......Mandarmani is a tourist place in WestBengal. It lies in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal.
I heard a lot about this place and was bugging my hubby for a long to time to plan a trip.
Suddenly on a Thursday we decided to go to Mandarmani on the weekend .
But the biggest problem was commutation and hotel/resort booking. Every body suggested Rose Valley. But I was not looking for a luxurious resort. I was looking forward to a quite place away from hustle and bustle of the city.
I wanted to enjoy the sea, the waves, the wind.....
After spending some times on online reviews, we booked a room in The Golden Beach resort and train tickets to the nearest station i.e. Contai.
We packed a bag with essentials and reached Howrah station around 6 a.m on Saturday morning. It was drizzling.
Trains, trains, trains................
Trains have a way of enchanting me. I love the view from the window and the air on my face. The "Jhalmuri" (spicy puff rice) is my favourite. It took around 3 - 3.5 hrs to reach Contai.
After reaching Contai we inquired about the cabs but they were expensive (about Rs.600 -Rs.700) for Mandarmani. So, instead we took a tracker till the bus stand.
It was my first time on a tracker. My husband and myself sat at the back with our feet hanging and we had a plastic to cover our heads which the tracker driver provided (as it was drizzling) . It was a hatke(different) experience.
Then we took a bus (It was around Rs.15 each) to "Chaulkhola". This is the nearest town to Mandarmani. We were starving by the time we reached chaulkhola. And we were saved by awesome "Luchi Dal" from a local stall.
From Chalkhola we took another tracker to the resort (I will suggest take a cab from Chalkhola, the tracker took Rs.40 each and cab will take around Rs.200). By the time we reached it was already 12 pm.
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| The Golden Beach Resort |
When we reached the resort we met the owner outside. We inquired about the activities that can be done in Mandarmani . But the reply kind of subdued me. He said "there is nothing to do in Mandarmani"(I understood what he meant after spending the weekend there). But he promised that the food in the resort will be good. He also informed us that there are some water sports in Rose valley that we can avail by paying some amount.
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| The view from the cottage. |
The cottage we were given was good and the tea was awesome. We changed and went to the sea. The beach was nice and less crowded. I collected lot of sea shells :):):) .We enjoyed the sea, came back, changed and had food. We slept for hours. I guess water always have that affect on people. (Not to forget the food was lovely as promised.)
There were other people/family in the resort. One thing I liked about the place was that no one even cared what other was doing. Every one was having fun. In the evening we had tea under the blue sky. The wind was salty, the air was cold and the sea was swelling up. There was a inclined path from the resort to sea. We sat there and the water was almost half way there. We enjoyed the sound of the waves, the moonlight and how the moonlight played with the waves. It was mesmerizing.
We had dinner outside enjoying the view.
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| Enjoying the waves on the inclined path |
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| The sunlight playing with the waves. |
Early next morning, the sunlight was playing hide and seek with the waves.This time we sat on the inclined path and let the waves drench us. Believe me it was so so much fun that we dropped the idea of going for water rides and enjoyed the waves. By the time the water receded it was almost noon and it was time to go back.
While returning we took the bus to Howrah from Chaulkhola instead of train .
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| There is nothing to do here but relax |
Now, I understood what the owner meant by "there is nothing much to do here". He wanted to say that you can relax and enjoy the sea here. You can feel at home away from home.
And believe me I was sad when I had to leave the place and come back. It is a lovely place. Place where you can enjoy with friends, family or spouse. You can forget that you have a life which has job, responsibilities etc.
Enjoy the waves, the sound, the nature and come back refresh. :):):)
Hope you guys enjoy it too.
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| Awesome coconut water on beach |
Freebies :
- There are trackers on the beach which will give you a round on the beach (Paid service).
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| Other preferences :P |
- Photographers are available to capture your moments(Paid service).
- Rose valley is really good for those who want to have a luxurious vacation.
- And it is really convenient if you travel by your own car from Kolkata. It gives you a lot of flexibility and saves time.
- Coconut water is a must have. :)
- And other preferences :P
