Maachli Farmstay: The Modern Escape

I came across Maachli farmstay while scrolling through Instagram, and I was immediately drawn to their concept of sustainable and natural living. This farmstay is located in Parule, a district in Sindhudurg. Sindhudurg happens to be a beautiful, but relatively unexplored coastal town between Bombay and Goa. Unfortunately, the Sindhudurg airport wasn’t operational at the time, and nobody was willing to drive me from Bombay (it takes about 6-8 hours). However, it opened in October 2021 and I immediately booked my flight tickets for November. There is only one flight per day, chartered by Air India. The flight to Malvan takes off at 11:30 am from Bombay, and the return flight from Malvan takes off at 1:30 pm. I paid INR 5,000 for a return flight. A 4-day stay at the farm in November cost me INR 25,500 for my stay and meals. Mr. Prathamesh, the man behind Maachli, was also kind enough to arrange for an airport pick up and drop in a rickshaw. The rickshaw-wallah charged me INR 300 in total (INR 150 each way). The airport is fairly closeby (10-minute drive), so if you want to walk, that’s also an option.

This was a solo trip after AGES. And I’m glad I chose the perfect hidden getaway (thank you, Instagram algorithm!). Maachli is the term for a farmer’s hut in the Malvan region. The farmstay is built with and around nature, run by the cutest little Samant family. Mr. Pravin looks after the farm along with his son, Prathamesh, (who also looks after bookings and plantation walks). Mr. Pravin’s wife, Mrs. Priya, along with Shriya (Prathamesh’s wife), handle the kitchen and meals.

In the midst of a dense tropical plantation, you’ll find 6 maachlis tucked away, partially hidden by tall trees. Not a single one was cut by the way, while building the maachlis. The huts enjoy amazing cross ventilation due to their vernacular architecture style. All four sides are covered with stainless steel nets, allowing for a pleasant ambience inside. Everything is eco-friendly and minimal is a way of life. You’ll discover that even before you enter the property. A narrow bamboo bridge takes you across the stream, into a green retreat; which means you can’t carry a lot of luggage or heavy suitcases. Carry only what you need.

Welcome to possibly the largest spa and salon. It’s not on the 50th floor, but the views are so much better. You can see the sky when you look down. The sunlight dances on leaves. It’s warm, not hot. The wind is just cool enough. You can walk in and out of the water whenever you want. The fish don’t run on a clock. And they certainly don’t puncture the sacred silence with something stupid like, ‘didi bohot time ho gaya pedicure karke, feet dry lag rahe hai’.

Things to see/do:

Prathamesh is quite a nature enthusiast himself, and he organises plantation walks and grassland walks in and around the property. Armed with immense knowledge about the various plants and trees, herbs and spices, he is a joy to walk with. Apart from the usual plantations of banana, nutmeg, cocoa and cinnamon, I also learned about indigenious medicinal plants like Satwin (the juice of the bark is extremely great for digestion) and Sarpagandha (used for blood pressure and as an antidepressant).

I also went on a stunning backwater boat ride. While the plantation and grassland walk are free, the boat ride is not. It costs INR 1500 for 90 minutes. Prathamesh organised it and I went along with a local guy called Adesh, who showed me various islands, birds, old temples and ruins along the way.

Apart from this, do nothing. Sit back on the deck, relax and smile at how good you have it.

Things to eat:

There are only a handful of people who are gifted in the art of culinary and Konkani cuisine. Mrs. Priya and Mrs. Shriya are two of them. Apart from the team of women helping them, of course. They make desserts with vegetables, vegetables with fruit and salads with pickles. Each of their meals were wholesome, healthy and so delicious. My stomach (and digestive system) have rarely been happier. A snippet of what I indulged in, from L to R: Sweet potato karanjis, fish curry, dried prawns sabzi, solkadhi, beetroot koshambir, zhunka (vegetable made with besan and onions), fried fish, jackfruit and coconut sabzi and rice.

I tried to read my book, but for the first time, the outside is so much better than the inside of a book. 3 different coloured dragonflies chasing each other, butterflies chasing flowers and this one chatty kingfisher who sat in the same place every day. The sunlight dances on the water and the reflections dance on the trunks and leaves. Fish jumping, playing and eating. Young buffalos meant to cross the stream will protest and sink down into the cool waters, refusing to get up. Thousands of birds constantly conversing since 6 am. Maachli isn’t a quiet place by any means, it’s noisy and busy. But god, the sounds are wonderful.