Its a dream come true. I suddenly begin to feel lucky that such a beautiful place exists hardly a 3-hr drive from bombay. You can get there by a toy sort of train from nerul which will take you directly to matheran station or you could get there by car, but cars have are not allowed to travel after a certain point. you will be dropped 3 kms away from most hotels. This is the only hill station in Asia where only pedestrian traffic is allowed which surely has made this place a quiet, pollution-free getaway from city life. From there, one can opt to go trekking and have some excercise with a porter carrying your luggage for Rs. 80. or you can go on horseback and explore a whole new world of relaxed horse riding or there there is some kind of a palanquin which will take you up.
There are numerous hotels with varied facilities and rates. We had halted at Brightland Resorts which has nearly 7 acres of land. They have a swimming pool, jacuzzi, badminton court, table tennis, gym, children’s park, disco etc. Here you can pot for rooms or cottages. The cottages have a single starirway going to the upstair room. This place is just about the right distance from the market for some peace but not situated in an inner area. Food is buffet type and was excellent. The evenings are filled with dances and games and the like.
Matheran has many points with each view better than the other. Here you may go horseback or walking. The horses are very calm and peaceful and are well-tamed. This way you can cover many points with the exclusive pleasures of horse riding. Initial fright for those who haven’t mounted a horse will vanish within minutes. Walking is very strenous as distance between two points is quite vast. The roads are very muddy. the soil is red here and succeeds in soiling your shoes to a great extent. If you do opt for walking up and down make sure you’re not out to late cause there is a very good possibility of getting lost in the woods as it is pitch dark and finding your way back could be a problem. There are probably more monkeys than people here. They are adorable to watch but mind you they are quite mischevious. They snatch any sort of package from your hands. The shops at the market places are usually leather goods, honey and chikki shops.
Invariably you will find a hotel that fits into your comfort and budget. This is a very famous weekend getaway. So it gets sorta crowded in the weekends even in off-season. It was a wonderful experienece for us and we hope to holiday there more often.