Home-cooked Meals in Private Villas Turn Staycations Into Good Food Diaries

Every one of us has a favourite food joint with certain memories attached to it. Be it a fancy restaurant or a street-side stall, our taste buds mark familiarity when we gorge on our stipulated favourites. Now with the mini-lockdown order in Maharashtra putting strict restrictions on restaurants and street food stalls, you might not visit them for a while. But who needs a restaurant when you can have a fully-serviced private villa experience with lip-smacking food? At SaffronStays, we lay equal emphasis on serving fresh home-cooked meals, handmade with love by a trained team of chefs. Be it picking organic produce from the farms you stay around, or specially curated cuisines made as per your preferences, your vacations in our safe villas will make the heart and tummy full!

Authentic Farm-To-Table Experience 

SaffronStays Sanvina Farm, Karjat
Fresh farm-to-table local meals.

With a growing trend to switch towards organic foodstuffs, there is very little guarantee of our products being truly organic in the cities. But in private villas that craft a farm stay experience, guests can pick fresh seasonal veggies, spices, and fruits for consumption from these farms. Private villas in Karjat like SaffronStays Sanvina Farm boasts of over 2000+ trees like mango, pineapple, lychee, phalsa, mulberry, and cherry masalas like tamarind and vegetables. So straight from the farm (subject to availability) on your plate? Yes sir!

At One Tree Farm, another private pool villa in Karjat, children can go lemon picking in the paddy fields around. Fresh lime juice in these sweaty summers will ensure you feel refreshed from the first sip!

Savour Local Home-Cooked Meals

No matter which destination you go to, always make it a point to taste the local specialties, at least for a couple of meals if not all. The distinct flavours of a place, cooked by chefs who ace at these recipes, savouring local specialties is a part of digging into our multi-cuisine culture. So while you can always have jam and toast for breakfast, opt for some spicy Misal Pav instead.

At our private villas in Alibaug, we would recommend you try the authentic Konkani preparations by chefs on site. Our in-house chef at SaffronStays Little Paradise in Murud serves Konkani meals with a Bengali twist! Munching on some fried fish while sipping on your cocktails on a beachfront, you’d truly immerse in the atmosphere.

At SaffronStays Gardenia in Kihim, we recommend home-cooked meals like Popti Chicken and Veg Popti made by our chefs. If you feel like eating chaat in the evening, that can be arranged too.

SaffronStays Masaya, Alibaug
A delicious spread of homemade food.

One need not limit their meals in Alibaug to Konkani or seafood specialties, especially if you prefer a vegetarian diet. SaffronStays Masaya is a veg-only villa in Alibaug with an in-house chef specialising in authentic Rajasthani and North Indian cuisine. There’s an organic garden of various herbs and spices which are seasonally used in food preparations. So flavourful vegetarian meals will satiate your taste buds.
For those very particular about their food preferences, we even have several veg-only villas.

Multi-Cuisine Menu and Curated Meals

While looking for authentic food experiences around Mumbai and Pune, you’re bound to be served with Maharashtrian specialties. But that’s just one part of our extensive menu options.

Cream of Tomato Soup with Croutons, Spaghetti, Pepper Chicken, Palak Paneer, Paratha, Dal and Rice, followed by a bowl full of Fruit Salad. Oh, and did we say barbecue? Are you feeling full just by reading this range of variety? Yes, you can savour it all! At SaffronStays Constellations, a complex of three pool villas in Lonavala, a multi-cuisine menu welcomes the guests. Chinese, continental or simple Indian food, you will end up licking your fingers with these delicious preparations from our trained staff of cooks. 

SaffronStays Parsi Manor, Matheran
Special meals at Parsi Manor, Matheran

What if we told you we have a provision for a special heritage meal experience as well? If you want to savour recipes that have roots in history, visit SaffronStays Parsi Manor, a colonial heritage villa in Matheran. Upon request, a menu of authentic Parsi dishes is served to the guests. Dhansak, a traditional Parsi recipe by our in-house chef is a guest favourite.

Fine Dine in Finer Views 

One of the major reasons we have trouble selecting a place to dine at, is we wish to make it an experience of lovely ambiance or great view on the side. But in our private villas at idyllic locations, every meal will feel a fine-dine with finer views.

SaffronStays Reva Infinity, Karjat
Lunch set-up by gushing river!

If gushing water and chirping of birds is the only kind of sound you prefer while eating, SaffronStays Reva Infinity in Karjat can arrange for dining set-up right by the Tez river. The onsite home cook can make some yummy Baingan Bharta, Chicken Shukha, Chicken Masala, Mix Vegetable, and Veg Kolhapuri.

SaffronStays Aatman, Mahabaleshwar
Dinner set-up under a canopy of tree

We go the extra mile to add the perfect views to homemade food with some of our set-ups. SaffronStays Aatman in Mahabaleshwar has three dining spaces to choose from! Under the canopy of a large Jamun tree, even simple home-cooked meals turn special. 

Virginia Woolf rightly puts it, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.” So the next time you stay with SaffronStays, be rest assured you are going home feeling too well!

Travel, Work or Celebrate, A Getaway to Karjat Has It All!

