit of the original owners and not the current!). The hotel uses solar energy for water heating and requests that guests do not throw away any of the initial cold water run-off they may have collected in the bucket. Instead, they take this water, and use it for watering the trees. They are also in the process of implementing gray water recycling and will begin it after the monsoons.
Matheran as a place does not permit vehicles inside so by using the alternatives on offer – horse, hand drawn carts or walking, the entire hill station is environment friendly and pollution free. The hotel too, by way of no choice then, calls for these horses or carts to take the guests from one place to another, if asked.
100% pure cotton linen and towels are used and the reuse policy is clearly communicated to the guests. The common room of the hotel has all the magazines, newspapers and books. Guests can feel free to sit and read as and when they please. There are no individual newspapers or magazines provided in the rooms.
While they tried growing organic food, it was of no use as the monkeys in the surrounding areas damaged plants and ate all the vegetable and fruit!
Social and Economic Responsibility:
While employing locally is not a practiced policy, because the hill station is cut off from any city and has many villages around, they are approached by many people to work for them. A few employees however, are from other parts of the country.
Being a relatively small set up, they don’t need many staff. The hotel has 2 women (from the surrounding villages) who do the laundry, all the market work and sweep the hotel premises. They have about 12-15 men for cooking, hotel maintenance and room service. We wish that there were women in more skilled roles though! There are no training systems as such in place. Every new member is trained and educated about the ways of the hotel by their senior employees and of course, the manager.
Basic groceries and vegetables are got from the local market but everything else is got from Pune, Lonavla and Mumbai. Since dinners are Continental, the supplies are called for from Karjat or Nasik as Matheran is not equipped with those supplies.
Cultural Responsibility:
To restore the hotel, experienced architects were brought in by the owners – Neemrana Hotels. For the minor work, some local and some artisans from the surrounding areas were used. Once a year, during the New Years eve celebrations, local dance performances are encouraged for the guests’ entertainment.
What’s Hot!
- All the meals are absolutely lip smacking! The 4-course dinner is the highlight, not only because it’s delicious but also for the setting and service.
- Devouring the tea and cookies sitting in the Machaan right in front of the bungalow.
- Sitting in the verandah with a book, soaking in the silence, listening to the sounds of the forest.
- The polite, unobtrusive and hospitable staff.
- The range of books to read, music to listen to and board games to play.
What’s Not!
- The reception area is a bit disappointing.
- Power fluctuations are constant and unfortunately unavoidable.
- No mobile phone network coverage (bliss for me, though!).
- A little spooky at night if you are travelling alone!
- Difficult to locate by yourself as there are no direction boards from the main Bazaar area to the hotel. So unless you bump into some locals on the way, you could get lost.
- Can be boring for children after the first hour of exploring the swings and hammocks as there is not much else to do.
- The main verandah is covered all around with plastic sheets during a heavy downpour or the monsoon season, restricting the experience it’s most famous for – sitting and relaxing in the verandah, looking out into the forest.
Ideal For Whom
Hiking enthusiasts, horse-riding amateurs and nature loverswould just love Matheran!
It’s ideal for romantic getaway weekends. Tucked away from the din of the city, surrounded by old world British charm, The Verandah in the Forest is any couples dream.
Small groups and families would love to relax, at the same time explore the surrounding areas of the resort.
If possible, leave the children at home or with your parents – there’s no form of entertainment for them at the hotel except for a few swings thrown in. You could end up with a bored and cranky child
When To Visit
Being at an elevation, the weather is great all year round! Temperatures range from 32°C to 15°C and on clear nights, the lights of Mumbai are allegedly visible.
Summers (May to March) could be a little hot to explore and trek with temperatures reaching about 32°C.
Monsoons (June to September) are magical if you enjoy the rains. Though very heavy showers could ruin your plans for the day.
Winters (December to February) are cool, nippy and delicious with temperatures falling to about 15°C on all the days.
