I’m Feeling Green - Your Getaway Guide

It’s a crisp Monday morning and the aroma of petrichor wakes me up as I head out of my door. 7 am, and a little too early for a morning after the first showers; the kind of weather that just makes you want to stay in bed, with a hot cup of freshly poured over coffee. But I’m not complaining. It’s been 7+ months since I’ve stepped out of Mumbai and this time I’m taking my first ever trip to see villas in Nashik.

And boy, was I pleasantly surprised at the gorgeous landscape that greeted me through my 2-day trip!

Suns Out, Masks Out!

Yes, I know the ‘new normal’ means we step out with the ‘new essentials’ – masks, sanitisers and the like, so the feeling of (safely) removing your mask, breathing in FRESH air and enjoying the touch of a cool breeze caress your face is like hitting a gold mine right now!

Is that you, Portugal?

A drive through Nashik is nothing short of that through California’s Napa Valley or the European Douro Valley. Rolling plains as far as the eye can see and young mountains that line the horizon. Bright greens and earthy browns that come alive against a vivid blue sky dotted with white clouds – It’s Microsoft’s classic wallpaper coming to life! If you’re looking for the best getaway from Mumbai or Ahmedabad, Nasik is like a breath of fresh air you didn’t know you needed.

And of course, how can we not talk about wine and Nashik in the same breath? You’ve probably heard of The Source at Sula, but let me tell you about the actual source of Sula. Just 2km off India’s most marketed winery sits SaffronStays Crimson Orchards. A 22-acre piece of land that grows a bulk of Sula’s wine grapes now has a cosy, Mediterranean-style 3-bedroom villa for rent in Nashik. You can take a tractor tour through the vineyard that grows Zinfandel and Sauvignon grapes that are used to produce the Sula Zinfandel and Sula Sauvignon Blanc. Think cycling through vines, candlelight dinners in the field and happy conversations under the stars! It’s the perfect villa in Nashik for small groups of girlfriends and close-knit families. I loved the deck that offers an unobstructed 360° view of the vineyard.

I’ll raise a toast to SaffronStays Rose by the Lake too, another warm 3-bedroom bungalow in Nashik. Sitting on the banks of Waldevi Lake, with each room facing the placid waters, mornings here are out of a storybook – warm meals, a nip in the air, and green as far as the eye can see.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Wonder

Expectations lead to disappointments, they say, but what if a home can exceed your expectations tenfold? The minute I stepped into SaffronStays Silver Spring, I knew the photos did not do the estate enough justice. I’ll paint a picture for you: You’re standing on the terrace of a bright yellow villa, a persistent breeze blowing through your hair and a slight drizzle that leaves tiny raindrops on your eyelashes, the earthy aroma fills your lungs and you smile at your near and dear ones. In front of you lies a clear blue lake, the overflow that feeds the Dungarwadi waterfall, and behind you stands the mighty Brahamagiri range, the tops of which are hidden by a dense cloud. To sell a villa for rent in Nasik, we’d add amenities like a pool and 3-bedrooms to our sales pitch, but these pale in comparison to the lush lawn where we had kadak chai, the freedom of playing an unashamedly bad game of football on the driveway and the to-and-fro drive that took us through a semi-forest. If you had to book the best bungalow in Nashik, it would be this stunning farm stay with a 22-acre mango orchard, hands down!

A Peaceful Escape

We’ve more than often positioned our private villas near Mumbai and Pune as quiet getaways from the city. And yet, you are hit with a strong reminder of why they are so when you visit homes like SaffronStays Zen and SaffronStays Serenity. These 2 neighbouring villas for rent in Igatpuri are the perfect break from your mundane city life… stone flooring that immediately freshens you up, a gorgeous lawn where you can catch up with your loved ones or work in peace, meals that are made just for you and according to your taste and preferences, and an unbeatable terrace that offers you a view of a lake, a mountain and plains all together!