We had a quick visit to Kolkata in mid February because of some work that had to be done. Once the work got over and we had a few spare days, it got us into thinking where to go. As most of you would agree that winter is the best time to visit beaches in India, our plan was also to hit the Beach.
Our goal for a beach holiday was to relax. So we stroke off Digha since it is too touristy. Instead we choose Mandarmoni. Mandarmani is a 13km long flat drivable beach, although driving on the beach is now no more allowed.
If you wish to see our video before reading further , the video link is here :
Our plan was to start from my home ( South Kolkata ) at 6 am. Since we had 4 adults and two kids travelling so we booked a SUV500 from Revv for 3 days. Finally we could start only at 9 am.
Our route was the usual one :
Kolkata -> Kolaghat -> Nandakumar -> Contai -> Mandarmani
The condition of the road was good throughout and we had to pay toll tax at two places. The availability of good restaurants ( by good I mean the restaurant's washrooms also need to be equally good ) is less and most are concentrated at Kolaghat. While going we stopped at a very basic but good restaurant on the way and had our lunch thalis.
At around 3PM we reached our resort Candlewood park Resort. We booked two huts through Goibibo and it is one of the best family resorts in Mandarmani. The staff is well behaved, everything is very well maintained and the resort has direct access to the beach. What more could anyone ask for!
After checking in, we ordered for tea and some toast. We freshened up, had our snacks and then went for the beach. The resort has direct access to the beach and as far as one could see, its a flat land. It was low tide and the sea had gone quite far. I walked for some 30 minutes on the beach enjoying the warm sun and the water on my feet. I collected some seashells and cowrie shells....yes you read right...cowrie shells. But I believe in not taking things home from where they belong, so before getting back to our resort, I gave my collected shells back to the sea.
Ankur had to go out to buy medicines since my mother had forgotten to put it in the bag before leaving home. Only our resort had a dedicated auto stand. So he took an auto from there instead of the car because autowallahs are locals who will be knowing where medicine shops are.Transportation in Mandarmani can be a headache if one does not have his/ her own vehicle. Thankfully the resort where we stayed had an auto-stand. Also pharmacy shops are few and quite far.
We leisured for some more time on the beach beds after which we ordered for chicken and fish barbecue. The food was heavenly good but expensive. We had our dinner at the hotel. Quantity and quality of the food was good. We had rice, daal, two type of vegetable curry and fish.
Next day morning we started for the estuary, locally known as 'mohona'. It is a place known for red crab. We went there for red crab sightings. The trick is to go when the sun is overhead. We parked our car at the designated place and walked some 500 metres on the beach. We saw few hundreds of red crabs far away. Some were twice the size of my palm. But the moment someone walks towards them, they get into their holes. It was really difficult to click them.
See the video here:
Next we wanted to see the crab and prawn cultivation by local farmers in their embankments. However we got to know that in February there is no cultivation, it starts from March end/ April onwards.
Evening was spend on the beach. Earlier we had a plan of visiting Digha but then we dropped it. Our main purpose for this trip was relaxation.
Next day we have to head back home.The checkout time was 10 am. So we got ready. We had our breakfast of 'luchi and aloo torkari' ( puri and aloo subzi ). The food was amazing and we enjoyed the meal before heading back to Kolkata . The only negative that I can say of this resort is they take long time to deliver breakfast orders. So its better to order breakfast well before hunger drives you crazy.
It was a wonderful short trip and below are some important information you may require if you are also planning to go.
Travel Time : Winter months
Hotel : Candlewood Resorts
Distance from Kolkata : 180 kms , two toll stations
Other good hotels : Hotel Aquamarina
Hotel Viceroy
Some pictures from our trip:
| Sea from our resort |
| resort |
| resort's kids play area |
| resort well lit at night |
| Sunset |
| Our cottage |
| well manicured place |
| play area |
| yummy foods |
| your's truly |
| sea at night |
