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Rediff.com  » Getahead » Three great romantic getaways. Share yours!

Three great romantic getaways. Share yours!

Last updated on: February 4, 2010 17:58 IST


Photographs: euttaranchal.com

Valentine's Day (February 14) is a great excuse to take a break from the daily grind and spend some quality time with that special someone. And with V-Day falling on a Sunday this year, it's the perfect opportunity to skip town and head out. So we asked readers to send in their most romantic vacation spots that would make great V-Day getaways. Here are some of the responses we recieved:

First up is Anubhav Jain's suggestion:

Getaway: Lansdowne, Uttarakhand

Description: If there is heaven on Earth, it is here. Lansdowne offers majestic beauty, serene surroundings and lovely atmosphere, perfect for a couple to share their best moments with each other. It truly is one of the most romantic getaways for special occasions.

Sights: St Mary's Church and Tip-n-Top are two of the most reknowned tourist attractions. Though Lansdowne also boasts of a quiet lake where you can find swans and ducks swimming around.

Eats: There isn't much to offer as regards Lansdowne in terms of eateries. Almost all the hotels provide good food included in the package of your stay there. Though the ultimate fun is cooking your own food on a fireplace.

Shopping: Lansdowne has shops operated by the Garhwal Rifles from where you can buy cheap leather goods and other winter accessories like bags and boots.

How to get there: Lansdowne is about 250 km from Delhi. It is roughly a six-hour drive. The highway till Kotdwar is good. After that, for the last 40 km, the hilly terrain is really enjoyable with pines and cedars on both sides of the road.

Accommodation: Retreat Anand Jungle Resort

Tariff: Rs 1,500-2,000 per night

My favourite destination: Neemrana

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Amid mountain mists


Photographs: Photograph: Rakesh Ayilliath / Wiki / Creative Commons

Next, Raj (26), shares his romantic destination:

Getaway: Amboli, Maharastra

Description: A great weekend destionation worth visting.

Sights: If you like silence, if you like nature, Amboli is for you. The best thing about this place is that unlike other hill stations, this one is not yet commercialised, hence Amboli offers you natural beauty. Amboli is highly recommended if you like to spend some time in peace and would like to relax in nature. Amboli has not much to offer in terms of entertainment, but it's a real paradise for nature lovers. Some facts about Amboli: receives the highest rainfall in Maharastra; has the largest green cover; is home to around 30 species of animals, around 129 species of birds and over 350 species of medicinal plants; is a great location for adventure tourism; has cool and pleasant pollutuion-free climate round the year.

Eats: Vegetarian food at Vithal Kamat. We were there for lunch and the only option available was Veg Thali. We asked for some other options but they had none so we had to go for the thali. They charge around Rs 35 per thali. The food was simple and good with great dessert. It is on the main road, near Sunset Point.

Green Valley Resort: This resort has an in-house restaurant. The menu offers a wide choice of veg and non-veg food(including Chinese). This restaurant has no bar. Though I tried only the veg food here, I am sure they serve good non-veg food also. Prices seemed to be on the higher side. Service was good.

Hotel JRD International among others has a bar. I have no idea about the food quality. The small Amboli market has many restaurants where you can find good veg and non-veg food (fish specially). Try out Narvekar's Mess (it is a very small dhaba ahead of the police chowki) or Balakrishna (opposite Narvekar) for their famous Fish Thali or Mutton Thali. They serve authentic Malvani food. Charges are around Rs 50 per thali.

Shopping: The small Amboli market has nothing much to offer except for some local masalas at Narvekar (opposite Sailee Hotel).

Sights: If you are not travelling by your own vehicle, you can hire an auto (Rs 400) or a taxi (Rs 700). It takes around 4- 41/2 hours to cover the 5-6 spots. The siteseeing locations are Hiranyakeshi Temple (a small temple where the river Hiranyakeshi originates, a beautiful location but the approach road to the location is pathetic, it is around 4 km from the Green Valley Resort); Kavalesaad Point (beautiful location with awesome views; if fogs allow, you can see the beauty of the Sahyadri range from this location; it is around 9 km form the Green Valley Resort on the highway towards Belgaum; here too the approach road is quite bad); other locations to be covered are Madhav Ghad, Raghaweshwar (Maruti Mandir) and Nagarthas Falls. The last one is the waterfall ahead of Sunset Point. Make sure you are ready to get yourself totally drenched in this beautiful waterfall. It is located 3 km away, at the Sawantwadi-Belgaum road. Thirty minutes in this fall will make you feel awesome. Have a cutting chai with some hot pakoras while you are wet, I bet you will love it.

How to get there: We went to Belgaum by an overnight bus from Mumbai. The distance between Mumbai to Belgaum is about 500 km which is covered in seven hours by Volvo and around 12-13 hours by ordinary buses. There are many options available from Mumbai to Belgaum. This includes Volvo buses from VRL, KSRTC etc (fare around Rs 650- 750). Non AC regular buses from VRL, Munjawar, NWKRTC, MSRTC etc (about Rs 350- 400).

From Belgaum, Amboli is about 68 km which is covered in two hours. You can either take the NWKRTC or the MSRTC bus heading towards Sawantwadi at the main bus station. Fare is about Rs 45.

Please make sure to make advance reservations if going on a weekend.

Accommodation: We (my wife and I) happened to visit Amboli over a weekend and had booked a non-AC cottage with MTDC Green Valley resort which is off the Sawantwadi-Belgaum road (opposite the police station, off the main road). This is the best property in Amboli surrounded by woods. There are many other options available like Whistling Woods (this is also very near the MTDC resort and seemed a small but a good option), JRD International (on the main road), Hotel Shiv Malhar (opposite the police station), Sailee Lodge (main road). I had made my booking through MakeMyTrip.com, check-in and check-out were not a problem.

The rooms are good but the best part is its location and the food. They have got a simple in-house restaurant which serves good food and excellent service. This property has a big garden surrounding the resort with cottages at the top of the property. You can just walk here with the fog all around you and this will give you a heavenly experience.

Tariff: Rs 700

My favourite destination: Goa

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Tucked away in peaceful hills


Photographs: writershill.com

Here 26-year-old Neeraj Nariyani shares his suggestion:

Getaway: Writers Hill, Himachal Pradesh

Description: Romantic and peaceful

Sights: Renuka lake, zoo, campfire

Shopping: Local antiques, small carvings

Activities: Visit to Renuka Lake and Zoo, picnic by the river, fishing, trek to Churdhar.

How to get there: Writers Hill is 220 km from Delhi. Take a right turn from Ambala flyover and go upto Nahan. Writers Hill is 20 km drive from Nahan.

Accommodation: There are three cottages with a central kitchen. Two of the cottages have a study attached and each of the cottage looks into the Jalal river valley. The mountain in front gives you a breathtaking view. With all the cottages having bay windows, it's an unrestricted view.

The cottages are large, airy and offer a simple yet very comfortable stay.

Each study has a collection of books both fiction and non-fiction and in the days to come the collection will only increase and improve.

Tariff: Rs 3,200 per couple including three meals.

To share your favourite holiday destinations, click here!