What is the definition of luxury for you? My definition of luxury is sitting in the lap of nature, spending time under the sky full of stars blinking at me, relaxing on the beach and digging my toes in the soft sand and staring at the rough waves crashing on the shore, eating delicious homemade delicacies and breathing fresh air. Being able to travel solo is a luxury in itself, and I’m grateful for this life. Luxury once upon a time was more about expensive hotels and restaurants, now it is all about soaking in nature and exploring a certain town to my heart’s content. I love visiting such luxurious places that leave a lasting impact on me, Places abundantly blessed by nature, one such place is Malvan, a town that took my breath away.
Malvan is a breathtakingly beautiful coastal town in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. I first visited Malvan in 2014, It was love at first sight, ever since 2014 I started exploring Places in and around Malvan. Visiting Malvan became a yearly tradition for me just like I love visiting Goa.
The coast around Malvan is greenish-blue and extremely beautiful. Every time I visit this magical place, I fall for it even more. Malvan town is a fine brew of Nature, culture, food, kind Malvani people, and much more,
It is not just some random place, it’s my happy place, it’s my home away from home.
So, apart from its beautiful coastline, Malvan has a lot to offer, its heaven for a foodie like me, Konkan region is famous for its seafood so is Malvan town, you will not only get tempting seafood in this coastal beauty but also lip-smacking authentic Malvani vegetarian cuisine. shredded coconut is generously used in making curries in Konkan. Delicacies like sweet Bundi and sev laddoos, ginger khaja, kokum juice, deep-fried shredded jackfruit, missal pav, usal pav, Batata vada, solkadi and more. Cashew nuts are grown in abundance, and during the summer season, Malvan is a paradise for Alphonso mango lovers.
There are a ton of places to see in Malvan, I will write about them in my upcoming blogs, for now here are a few of my favourite, THINGS TO DO AND PLACES TO EXPLORE IN MALVAN:
CHIVLA BEACH:
This gem is less than a kilometer away from the main Malvan market. Chivla beach is one of the cleanest and peaceful beaches of Malvan, it’s quite a rocky beach, I enjoy watching colourful fishing boats on the beach. I strolled on the beach after having a scrumptious fish thali at noon, the beach was calm, serene, and just what I needed. I happily stared at the fluffy clouds, blue sea, and golden sand, I felt content and grateful. If you’re a nature lover like me, you will fall in love with every corner of Malvan.
ROCK GARDEN, MALVAN:
Rock garden is also known as the sunset point, it is one of the most beautiful location of Malvan, the sound of huge waves crashing on the rocks is the music I don’t mind listening to on loop till I die, every time I am at Malvan I make it a point to dedicate my evenings to bird watching and waves crashing at Rock Garden. (Watching Waves crashing on the shore is a thing, my kind of thing). If you plan to visit Malvan anytime soon, do visit Rock garden, just sit on the edge of the rocky surface and watch the waves crash on the rocks, and breathe in the salty air, I promise there is no feeling as peaceful as this. When you vist Malvan travel slow, breathe in the air of different places, stop for a while, be present in the moment inhale the bliss of this coastal marvel and exhale all your worries. The rock formation at rock garden is natural, and adjacent to it is a beautifully maintained garden, which also hosts a fountain show every evening at 7 pm, if you’re around a rock garden during the sunset do watch the fountain show.
Right outside the rock garden, you will find plenty of snacks, coconut water, Gola/ Ice cream stalls, don’t forget to indulge in some lip-smacking snacks guilt-free.
TRY MALVANI CUISINE:
If you’re a foodie like me, Malvan is the place for you. Everything tastes better here, maybe it’s the atmosphere, maybe the food is made with utmost love and care. (Maybe both). Hands down Malvan offers the best seafood, honestly speaking Malvan offers the best food, vegetarian, Non-vegetarian both,
Do ask for an extra glass of heavenly solkadi at the end of your meal.
Malvani food is made in coconut preparation, coconut is my absolute favourite. If you have been to Malvan do let me know your favourite seafood restaurant.
JAI GANESH TEMPLE:
Rock garden, Jai Ganesh temple, Chivla beach are almost on the same route. Visit the temple before you head to watch the sunset at a rock garden.
Jai Ganesh is a temple in Medha Malvan, the temple is built by Jayant Salgaonkar Ji a renowned astrologer and writer. The Ganesh idol is gold plated and is accompanied by the statues of Riddhi Siddhi, the temple has religious significance and stunning architecture. You must visit Jai Ganesh Temple on the occasion of Makar-Sankranti, during this time one can see the sun rays falling directly on the feet of the Ganesh Ji idol. The atmosphere at this temple is serene and peaceful.
TRY FALOODA AT RANE COLD DRINKS:
If you’re going to Malvan don’t forget to visit Rane cold drink house and indulge in some freshly made ice-cream, cocktail/Falooda (Falooda is a cold milky drink prepared with milk, flavored syrup, soaked sabja seeds (sweet basil seeds), boiled noodles(vermicelli), and ice cream scoop of your choice, Rane cold drink house provides a variety of Ice-cream flavors, Price is easy on the pocket and Taste is heavenly.
I’ve been visiting this place since 2017 and I’m head over heels for the mango falooda sold at Rane cooldrinks. I love the ambiance it is a brightly lit colorful ice-cream parlor.
Location: Rane cold drink house, Dhuriwada, Malvan.
For those who have been to Malvan don’t raise your eyebrows I know I missed the most important and historical part of Malvan, i.e., the Sindhudurg fort, also known as Malvan Killa, I don’t want to write about Sindhudurg fort in a single paragraph, I want to write an entire blog to describe the glory of this fort. I will write about it in my next blog. This is the first part of Malvan blog, I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoy exploring this gem of a place. If you have been to Malvan do let me know which is your favourite spot. Do tag thebrownwildflower in your Konkan posts on Instagram.
Leave a reply