Konkan region - historic forts, hillstations and unspoilt beaches

Hillview Farm is in the heart of the Konkan region, with plenty to see and do in the surrounding area.

The famous hillstation of Mahableshwar is approximately 5o km away (1.5 - 2hr drive) with its viewpoints and resorts. It is situated at an altitude of 1372 m in the Sahyadri hills and was originally developed during the colonial times when the British had been looking for a cool escape during the hot summer months. It is an established tourist location, with a variety of hotels and restaurants, and is famous for its strawberries and cream. Panchgani, another hillstation location popular with Mumbaikers - including Aamir Khan - is also closeby. At 1334 m, Panchgani is at an altitude of 38 km below Mahableshwar, but the 18 km approach provides views of the River Krishna and coastal plains. As well as a lake, there are opportunities for hiking and watersports.

For more information, you may find these websites interesting:

www.hill-stations-india.com/mahabaleshwar.html
www.hill-stations-india.com/panchgani.html

Closer to Latwan village, the town of Dapoli is about 40 km or an hour's drive away. As development continues to take place, it is increasingly becoming a tourist hub for accessing the unspoilt beaches along the Konkan coastline, including Karde, Murud-Harnai, Anjarle and Kelshi. Harnai is a charming fishing village, where you can watch the catch coming in the late afternoon and haggle amongst the wholesale traders over baskets of prawns and lobsters. It also has a small fort and is surrounded by beautiful beaches, as well as some nice hotels and restaurants. The local cuisine is famous for its seafood (and of course alphonso mangoes).

Fishing boats in the distance coming into Harnai Port

Raigad, is another beautiful fort location, about 20 minutes drive away from Mahad. The Raigad ropeway (Cable car) gives wonderful panoramic views as it takes you up to the fort, which has chalets and a restaurant at the top.

There's plenty more to do nearby - from dolphin and turtle watching to dams, waterfalls and hot springs. There are also many temples and dargahs. For more details on places to visit in the region, this excellent website gives a lot of detail:

www.weekend.travelplans.googlepages.com/dapoli,murud-harnai,karde(beach)

How to find us

Hillview Farm is in the village of Latwan, near Mandangad, District Ratnagiri, Maharastra. Located between the Arabian Sea coastline and the Western Ghat, it is approximately 220km south of Mumbai on the Mumbai - Goa Highway NH17. Leaving the highway at Mahad, we are about 20km away from the highway itself. It takes approximately 3.5-4 hours to drive from Mumbai. When you reach Mahad, you should see a sign for Latwan, as Latwan is halfway been Mahad and Mandangad. At Latwan, you should ask for the Buddhawari bus-stand - the entrance to farm is opposite this, via an unmarked private road.

Alternatively, it is also convenient to reach us by train via Konkan Railways. The nearest station is Karzjali, but usually only the slow train stops there - it 5km away from the farm. (Alternatively, on the fast train to Goa, Veer or Khed are the nearest stations to change trains but it is best to consult the Konkan Railways website for further detail on www.konkanrailway.com ).

What else do we grow at Hillview?

Whilst mangoes are the main attraction at our little patch here in this fertile belt of the Konkan region, we are also growing many other crops at Hillview farm. We also have cashew nuts trees, papaya, guava, chickoo, jackfruit, custard apple (sitaful), coconuts, pineapple, jambul, cokum, lemons and lime (nimbu) . We have in the past successfully cultivated banana, watermelon and passionfruit. In addition, there are a number of spice trees plants including allspice, black pepper (kali mirch), cardamon (elaichi), cinnamon (sal), bayleaf (curry patta), tamarind (imli) and lemongrass. There is a small vegetable patch providing seasonal vegetables such as marrow, aubergine (bhaingan), okra (bhindi), spinach (palak), methi, chillies and coriander (dhania) for us to eat.

Here is just a sample of what else you will find growing at Hillview Farm:

Some nearly-ripe Jackfruit and a Pineapple plant:

Cashew fruits on the tree and basket of cashew nuts picked

and ready for processing:

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Living at Hillview Farm

The farmhouse is accessed via its own private road. On entering the gate, you will drive through a lush coconut tree-lined grove up the hill to a comfortable residence, with its design based on a Spanish villa.

The house has three-bedrooms (one fully air-conditioned) and two bathrooms (including one en-suite). There is a fitted kitchen and open plan lounge, with dining area. All water comes from our own private underground well - which provides an abundance of water for domestic and agricultural use all year round. It is certified as pure spring water and our overseas visitors safely drink it without boiling.

The veranda is our favourite spot, with its views of the surrounding, hills and landscaped garden with its lily-pond and flowers.

The property provides a peaceful retreat, away from pollution and hectic everyday life. Yet it is also close to the heart of the village, with its local shop and bakery. The village also has two high schools, a bank, telephone exchange, post office and basic medical facilities. There is a weekly market on Tuesdays, where fresh fish and vegetables can be purchased. For other shopping needs, the nearest town is Mahad, which is 20kms away or about a 20-30 minute drive. Alternatively, though slightly smaller, Mandangad, where the local goverment offices (Taluka) are based, can be found about 15 km away. Dapoli is also close by, and in the other direction is Harnai, a coastal fishing village, which is also a local tourist attraction.

Welcome to Hillview Farm

Welcome! Hillview Farm is in the village of Latwan
(post Mandangad) in Konkan, District Ratnagiri, Maharastra INDIA. It is in the heart of the Ratnagiri region, world famous for its delicious Alphonso mangoes.

This innovative four acre project has become a picturesque and relaxing spot, which offers a charming experience of the rural Indian lifestyle. Whilst mangoes are our passion - with 14 different varieties of mangoes - we are also growing a variety of other organic produce, including fruit, vegetables and spices. For example, you could drink fresh coconut straight from the tree, or sample delicious guava, chickoo, jackfruit or pineapple throughout the year. We also have a good crop of cashew nuts.

Mango season (usually April until June) is our busiest three months of the year. With 150 mature mango trees, we usually we have a good crop. As this is only a small scale farm, for the enthusiast rather than the commercial farmer, we are able to sell all our produce in the local area.