Phaltan with Jakson Inns | Satara, Maharashtra | Weekend trip near Mumbai and Pune

Weekend trips are even more fun when you have had a hectic work week. My weekend at Jakson Inns, Phaltan gave a glimpse into the village life. Just a 5 hour drive from Mumbai, you shall find yourself in Phaltan, Satara district.

The drive to this place is pleasant; the roads are nice thus making sure you enjoy your drive. Jakson Inns is India's first LEED green platinum rated hotel, the service is fabulous, they have a pool and a spa to help you relax better.

We started off from Mumbai at around 9.30 am and reached the place at around 2pm. We were welcomed with a glass of fresh sugarcane juice, the check-in process was quick (I appreciate that) and we were in the room in 10 minutes flat.

The room service is quick as well, we called for some black coffee and it was in our room in a matter of minutes.

The rooms are clean, neat, spacious and comfortable. The bed is relaxing and comforting. They have also installed video cameras at the door so you can check who’s at the door – I like this added security feature. They offer free Wi-Fi and I must admit that the speed is really nice, not once in the entire trip did I miss internet.

The good folks at Jakson Inns offer various kinds of activities and also provide with you a list of places you can visit around Phaltan. They are kind enough to arrange those for you, do ask at the reception for the same.

I decided to visit the Windmills for a Picnic, visit the Phaltan Rajwada, Sugarcane farms and Nira river.

Day 1

After reaching the place at 2, we headed to the room for a quick nap. They offered us lunch but we had had McDonalds on the way and thus not hungry.  In the evening, we left for the windmills; they are around an hour’s drive away.

The drive takes you up a ghat and you are surrounded by pretty fields. You can see the windmills from far but the thrill of being right under one is totally different. Once you reach the spot, you are surrounded on all sides with hills, windmills and farms. We had a nice quiet little picnic here, watching the sunset over the horizon.

We returned back to the hotel and headed to our room. I had a foot spa scheduled while he decided to hit the gym. The spa offers Foot, Head and back massage, although they don’t have a full body massage, the foot massage was quite relaxing. The spa is managed by a visually impaired person but he does a fabulous job. The masseur got chatty during the massage and I was intrigued to know how he learnt the skill.

I paid a visit to the 24hour gym, they have all the necessary equipment and he spent almost 2 hours working out. I however, headed to the room to sink in the bed and watch television.

We headed to the restaurant for dinner; we had a Veg and Non veg starter platter and chicken Biryani.

Day 2

I woke up around 9.30am and after getting ready, went for breakfast at around 10.15am. They had a number of breakfast options at the buffet counter. I helped myself with some chicken sausages, watermelons, idli, eggs, chocolate donut and croissant. We also tried their Maharashtrian Breakfast tray which consists Misal Pav, Batata Vada and Pav Bhaji. Needless to say, all the things were yummy.

We then headed to the Phaltan Rajwada, the former home of the Royal Family of Phaltan. The first wife, Saibai, of 17th century emperor Shivaji was from Phaltan. The Phaltan Rajwada is Sai Bai's maternal home. This was named Mudhoji Manmohan Palace, who ruled the Phaltan State from 10th February 1860 to 17th October 1916. Mudhoji Manmohan Rajwada, an old palace in the city of Phaltan in Maharashtra, India, was once the maternal home of Sambhaji Maharaj, son of the founder of the Maratha Empire, who succeeded the realm after his father's death.

You need special permission to visit the place, Jakson Inns can arrange for a tour.

The place is stunning and takes you right back in history. The architecture is marvelous and would make you want to not leave the place. You can also go upstairs to the actually living and dining room along with a ton of other rooms and take a walk in history. They have maintained it and have kept it furnished so that it feels like it was just yesterday that this place was busy with Marathas.

If you are in Phaltan, a visit to this place is a must.

After the tour we headed back to the hotel, a quick lunch and it was time to relax in the room. In the evening we had a riverside tea session planned. We again made our way through the fields until we arrived at the banks of Nira River. There was a beautiful canopy arranged for us and some light snack along with tea.

Chai by the river

A post shared by Pooja Mahimkar (@poojamahimkar) on Nov 11, 2017 at 4:06am PST

You step in from that door to take a walk in history. This is the Phaltan Rajwada, former home of the royal family of Phaltan. The place is stunning, huge and had two temples in the premise. You do need prior permission to visit this place, so do keep that in mind if you are planning a visit.

A post shared by Pooja Mahimkar (@poojamahimkar) on Nov 14, 2017 at 2:04am PST

Something about these old door

A post shared by Pooja Mahimkar (@poojamahimkar) on Nov 15, 2017 at 4:24am PST

Phaltan Rajwada

A post shared by Pooja Mahimkar (@poojamahimkar) on Nov 15, 2017 at 7:28pm PST

A post shared by Pooja Mahimkar (@poojamahimkar) on Nov 17, 2017 at 10:14pm PST

I had enquired about sugarcanes; my driver said he would get one for me on our way back home. he suddenly stopped the car, got off and ran towards the field to get me one sugarcane. The experience was thrilling – I had just got fresh sugarcane right from the field.

We had planned to leave the same day, so after getting to the hotel we packed our bags and headed back home.

A 5 hour drive later I was back home with some amazing experiences to cherish.