Svasara - An amazing cozy abode, true to its name !
I want to begin with an apology to Ranjit and Nandita, the lovely and gracious hosts of the property, for this delayed review. I should have done this immediately after our return from Svasara. But as they say... better late than never!
Our plan to visit Tadoba in end Dec 20 was made very late, thanks to many ifs and buts in our minds due to prevailing pandemic situation. It was a last-minute request for the accommodation for four nights and Ranjit reverted back with a positive reply for three nights. Since, we had planned for a stay of four nights already, we requested Ranjit to help. He was kind enough to tie up with a nearby property for one night with an arrangement of all meals at Svasara. Though the alternate property was not a patch on Svasara, but in the circumstances, the help of Ranjit in arranging for this one-night stay was really crucial.
And with this experience of booking, we already knew that we are in good hands that know how to take care of the guests and make them feel welcomed. We landed up at Svasara after a smooth but long drive of 2.5 hrs. from Nagpur (we got picked up by Svasara vehicle from the Nagpur Airport). And the moment we landed at the property, the warm welcome by Ranjit and the whole ambience of the place, the greenery took away all our tiredness. Of course, all COVID protocols were in place and we didn’t feel nervous about the same even one bit right from the time we boarded their car at Airport.
Rooms: The rooms are big, neat and clean with all the amenities we can expect from a luxury resort. In fact, a bit more than to our liking (in a lighter sense). We recommended to them that they should remove the TV from the room and stop giving in-room service. They have a lovely common sit out area and also a place where they play wild-life movies and videos. These should be reasons for people to venture out of their rooms, sit in common areas and interact with each other. Afterall, what is the meaning of a trip to a Jungle Park if the stories, experiences of the safari, sightings etc. are not shared with each other. Ranjit did explain a very valid logic of TV in the rooms. Still, I hope they would do something more to draw people out of their rooms and get them to interact in common place.
Food: It is one of another big plus point of Svasara. What you get to eat is from their kitchen being run by an expert set of cooks and ever smiling serving staff, is a very home like food and good variety. Meghnath particularly was ever willing to meet all your requests and demands. Yes.. with Ranjit and Nandita from eastern part of India, there is a touch of Bengali-Assamese flavour in their menu, which of course is a refreshing change for people travelling from other parts of India. But they are equally adept at Conti and Chinese dishes. Kids get taken care of specially during meal times, which is very pleasing.
Safari: Ranjit has excellent liaison and system in place to get you Safaris as per your plan convenient to you. But of course it has to be communicated to him well in advance for any disappointment when you reach there. Once you are inside Tadoba reserve, it never fails to disappoint. We did get good sightings on every trip. Core of course has the best charm, but there is plenty to see in the buffer zones as well, including Tigers, since each area is territory of a set of Tiger family. So do pray to your lady luck and keep that Camera ready, for you don’t know which turn has what waiting for you.
In and Around: About the property, there are some old pictures on TripAdvisor which do not do justice to the property. These pictures give the impression that the property is devoid of greenery. That may be earlier when they were new in operation. But the property now looks completely different. It is full of greenery all around, trees, Bamboo plants, shrubs, plants, flowers, kitchen garden, everything…. It certainly makes you feel as being part of the jungle in many ways, yet perfectly safe and secure. Around the property there is plenty of greenery and villages. I enjoyed nice long runs on two mornings. And also had lovely time with my son in the clean and well equipped swimming pool. There is a lovely water body nearby which get a large number of migratory birds. Nandita organized a trip for us to this place along with their Naturalist. It was enthralling to learn about those numerous birds and see them up and close. I went the next morning again, on a cycle from the property, to enjoy the bird watching in morning lights.
Yes.. we also made some good friends at the property, thanks to the lovely informal and homely environment the property envelops you with.
That pretty much sums up our experience of Svasara. We were dropped back to Airport after a wonderful trip to Tadoba after being seen off by our lovely hosts Ranjit and Nandita (thankyou Nandita for that little parting gift!). Svasara would certainly be our home again on our next trip to Tadoba.
480 reviews
