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Travel Guide to Hill City Lavasa near Pune

by: Piyanka

India’s first planned hill city, Lavasa has been designed on the principles of new urbanism. Located behind the Dam of Varasgaon, near Pune and Mumbai, Lavasa is situated on the banks of Baji Pasalkar. From Pune it is located about 65km away and 180 km from Mumbai. 5 routes lead to Lavasa from these regions. The place is a tourist’s hotspot because of the lush green and valley that surrounds the region. The location of the place makes it preferable for many adventure sports including mountain climbing, hiking and trekking. Lakeshore is one of the major attraction here as it offers stupendous adventure opportunities like boating against the strong currents of the lake, cruises and jet skiing.
Lavasa is set on the seven hills of Maharashtra in the Mose valley. It’s a planned city and built as per the principles of ecological sustainable environment and urbanization.

How to reach:
There are five access routes to Lavasa, one of which is fully enhanced and developed. This is the Chandni Chowk- Pune road to Lavasa which offers a pleasurable drive, just like the one you will experience on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. This road makes Lavasa approximately an hour's drive from Pune (around 65 kms), and almost three and a half hours away from Mumbai (around 200 kms).
Nearest Airports:

Chhtarapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai - 215 kms

New Airport coming up at Panvel - 145 kms

Lohagaon Airport, Pune (Domestic) - 72 kms

Proposed Chakan Airport, Pune (International) - 96 kms

Image credit: http://hotels.samsantravels.com/places/lavasa/images/lavasamap.gif

Best time to visit: Lavasa in monsoons
Lavasa remain pleasant throughout the year. The best time to visit Lavasa is during the monsoon season because heavy showers allow the exploration of natural wildlife and waterfalls located in the region. Climate becomes refreshing and the entire landscape wears a scrubbed look with astonishing waterfalls at every corner. This makes a perfect setting for a monsoon family excursion. Lavasa has announced exciting monsoon special offers which are available from July to August, for revelers who would like to savor monsoon in the unique Lavasa way.

Image credit: http://therotundaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/lavasa2.png

Activites in Lavasa
Nestled in the misty valley, the setting is apt for every conceivable sport from yoga to boating. You will get lot of adventure opportunities including trekking, rappelling, climbing, boating and many others. Apart from this you can surely engage in nature trailing.

Image credit: http://www.lavasa.com/high/images/img-5.jpg

Water sports activities
You can really have a blast in the water with the numerous water sports opportunities available in Lavasa. Enjoy here an international watersports experience, with activities like pontoons, bumper boats, jet skiing, water volleyball and pedal boats. Relax by the pool or dive right in. Lakeshore, a fully equipped, state-of-the-art, water sports facility is located on the rolling banks of the Dasve Lake. It has set a new standard of water sports in the country and truly gives you an international level experience. Lakeshore offers a cutting-edge jetty, Personal jet skis, Bumper boats, & Luxury cruise boats.

Image credit: http://www.hotelsinlavasa.com/images/water-sports.jpg

Restaurants and cafes:
Some of the renowned restaurants are the following:

The Waterfront Shaw

The Dasvino Town and Country Club (spaciality restaurant)

Granma's Homemade Patisserie

American Diner

Tabakh(Lebanese)

Oriental Octopus (South East Asian)

Past Times (English pub)

Chor Bizarre

Vyanjan at the Ekaant,

The Zodiac Grill

Granma's Bakery

Natural Ice Cream

Baskin Robbins

You can also grab a delicious sandwich at Subway and some pizza at Pizzavala.

Image credit: http://www.hotelsinlavasa.com/images/restaurants.jpg

Hotels in Lavasa

Ekaant

Bona Sera Hotels

DoubleTree Hilton

SOL Hospitality Ltd.

Mercure

Pullman's Hotels and Resorts

Novotel

Neo Spark

Xthrill

Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa

Image credit: http://www.letsbookhotel.com/img/max300/248/2487096.jpg

Clubs in Lavasa
You can enjoy membership to exclusive clubs with unmatched facilities in Lavasa. With a host of international amenities, they can perfectly complement your daily life at this Hill City.