October through March is extremely pleasant and peak season with tourists thronging the hill station. However, being tucked away from main Matheran, an experience at the Verandah at the Forest will never be a crowded one, irrespective of what’s going on in the main commercial areas.
How Many Days
Whether you go with your family, your friends or your loved one, 2 nights is perfect to spend at the Verandah in the Forest and Matheran.
Things To Bring
Matheran is full of loose, red laterite earth so make sure you don’t wear or carry any new or ‘fancy’ clothes and definitely nothing light coloured. You wouldn’t want to spend the next few days after your vacation worrying about them now, would you? If you don’t take the horse in Matheran, you walk, so make sure you take along a sturdy pair of shoes. A mosquito repellent, a book, an umbrella for the rains, a hat for sunny days and a camera are a must too.
Matheran lies in the Western Ghats, at a height of about 2,600 feet above sea level and a distance of 23km from Karjat. It’s the closest hill station to Mumbai and can be easily reached from Pune as well.
By Rail: Take a Karjat bound local train from CST (Victoria Terminus) in Mumbai; get off at Neral and either take a shared taxi or the toy train. The taxi drops you off at Dasturi Naka from where you walk, take the horse or a hand-pulled cart to the hotel. The toy train takes you till the main bazaar (market). The seats are limited so either book in advance through the website or reach at least half an hour before the scheduled departure. Though much longer than the shared taxi, it’s a lovely experience to go up by the toy train. The scenes on either side are just magnificent! Tip: The toy train services stop during the monsoons.
By Road: From Mumbai, take the old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH4) till Chauk via Panvel. Turn left and take the state highway to Neral via Chinchavli. Begin the climb to Matheran at Neral, till your reach the Dasturi Naka. Park and leave your car here to walk, take the horse or hand-pulled cart to the hotel.
By Air: The best bet is to take a flight to Mumbai and then take the road or the train from CST (Victoria Terminus) station.
If it weren’t for his best friend, Captain Barr would never have made Barr House (a.k.a. The Verandah in the Forest). Back in the days of the British Raj, General Mallet, known as the founder of Matheran decided to build a bungalow for himself here; Byke Bungalow which is now revamped into a regular hotel. He went back and praised the location to his best friend with so much enthusiasm that Captain Barr had to come and see it! It wasn’t long before he fell in love with the area and built his own bungalow in 1852. Today Barr House or The Verandah in the Forest is known as the 2nd oldest heritage house in Matheran.
When the Britishers left the country, Barr House found its new owner in Mr. Dubash, a Mumbai based Parsi businessman. For 25 odd years the bungalow just lay there, untouched. Till the present owners lay eyes on it and saw its true potential. Francis and Aman, the owners of the Neemrana chain of heritage hotels spent years restoring the property with the help of seasoned and experienced architects and ‘karigars’. They have tried their best to preserve as much of the house and furniture as they could, as is. In 2002, Barr House was inaugurated by the name of The Verandah in the Forest. A heritage hotel like no other in the area!
“The entrance is deliberately muted. Francis and Aman can be relied upon not to turn a gracious dowager into a flashy strumpet. No ostentatious gate intimidates the traveller, no excessively ornamented reception. You enter as a guest at a family house…the specialness of this latest property is that, bar the discreet presentation of the bill, you can’t really tell where a family getaway ends and a hotel begins.” Bachi Karkaria, Mumbai, Mid Day, July, 2003
“The Verandah in the Forest was built in 1852 and was the second house in Matheran. Now it’s just the best.”
Outlook Traveller, April, 2005
“Retire to your four-poster bed in the large, simple but tastefully-furnished rooms and sleep soundly…you may be woken by monkeys scrabbling over the rooftop at dawn.” Special Places to Stay, India, 1st Ed, Alastair Sawdays Publications
“A verandah with trees and a house with a soul.” Simone Tata.
“This is the most wondrous place I’ve ever stayed in…” Naseeruddin Shah
