Maitri Farms, a do-nothing farmstay in the middle of nowhere
Well, it is not exactly in the middle of nowhere. This farmstay is in the middle of a huge forest plot (even has a hill) around 2 kms away from the main road from Mangaon (on the Goa highway) to Diveagar (beach). When you go on this 2 kms road, you are transported from the busy state highway to a calm, remote patch of land. Since the plot is huge, the actual stay is around a 150 m away from the gate on the village road. This makes the place totally isolated and peaceful.
Maitri Farms was started by few ex-IT friends. Currently, the main stay has 2 rooms and a dorm, capable of handling 12-14 people comfortably. They are in the process of adding another bungalow within the plot, a little further away. The house is built in a very traditional style with a big verandah. All the “tools” lying around the place make it feel like a farmstay. They also have a small pool – but good enough for few ppl to laze around.
Directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1yeYgv2GWXSQXWuf8 . This is the location of the place. If you are travelling from Pune, take the tamhini ghat route, reach mangaon, proceed towards Diveagar. Then when you reach Chandore, a road to the left (for 2 kms) will take you to Maitri farms. Overall, around 4 hrs drive from Pune.
There is a caretaken family living on the same premises (a house nearby). They make the food for the guests. The package is per person inclusive of all the food/snacks and the price is very reasonable. We loved the home cooked food. It included lot of village items. They also prepared a “Popti party” for us. It was the first time for us and we loved it.
It is a great place to spend couple of days with friends/family. Lot of sit-out options along with the pool make it a great place to relax. One can also visit Diveagar beach (45 mins away). It was Diwali time and we wanted to say “Happy Diwali” to our homestay friends at Kulswami Guest House in Diveagar. So, we drove over to Diveagar. We also visited a nearby hill temple of the village of deoghar (a steep drive on a narrow hill road 🙂 ). Also, the weather was beautiful in the evenings and we just kept on clicking pictuires.
Since it is away from the main road and surrounded by lot of trees, you get to see tons of insects and birds. In fact, Shereesh, the owner of the farmstay has kept brochures to help you identify the various birds seen there. The insects which swarmed us in the evening were HUGE. Tons of insects, we did get bothered a bit at the start, but them we settled down along with them and even started including them in our photo. See one photo below to see the size of that praying mantis!
A great option for a relaxed weekend stay. Even better if you have a gang to go with!
