Mahabaleshwar: Hotel Valley View Review

During our recent trip to Mahabaleshwar, we stayed at the Valley View hotel. It was recommended by Ritesh, one of my tennis partners. He had stayed their in his previous trips to Mahabaleshwar. He made the booking on phone.

Once we reached Mahabaleshwar, everyone hit the pool. The best thing about the pool here is that it is indoor and temperature controlled. So, there was no worry of cold water and anybody catching cold. All the kids enjoyed a lot swimming in the warm water. The elders played a small game of water polo. At the end, we just spent time sitting in the warm water of the pool, chatting and having fun.

The next best thing about the hotel is its food. We had the unch first after swimming. The food is typical Gujarati and Marwari fare. There was lots of variety in terms of sweets, vegetables, etc. We had special Jain vegetables made for us. All the items were delicious. The waiters were courteous and overall service was prompt. The chinese dinner too was lip-smacking. The best was left at the end. The pineapple souffle was too good. Deepal asked for the recipe and made it for me in two days at home :).

There are some indoor games like carrom, table tennis, board games at the top floor of the hotel. There is also a pool table and a few video games at the ground floor. The condition of all these was great unlike at some other places where such facilities are not maintained well. The valley view from the top floor is nice. And when the clouds surrond the hotel, it is a great feeling.

We stayed in a non-AC room as the weather was pleasantly cold outside. The rooms were clean and well maintained. The room was big enough for a family of four to accomodate easily. Apart from the big anouhg bed, there is also a sofa-cum-bed which is very convinient. During the day it serves as sofa and at night as bed for the kids. So, there is no need to ask for an extra bed. The room service too was good and prompt. There is another section of the hotel which houses AC rooms. This section has been created exceptionally well. All the rooms are valley facing and this is the picture of the hotel you see on their website. The interior of this side of the hotel is done very well.

The not so good part of the hotel is its location. It is located near what looks like slums. I have no idea about how this came about to be, whether the slums first or the hotel. But, this could be turn off for some people. Once you enter the hotel, though, there is no indication of the slums around. As mentioned earlier, the interiors are exceptional and the feeling once inside it that of some 3 or 4 star hotel. The hotel is also some 10-15 mins walk from the main market and the bus stand.

Overall it is a great place to stay with its great food, great service, great interiors and the cool indoor swimming pool.

Click here for the map of the hotel.

© Paras Doshi, 2009.