Igatpuri in the rains

The last of our four-Friday series on great weekend getaways.

You welcome the swirling clouds with open arms. You shed the wilted summer look for dewy skin and bright eyes in the refreshing monsoon months. But there’s a part of you that yearns for more than slush and the city.

Paradise can be regained. 2,000 ft above sea level and only a four-hour drive away, just off the Mumbai-Agra highway, is the emerald hill station of Igatpuri.

Check into a ritzy resort like Manas Lifestyle. Fab rooms, swimming pool, spa, multi-cuisine buffet. Or better still, court the rain at the family-run Meghdhanush Park. Basic accommodation, mini pool, home-style meals, mist in your window. And a pet Alsatian called Rainbow.

Visit the golden-tipped Dhamma Giri, the Vipassana meditation centre, if you want to navel gaze in absolute stillness. But if you prefer communing with your buddies or boyfriend, the dam’s the place to head to. Pack some cheese and chocolate, get set to be glamorously rain-drenched and let the peace transform your pace.

Follow your own rainbows.

Manas Lifestyle: AC Deluxe Room Rs. 8,900 (two night package). Telephone: 952553-244512/3. Website: www.manaslifestyle.com.
Meghdhanush Park: AC Deluxe suite Rs. 1,000. Telephone: 952553-244962/289289. Website: www.hotelmpark.com.