THE OLD JUNGLE AND THE SEA

COCO SHAMBHALA, A BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN SOUTHERN MAHARASHTRA, LIES AMIDST THE RUGGED SAHYADRIS AND THE SILVER ARABIAN SEA

- PRIYANKA KAPOOR

WHEN I ENTERED THE apartment-styled villa at Coco Shambhala, T.S. Eliot's words, "We cannot think of a time that is oceanless," came rushing at me. I started my journey to Shambhala on an especially rainy morning after landing at the newly-built North Goa airport. A few kilometres from the Maharashtra-Goa border, the way to Shambhala comprises undulating one-way roads with hapus (Alphonso) and cashew fields closing in. The dense jungles of Sindhudurg district, which share a border with Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, would remind you of Congolian rainforests. And if you feel the grass is greener in Sindhudurg, it surely extends beyond the rhetoric.

IN EDEN 

A few metres away from the property, the ocean interrupts—what feels like a jungle safari—and sneaks up on you. Next to the sea, Coco Shambhala sits on the rust-coloured rocky outcrops overseeing the Bhogave beach.

While some hotels aim towards building a pocket of paradise, Shambhala acknowledges the paradise around it. Inside, you won't find manicured lawns, but the continuation of the jungle that may look all-natural, but is painstakingly maintained by the staff. "Privacy is everything," said Suhas Malewadkar, F&B manager of Shambhala, explaining the thought behind the canopylike garden. "We get a lot of A-list celebrity guests and ensure that they receive their much-needed time off from the limelight," Malewadkar added.

Amidst the lush foliage and echoes of songbirds, I sauntered along the