Karjat, a picturesque small town approximately a 2-hour drive from Mumbai is a quick escape from the monotonous city life, to let calm overtake the chaos. While Lonavala and Alibaug are among the most popular destinations for quick getaways near Mumbai and Pune, Karjat is an undiscovered gem that offers a range of experiences for everyone. Be it exploring history, adventure trekking, taking a workation to unwind in nature or celebrating at beautiful private villas in Karjat – this quaint town beckons you for a weekend getaway near Mumbai. To escape the rising summer heat, spend some time in nature with numerous activities to do in Karjat. 

Things to Explore in Karjat on a Weekend Getaway

Go on an Organic Farm Picnic

SaffronStays One Tree Farm, Karjat
SaffronStays One Tree Farm, Karjat

For those keen to try something different on their getaways, take a pick of organic farming in Karjat. It’s a great activity especially for kids in the family, to teach them the source of their fruits and vegetables. A villa in Karjat like SaffronStays One Tree Farm that resides on an organic farm by the river ensures you have fun as well as learn. It is surrounded by paddy fields and plantations of lemon, mango, cashew trees, and seasonal vegetables. There is even a greenhouse on site and the caretaker will be happy to guide you on short hikes. 

Have Larger-Than-Life Celebrations

After a year of missed celebrations, the thought of exchanging warm fuzzy hugs and sharing loud laughs with friends is so comforting. If you are considering a much-awaited reunion, make it a themed-one, where nature adds to your ambience. For a large group, guests can book SaffronStays Sundowner, a magnanimous 8-bedroom villa or SaffronStays Mariposa By The River~Sol, Mariposa By The River~Rio and Mariposa By The River~Montana in Karjat – a gorgeous 7 bedroom pool estate with 3 villas that can comfortably host parties – birthday, anniversary, or bachelorettes! Cheer to the good times by the pool and pose with your squad against the backdrop of Sahyadri mountain views, you’ll leave the place with, shall we say, wild memories?  

Take Workation With a View 

How long will you keep fretting over someone else’s ‘work view being better than yours’? Thanks to WiFi-equipped villas around Mumbai and Pune, the trend of workations is seeing a rise. Karjat may be in the interiors but it can be a good workation destination if you choose private villas with WiFi like SaffronStays Reva Infinity. This pool home in Karjat will switch up your work view to enjoying sunset hues from the terrace every evening.

Visit The Historic Kondana Caves

One of the most famous tourist attractions in Karjat is Kondana caves, a group of 16 caves excavated in the 1st century BC. Nestled within a thick forest, some caverns look like natural hollows on the cliff. The ornamented columns, intricate carvings on these stone-cut structures are fine examples of Buddhist architecture. Lord Buddha is associated with a feeling of calmness but that can’t be felt if you are in a crowded place with others around.

About 1.5 km away from Kondana caves is SaffronStays Olive Greens, a private villa in Karjat that will restore peace with its assorted green surroundings. A dip in the pool or meditating on the lawns, there’s a definite path to rejuvenation in this balmy environment. There are few Lord Buddha paintings in the home to add to its spiritual vibe. 

Live The Filmy Dream at ND Studios

If larger-than-life sets, attractive locales and the words ‘Lights-Camera-Action’ have always excited you, then a visit to ND Studios in Karjat is a must. This film and TV production studio takes you behind the scenes, quite literally! Majestic palaces to typical villages, TV sets to retro cafes and fashion streets, a tour of ND Studios steps through it all.

If that set-life leaves you seeking some sort of vanity, a private pool villa in Karjat like SaffronStays Casa Manga, at a 10-min drive from ND Studios is beautifully welcoming. To dance or play in the green lawn outdoors or the bonfire setting for your Bollywood night, keep the entertainment factor ticking. And to have the entire place to yourself with fresh meals served on demand, the honest hospitality here will give you the taste of vanity you desire! 

Trek Up The Hills

With mountains, forts and rock cuts terrain Karjat serves the thrill for adventure geeks. Peb Fort, Kothaligad, Sondai Fort, Dhak Bahiri, Bhivpuri point are some of the popular treks around. Instead of painstakingly trekking in the summer heat, you can enjoy nature trails in close proximity to some of these trekking points. Like SaffronStays Sanvina Farms, a private villa in Karjat located near the trail of Kothaligad. You can take a short hike or try your hand at paddy farming in the organic farms of over 2000+ trees here. Spread across 10 acres, it will make your experience of a genuine farm stay complete with the fresh produce meals on your plate. 

Enjoy Breathtaking Views of The Ulhas Valley

The Ulhas Valley stretch transforms into a paradise of nature’s bounty with the onset of monsoons. The hills cover themselves in a blanket of green shades with waterfalls designing them. Currently, as the sweltering summers drain out your energy, how about a riverside to rejuvenate? SaffronStays Kamal Farms by the River, as the name suggests, is a private villa in Karjat that sits on the banks of Pej river. Wash away your stress with a dip into flowing water or sit in the verandah overlooking the river for your evening chai! Capturing this perfect landscape on a close getaway near Mumbai could make your picture feed look like a nature photographer!

With so much to offer, this Summer Karjat can be the place for your next trip!