A peaceful haven in the Indian countryside (Quality Resort The Riverview (Chiplun, India))

Member Name: koshkha

Product:	Quality Resort The Riverview (Chiplun, India)
Date:	08/02/09 (136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Calm, quiet, very pretty

Disadvantages: It's not easy to find a reason to go there

In a spirit of nostalgia for hotels I've known and loved I thought I'd tell you about a favourite hotel that I've always enjoyed but am unlikely to get to stay in again.

I've stayed at the Riverview near Chiplun three times and always loved this peaceful but rather simple hotel. At the time I was visiting it was part of the Taj hotel group but seems to have changed hands and is now a part of the 'Quality Resorts' chain. I can't therefore promise that everything will be exactly as it was, but looking at the hotel's website, everything looks exactly like it used to be.

I doubt most readers have heard of Chiplun or have any idea where it is. You could well be wondering why anyone would go there. I used to go because I worked for a company with a large factory about 5 miles away and this was the best place in the area for putting visitors. That's shorthand for 'the only hotel in which my rather pompour boss wouldn't have blown a gasket if he'd been asked to stay". I may have happy memories of the hotel but not the boss I typically visited it with.

Why 'normal' people might go there would include its proximity to an important and rather pretty 700-year old temple and to its location roughly half way between Mumbai and Goa. If you are driving or taking the train between the two, it's not a bad place to stop and recover before continuing your journey.

The Riverview isn't a fancy hotel so you might wonder why I like it so much. It's mostly because unlike almost every other place in India, it's incredibly peaceful. From the moment you turn off the winding main road, the hustle and bustle of India is instantly left behind you. When the car pulls up in front of reception you are surrounded by beautiful lush gardens and you can't help but forget any worries.

Entering the hotel you'd better just give in and let a porter take your bags; resistance is futile. At the wooden reception desk they'll take a while to check you in and give you your key but you won't mind because you'll probably have wandered off to the balcony to take in the view across the gardens towards the river in the valley below and sipping a welcome drink. There's even a telescope to get a better look.

Once you've got your key, it won't take long to find the rooms which are set off outside balconies over two or three levels. The rooms are large, quite plain and simple but all have enormous windows facing the gardens and the river. Normally you'll get a room with twin beds, a table and chairs, a TV on a bench and a wardrobe and drawers. Everything looks a bit old and slightly shabby and the bathroom is rather dated, but who cares, get out on that balcony and drink in the view. You'll also find a bowl of fruit and some biscuits - don't be good and keep the biscuits for later because in this humidity, they'll go soggy really quickly so that's a good excuse to dig in. Don't expect internet access - you'll be lucky to even get a mobile phone signal and yes, I do mean lucky because their absence gives you the perfect excuse to relax.

The first time I was there we had a sales conference and used the conference facilities which are tucked away in the garden. You go down the main stairs, past the ping pong table and board games and out into the garden, along a colonnaded path and down some steps to the meeting rooms. Considering you are in the middle of nowhere, everything works with surprising reliability. On the same level as the conference rooms is the restaurant which serves good but fairly predictable food in a round hut-like building. Food can also be served in the conference rooms and on my first visit, the local site manager through a bit of a party for us and for some of the staff from the factory. I should imagine that if you wanted to have a wedding here, they would lay on a really good event.

The gardens are large and remarkable if only because Indian hotels don't tend to have great gardens. This one has a rose garden, acres of greenery, a tennis court and swimming pool and even a helipad, though I've never seen it in use. There are hammocks in the gardens and you can eat on the lawns or by the pool.

It's unlikely that many people reading this will get the chance to stay at this hotel but if you do, I'm sure you'll have as good a time as I always did.

Summary: A different side of the Indian experience