Posted by A G Aranha | 2.1.2023
Located in the Arabian Sea near the Karwar Jetty in Karnataka, this island resort is like on a hilltop. It is a 15 minutes ride on the boat from Karwar Jetty to the island resort. A buggy will pick up the guests and their baggage and drive to the reception office. The steep climb through the buggy provides a panoramic view of the sea below and greenery around.
Me and my wife have been planning for some time to visit this island but on account of Covid situation, we had to postpone our trip. It was during Christmas time that we decided finally to visit the island resort.
As the airports were overloaded with seasonal traffic, we decided to travel by road from Pune to Karwar. Because the journey is long and it was a festival season, we decided to take a break at Hubballi and then proceed to Karwar on the next day. We started from Pune at 7.30am and had our lunch on the way at Hotel Sriram at Nipani and reached Hubballi at 5pm.
We had already reserved a room at President Hotel, Hubballi. We checked in at the Hotel and the experience of stay there was fantastic. The room was quite spacious and with all amenities. The food was awesome. The decoration on account of Christmas was an add on to the mood.
After spending the night at the President Hotel, we moved on to Kawar on the next day morning at 6am. It was a 4 hours drive. We reached Karwar at 10am and got into a boat after parking our car and settling the driver etc. at 11.30am. It takes 15 minutes by boat from the jetty to the island. On the way you can see the Devbagh beach on the right.
On reaching the island, a buggy was ready to pick us up along with our baggage. The buggy ride was quite pleasant. Once we reached the reception, the resort Manager Mr.Serafin, gave us a warm welcome and explained all the activities and rules and history of the resort. We were allotted the cabin named ‘Osprey’ after a bird. The resort has 15 cabins located on either side of the hill named similarly on birds. The outer area of the cabin is filled with trees and green grass.
The rear side view from the room gives a clear view of the sea below and the cabin is surrounded by trees all around. The atmosphere is so serene and calm, you feel relaxed and cool.
We had a young couple named Prashant and Rama from Bangaluru as neighbours. They were very enterprising and romantic.
The Nemo’s Deck restaurant is on the higher plane and below it is the infinity pool which has a clear view of the sea. Getting into the pool and watching the sea is quite an experience, more so during sunset. You get a clear view of the sunset from the pool. It is a photographer’s delight.
You can also watch the sunset from the small artificial beach created by the resort on the other side of the jetty. The beach area in the island is quite rocky on all sides except for a small stretch. But the view is awesome both for sunset and sunrise. This one island where you can watch both the sunset and sunrise. Both are mesmerising experiences not to be missed.
We could catch a glimpse of a dolphin diving in the sea from the beach area. The resort hosts high tea at this small sea shore in the evening. As the resort is located at the hilltop, the pathway is quite steep requiring a buggy for movement unless you are a strong walker.
For other activities, the resort offers water sports like Jetsky, Kayaking, speed boat ride, banana boat ride, dolphin ride, sunset ride and sunrise ride all priced. The resort also has a bar in the Jolly Rider’s Club and some indoor games.
I enjoyed fishing at the jetty in the morning hours. The attending staff also joined me in fishing instead of leaving me alone to do it. Half of the first day passed in getting into the resort and the remaining half, we used it to wander around and also watch the sunset in the evening.
The food at the resort is top class, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The Chef Mr.Purushottaman takes special interest in not only cooking the best dishes but attending to any special needs of the guests. We were offered by the Chef coconut based curry chicken as a special dish which was very tasty.
Food here is a gourmet's delight.
The staff at the resort is very hospitable right from the boat men to the buggy driver, to the Manager, to the housekeeping staff and the dining area staff.
I was wondering how this island resort is on the expensive side. It transpires that the island does not have electricity connection but works only on diesel. All the lights and Air conditioners work perfectly well on diesel. There was no power failure here like it sometimes happens in some other resorts using electricity.
I would rate this resort as the best for those who are looking for relaxation among nature. Those with groups will have their own activities to keep them busy other than the water sports. If you are a beach person, then you may be a little disappointed.
To sum up, this is a hilly resort with complete silence around. If you want peace and tranquillity, go for it.
Christmas celebrations at Hubballi
Enjoying the sunset
History of the resort
Sunset
