Rarely do I come across a hotel/resort which has something for everyone while nestled in the lap of Mother Nature. One such resort is Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug which is the only classified 5 star resort in Raigad. While you enjoy contemporary comforts, you are still surrounded by the mighty Sahyadri Range. Spread over 16 acres of landscaped greens interspersed with water bodies and a sprinkling of Mango Trees, the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug exudes sheer opulence amidst a relaxed and elegant setting.
I stayed in the spacious and aesthetically designed Spa Villa. What I liked about the villa is its perfect blend of traditional elements and state of the art amenities. The Tulsi plant in the front of the villa, the open air area with water in a copper vessel and fresh frangipani flowers in the rooms are typical traditional elements. The villa comprises of a front lawn with a verandah, a living room whose highlight is an unusual high back sofa which makes viewing TV or reading a book or chilling out very cosy and comfortable, a cloak room, a wash room and a bedroom which opens out to another lawn with a verandah and bamboo hedge.
The resort includes 156 accommodation options including rooms, suites and villas. If you are ready to pay a premium, then I would recommend the premium pool accessible rooms which have direct access to the pool so you walk out from the room directly to the pool without bothering to change in any separate changing room and can head back to your room whenever you wish.
Feeling hungry, I headed to Aparanta which is the all day dining restaurant where they serve a lip smacking buffet covering Indian, Continental and Oriental cuisine. As I strolled around the resort, I saw the Dattatreya Temple, mini golf putting area, Escenza Spa spread over 20,000 sq. ft making it one of the largest spas in Asia, library, gym and a meditation centre aptly called Nirvana. The Olympic size swimming pool is one of the largest that you can find and is divided into infant, toddler and adults pool. The hammocks between the coconut trees near the pool had me curling in to one and catching up on my reading.
Wonder World is a boon for parents with kids aged 2-8 years as a caretaker looks after your children when you need ‘me’ time. A mini cricket pitch, badminton and basketball courts, a lawn tennis court, pool table, carom, table tennis, chess, foosball and air hockey take care of your sporty side. For conferences and meetings, the venues are Chancellor, Pinnacle, Oval Room and Zenith. Evenings are fabulous at Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug as you can choose from the Piano Bar and Lounge which has a live pianist singing old Hindi melodies, Karaoke and Razz Ma Tazz which is the only discotheque in Alibaug and is exclusively for in house guests.
If you crave some coastal cuisine then head to Kokum and Spice, a specialty dinner restaurant whose vegetarian and non vegetarian thalis are absolutely delectable. The resort makes for a magical destination wedding specially its Mango Deck. With reflection water bodies and mango trees, the deck is converted into a dreamy setting for pheras.
Local sightseeing includes beach hopping from Alibaug beach, Mandwa Beach, Versoli Beach, Nagaon Beach to Kashid Beach, visits to the Kanhoji Angre Samadhi, Native Biodiversity Garden, Kolaba Fort and the Alibaug Magnetic Observatory which has been recording geomagnetic data since 175 years and is one of its kind in the world to do so.
Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug
Gondhalpada, Alibaug
Maharashtra 402201
Phone- 91 2141 302 400
https://www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-alibaug
Khursheed Dinshaw
