MALVAN, THE NEW MUST-DO

Why the coastal delights of Sindhudurg should be on your travel radar

- Priya Pathiyan

The sea before me is a shimmering sheen of water, the sunlight dancing merrily across its surface, as the tide rides in on gentle waves.

As the water pulls away from the shore, every shell and pebble on the shallow ocean floor is visible in sharp focus. On the beach, the sand is impossibly pristine. This is Sindhudurg, in the Malvan taluka of coastal Maharashtra, a beach-and-fort destination that is still relatively undiscovered. Expat Giles Knapton had been charmed by Goa way before it changed its character from laidback to LV, and built his first Coco Shambhala property there. But when he (more recently) discovered Sindhudurg, he felt it was like reclaiming paradise, the Goa that was gone, and decided to create a plush new four-villa resort in tune with nature right opposite the Blue Flag beach at Bhogwe.