For some Lavasa is a planned hill city near Pune, for some it's a good investment place and for others it's a place which violated the laws of Environment.
For me I would say who cares about the Lavasa City, personally I think Lavasa city is not as great as we see it on-line, also it's terribly expensive and they levy a 17% City tax on everything which is already over priced and heavily taxed.
The city is still under construction and not as well maintained as the road to Lavasa for whatever reasons.
What I loved the most is the route/road/drive to Lavasa city from Pune (after we cross the dam, that separates the whole area from Pune city), it is lush green with different shades of green and very beautiful and scenic. The pictures you see here in this blog are real and perhaps don't do the justice to the scene as it was taken from a mobile camera of 8 mg pixel.
Population in that area is relatively less and the whole place (not the Lavasa city) is so green and clean that I forgot for a while that I was in India. :| It was beautiful enough to take your breath away when you see those beautiful green mountains and river. For once I really thought that " really India is beautiful and not at all dirty and overpopulated".
The river and lakes are also very clean and very blue, the kind of blue that we used to paint and imagined how a river would be in our childhood. I still remember we all used to have a standard painting with mountains and river flowing from those mountains, birds flying above in the sky and a Sun (either setting or rising). Trust me once you visit Lavasa you would see exactly such scene and love it. One could also feel that we never did justice to drawings or paintings, in reality nature is much more pure and beautiful.
So if you want to visit this place do not bother to book a hotel in Lavasa city just hire a cab from Pune and go there for a day and return in the evening.
One can enjoy the water rides there which closes by 5 Pm, but I must admit water rides in Goa are way better and enjoyable than the ones in Lavasa, because water rides on sea/ocean is much more fun than on calm controlled lake as in Lavasa.
The Lavasa boulevard is also enjoyable in a good weather and one can try various food items (which is again over priced, but I think we can live with that for once). Something worth trying is the chips that they server in a swirl. chips with a twist :)
You can also catch a Lavasa tour bus which costs Rs.100/person but then you can take as many rides you want with the same ticket on that day. One can catch Lavasa tour bus near the boulevard or Lavasa Information centre.
One can also try the nature trail, perhaps if you want to go for a nature trail you need to go early or stay in the City but if you are not planning any trekking, its best you visit Lavasa for a day and return in the evening.
If you are planning to drive and are an experienced driver I feel Ghats are not that tricky and roads are good to return little late in the evening after you see all the lights reflecting in the lake at twilight.
I must say its worth visiting once. I had been to Lavasa in early September and it was really very green and pretty.
Love the green and clean India and wish that one day whole of India would be like that (without extra Tax :| ).
Cheers :)
