We have been to Lonawala before,many times, infact every rainy season we try to be at Lonawala and experience the monsoon. Lonawala is God's gift to people living around and a reminder to always come back, if nearby.
In Monsoon, Shades of Green are the majority of colors you see in this area, followed by grey clouds, hazy surroundings.
Well, to our surprise and expectations, Lonawala is as beautiful throughout the year as it is in Monsoon, the only difference is you have to find the right spot. In addition to that, you see shades of all colors, that too very clearly!
With 3 hours from Mumbai, if travelling via own vehicle, Shillim at Lonawala sought to be the best place to escape, we narrowed down our place to stay at Hilton. We booked a Villa with private pool.
Hilton at Shillim is deep into Lonawala, a place so far up to the mountains that tests all your driving skills. We went through almost all types of roads-Expressway, noodles, non-Expressway, 4-lanes and even single lane to get to Shillim.
Hilton at Shillim will surprise you because it cannot be found visually unless you reach there and start exploring. The property itself sits in the lap of the mother nature as if it is part of nature itself.
Upon our arrival, we checked in directly into our Villa and rested the travel stress to accept the nature retreat. The villa had a bedroom, drawing room, a small dry pantry, the restroom and the bath area connected through a corridor with built in storages. The bath area has a visual connect to the private pool and forest. The back of the villa has a medium sized lawn with visual connect to the forest, which defines no boundaries.
The property is so huge that Hilton runs Tata Nanos (almost 20 of them) for transport connect from one place to another.
What followed next, changed us forever. The experience at this property is simply life changing. It reminded us the nature buzz which gets lost somewhere in the concrete and urban jungle we live in!
We simply enjoyed hearing to all the nature buzzes admist the sunset. A windy evening touched us, a coldplay list during late evening hours made us sing "A sky full of stars".
The Moon was as bright as the Sun and the stars followed around the Moon.
We slept with an early morning plan to visit the top of valley which had 360 degree view of the area.
We were up at 4.30 AM, the Moon at this time was looking stanbulous. We visited this spot, which we located while we were on the way to Hilton.
We witnessed the Sunrise and we just sat there till the Sun was all bright.
We enjoyed the rest of our stay exploring the property and spending time with the loved ones.
The overall trip is recommended for family time and nature's retreat.
Approximate cost- INR 15k per person in April, which varies throughout the year.
Best mode for travel- By own vehicle (to explore near by areas), 4-wheeler recommended.
