Weekend In Pune ☆ India

Sometimes we have so many social engagements for our kids over a weekend that I feel like I don’t really spend time with them. I chaperon my kids everywhere to their activities or parties, have a play date, feed them, socialize with our friends, and a weekend is done.

My oldest daughter is 9 years old. I’m at the half way point till she will take off to go to collage. If the next 9 years will go by as fast as the last 9 years have gone, the day to send her off to collage will come before I know it.

A weekend trip to Pune was a nice remedy for my thought. I loved that I was with my kids: Talking to them, seeing them play, and relaxing with them. It was nothing extravagant, but it was special to me.

So, you might be thinking, what’s in Pune?

Here are a few things that I had a chance to do. Thanks to my new friend, Beth, I was able to realize a fruitful and memorable trip. Beth is a mother of two and a talented photographer and yogi. Thank you, Beth, for your wonderful help and thanks, Zeli, for introducing us to each other!

WEEKEND IN PUNE

This post is more like a summary of our trip to Pune. I will post individual articles on Aga Khan Palace, The Westin Hotel in Pune, the Jogger’s Park, and Baan Tao Restaurant at Hyatt Pune in the near future. I hope you will come back to see them!

ACTIVITIES IN PUNE

AGA KHAN PALACE

Aga Khan Palace was simply beautiful. The lovely weather helped as well. It was worth seeing the place Mahatma Gandhi, someone I learned about in school and I respect, spent some time with his wife when he was interned.

To read more about Aga Khan Palace, click HERE.

 

JOGGER’S PARK IN KALYANI NAGAR
DAMODAR RAVJI GALANDE PATIL PARK

The Jogger’s Park in Kalyani Nagar is listed as The Damodar Ravji Galande Patil Park on a Google Map, but it seems that it is better known as the Jogger’s Park among the locals and expats who live in Pune. It has a nice grassy area where people sit and chat and kids run around. My kids have not been to a park like that in Mumbai and they got very exited. I was excited. The weather was very comfortable. It was neither hot or humid compared to that in Mumbai.

To read more about Jogger’s Park Kalyani Nagar, click HERE.

There are three activities recommended by Beth that I did not have the time to do, but I would like to share them with you because I think some of you might find them interesting.

Pu La Deshpande Japanese Garden
Nice place to go for walks. There is a zoo nearby so you can do them together as they are in the same area and quite far from anything else.

Outside Pune
1. Fort Jadhavgahd— lovely resort which used to be a fort. About an hour’s drive from Pune. Great for lunch and walking. You can stay overnight as well. Very India feel.

2. Jejuri Temple— about an hour and a half away. Very fascinating temple where everything is covered in turmeric powder.

The Japanese Garden is supposed to be nice. I thought outside Pune activities sounded fantastic if we had more time to spend in the area.

 

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

BAAN TAO AT HYATT PUNE

The Dim Sum lunch at Baan Tao at Hyatt Pune was delicious, relaxing and so fun! Baan Tao was very flexible and they let me order a dim sum lunch for 2 for 4 of us: me and my 3 kids. My second and third kids don’t eat much, so if we order a set for each of us, there would be way too much food to go to waste. The dim sum lunch was wonderful and it made it worth going to Pune for Baan Tao.

To read more about Baan Tao at Hyatt Pune, click HERE.

I, unfortunately, don’t have the photos of the two restaurants we went out for dinner. It is not a reflection of anything. I simply did not take any photos because the restaurants were too dark for me to take good quality photos and when there is not enough light for me to take photos, I do not feel inspired. I need to get better at it, though.

DARIO’S

Dario’s is a vegetarian Italian restaurant. There are two Dario’s in Pune and we went to Dario’s in Koregaon Park. We all loved all the dishes and even my Texan husband who always asks for some kind of meat for dinner did not complain. That says a lot. It was very filling and we enjoyed our meal to the fullest.

At Hotel Sunderban
Lane 1, No:19, Koregaon Park, Pune, Maharashtra 411001
PHONE: 02026053597

MALAKA SPICE

Malaka Spice is an Asian cuisine restaurant. There are more than one Malaka Spice restaurants in Pune. We went to the one in Koregaon Park, but without realizing I made a reservation at a different location, but arrived at the one near us. They serve Pan Asian inspired dishes which have great spicy kicks to the food. All the dishes were delicious! Their food was quite spicy, but you can ask them to make it mild or non-spicy.

Lane 5, Koregaon Park, Pune, India
PHONE: 09595288288

We did not get to try the restaurants below, but they sound appealing to me.

Great Punjab – Really good Indian food.

Hyatt Regency – A good Sunday brunch with an excellent kids club.

 

THE WESTIN

I enjoyed the luxurious stay at The Westin. It’s easy for me to stay at a hotel with my son being only two. We had a suite which we liked better than having two connecting rooms.

I really liked The Westin and I would love to stay there again, but I am kind of curious about Hyatt Regency in Pune. I hear that Hyatt Regency has an indoor swimming pool (only one inside a hotel in town apparently), a playground and a kids club. That’s a bonus for parents with little kids, isn’t it? If we go back to Pune, I might try to stay at Hyatt Regency.

To read more about The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, click HERE.

 

VSCOCam iPod Touch

The landscape on the high way to Pune was pretty. It was very lush and hilly. There were some water falls on the rocky walls which made the drive really fun. Getting in and out of Mumbai and getting in and out of Pune were tough with traffic, though. We spent 3 and a half hours each way, but you can probably shorten the trip to 3 hours if you leave earlier than we did. We left Mumbai on Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. to beat the traffic in Mumbai, but we hit the traffic in Pune. I think leaving by 7:00 a.m. will make a significant difference. We left Pune on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. and we still hit the traffic once we entered Mumbai. I was worried about a bathroom break, but we did not have to stop to use a bathroom both ways. There are rest stops on the way there, though.

High Way Caution

I did not experience anything dangerous or see any accidents, but apparently the toll road between Mumbai and Pune is known for accidents. I did see many cars passing by very fast. They flew by when we were driving 100 km per hour. I requested my driver not to exceed the speed of 100 km per hour.

Tip for Parents With Young Kids

Diaper
If you travel with young children under the age of 6, I suggest taking a diaper or two just in case your child needs to go use a bathroom while you are on a high way nowhere near a rest stop.

Sweater
It’s much cooler in Pune than in Mumbai. You might want to bring a light cardigan or sweater for going out at night.

VSCOCam iPod Touch

VSCOCam iPod Touch

The Posts About Pune at Glance

Aga Khan Palace
The Westin Pune Koregaon Park
The Jogger’s Park Kalyani Nagar
Baan Tao ☆ Dim Sum Restaurant At Hyatt Pune