Ganapatipule – India

overview of the destination
Ganapatipuleis a beach town in the Ratnagiri district. The MTDC resort is right at the beach but book in advance. There is a Ganapati temple at the beach. Avoid Tuesdays as the beach may get crowded. However the part of the beach in front of MTDC resort is always sparse & you can thoroughly enjoy yourself with your family. The neighouring Bhandarpule is also an excellent beach & you can sometimes have the whole beach to yourself. The sand & the clear blue waters keep changing colours at different time of the day. Do not forget to take your swimwear along.  food, sight-seeing & shopping 
MTDC has a good restaurant called Tarang. Fish-eaters will love it. For the vegetarians, try the Solkadi which is simply fantastic. If you go in the months of April & May, do not forget to fill your car with the famous Ratnagiri mangoes at an incredible price. You can try the cashews also. Jaygad fort (30 kms) is worth visiting for the incredible view of the sea near the mouth of Shastri river.

activities & things to do
Do some water sports at mtdc resort or just enjoy a swim at the beach in the clear blue waters.

travel tips, how to reach Ganapatipule, travel warnings etc.
The best option is to drive down. Ideally you should leave early morning (6 am) to beat the traffic. It will take 8 hours approx. to reach with a breakfast halt.

Take the Sion-Panvel road. Turn onto the old Bombay-Pune highway. After Panvel turn off onto Mumbai-Goa highway (nh-17). After that, pass Karnala, Pen, Koladand Mahad. Have breakfast at Vithal Kamat at Mahad. Also the toilets here are really clean. Then drive on to the Kashedi Ghat. Watch out for the hairpin bend just as you start descending from the top hough. Drive past Khed, Chiplun & Sangmeshar., then climb up Nivli Ghat & leave the Mumbai-Goa highway here by taking a right turn for Ganaptipule.