Encore, A Boutique Resort — Hotel in Maharashtra

We visited Encore Boutique Resort on 9th October. It was indeed a hidden gem in the middle of lush green forest, yet so close to Pune to spend quality time with your Family, friends or to celebrate special occasions. Below are few tips to the fellow travelers based on my firsthand experience -

ROOMS – There are 13 rooms total, 5 are Pool view whereas 8 are Lakeview rooms. Lakeview rooms are on first floor with high ceiling and has a balcony overlooking the pool and the lake. Poolside rooms are mostly on ground floor and has a sit out outside with the view of pool, lush green mountains from all the sides. Rooms are very spacious with King Bed, additional sofa cum bed. Each room has a unique décor and the rooms are furnished pretty well. Besides Air conditioner, each room also has a ‘dehumidifier’ which is must in the high rainfall regions like Mulshi. So overall appearance of the room was very fresh indeed and there was absolutely no dampness even if we visited this place post monsoon. The bathrooms are big as well with essential toiletries, independent geyser for 24 hrs hot water and a rain shower.

ROOM TIPS – Lake view Rooms 1008 – 1011 offers the best views from their balcony whereas Pool view Rooms 1006 and 1007 are situated at a height and has a nice long verandah seat out.

WHEN TO VISIT - Throughout the year except for the heavy monsoon may be. Avoid weekends due to crowd. Weekdays are best to enjoy and tariff will also be considerably lower. When we visited in October, the Weather was very good. No rains except for evening, sunny mornings, cloudy afternoons and yellow cosmos flowers bloom at its peak!

AMENITIES / ACTIVITIES – Resort has 3 swimming pools of different shapes, size and depths. Swimming pools are now accessible to guests and I saw everyone enjoying in the water after a long Covid lockdown. They also have a poolside bar and gazebo where your favorite drinks or food can be served. There was another plunge pool down below with a cascading staircase waterfall similar to Bhushi dam, but it was not operational. There is separate play room with TT, pool table, carrom, chess etc. There are lots of open areas where one can play badminton, cricket, football etc. But the best part was 2 story machaan at the back side of the resort and the 360 degree view of the surroundings was just mesmerizing. You will see Mulshi backwater on one side and lush green mountains with forest on the other side. The resort is spread across acres and connected through well-lit pathways for taking nice an long stroll with fresh air in abundance. Do visit the nearby Palse Waterfall and Tamhini Ghat Viewpoints.

FOOD – There is only 1 restaurant “The Cliff Café” with nice ambience and high seating. But don’t expect any gourmet food. Overall it was fresh, tasty, delectable and presentation was good. The Goan fish curry what we ordered had more of Punjabi taste than Coastal. They also have a Bar and prices are reasonable. Breakfast was hearty and besides regular continental spread there was also Idli Sambar, Poori with Sabji, Paneer Paratha, Sabudana Khichadi, Baked beans on Toast, eggs and dosa made to order. Taste of the food was good especially the Dosa and Sambar. The food that was served in room was also neatly presented.

STAFF – Staff was very cordial and helpful. What I really liked was that they visited each room in the evening asking if we need any replenishments like Tea/ coffee / sugar sachets or anything else.

COVID RELATED PRECAUTIONS – No temperature checks Or vaccination check was done. But sanitizers were available at key touch points including each room and everyone from the staff was wearing the masks.

Overall, it was very good weekend spent at Encore Boutique Resort and will definitely come...

Pros: The place is not too crowded. They have only 13 rooms and all the rooms have beautiful views from the balcony. Room sizes are good too. The place is good for relaxing and enjoying nature. The Staff is helpful and courteous. The Property is well maintained. There are power cuts but generator backups are quick. Free Wifi is provided. The swimming pool is clean and maintained properly. Drinks or food are being served at the pool zone. Plenty of space is available for Car and Bike parking.

Cons: The gaming zone had broken rackets, No Pool, and very few games are available. No drinks or food are being served at the gaming zone. The menu is limited, and the food quality is average and could be improved. Breakfast and Lunch are buffets depending on the rooms occupied otherwise Breakfast, lunch, high tea, and Dinner are ala cart. There is no arrangement for Barbeque. If you want to have dinner in the hut near the pool, charges are applied. No Airtel, Idea, Vodafone, Jio connectivity. Wifi speed is very low around 7 Mbps to 10 Mbps.

Facilities: Car park- Available Free Wi-Fi in all rooms- - Available Front desk [24-hour]-- Available Check-in/out [express]-- Available BBQ facilities-- Not Available Swimming pool [indoor]- - Available Kids club-- Available Restaurants-- Available

Languages spoken: English Hindi

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible- Available

Things to do, ways to relax: Badminton court--Available Billiards--Not Available Dart board--NotAvailable Squash court--Available Table tennis--Available

Cleanliness and safety: Cashless payment service--Available Daily disinfection in all rooms--Available Daily disinfection in common areas--Available First aid kit--Available Hand sanitizer--Available

Dining, drinking, and snacking: A la carte breakfast--Available Bar--Available BBQ facilities--Not Available Bottle of water 2--Available Breakfast [buffet]--Available Coffee shop--Available Kitchen--Available Restaurants--Available Room service [24-hour]--Available Shared kitchen

Services and conveniences: Concierge Daily housekeeping--Available Dry cleaning--Available Ironing service--Available Laundry service--Available Lockers--Available Smoke-free property--Available Smoking area--Available

For the kids: Kids club--Available Playground--Available Swimming pool [kids]--Available

Access: Buzzer/wireless intercom--Available Check-in/out [express]--Available Check-in/out [private]--Available Front desk [24-hour]--Available Pets allowed--Available Security [24-hour]--Available

Getting around: Car park [free of charge]--Available Car park [on-site]--Available

Available in all rooms: Air conditioning--Available Balcony/terrace- Not for all rooms Bathrobes--Not Available Cleaning products--Available Clothes rack--Available Coffee/tea maker--Available Daily newspaper--Not Available Fire extinguisher--Available First aid kit--Available Free bottled water--Available Free welcome drink--Available Ground floor available--Available Hair dryer--Not Available Heating--Available Linens Locker--Available Low floor available--Available Mini bar--Available Mirror--Available Non-smoking--Available Shower--Available Slippers--Not Available Sofa--Available Swimming pool [direct access]--Available Towels--Available Trouser press--Available TV [flat screen]--Available Umbrella--Available Wake-up service--Available Wi-Fi...

This resort does blatant cheating when someone books lake view rooms at higher cost. We have booked lake facing rooms but didnt get it. Despite having lake facing rooms available they allocated us rooms which are not lake facing. They said that they give rooms on first come first serve basis but when we checked there were two lake facing rooms empty but they didnt give us despite raising the issue(dnt know what is quid pro quo with manager) well in advance manager, he said that go and complain to agoda you booked room from there and not directly. Manager gave us non Lake facing rooms telling that it is lake facing if you come out of your room. By that sense you can tell any room mountain facing by walking down a kilometer.

I had a very unfortunate experience of staying at this so-called "hotel" with my family, and it was an absolute nightmare from start to finish. I cannot stress enough how insecure and unsafe I felt throughout our entire stay. To make matters worse, the staff, particularly the manager Amit Sharma, displayed such arrogance and lack of concern for our well-being that it was appalling.

One of the major disappointments was the false advertisement of the rooms. We booked a deluxe room with the expectation of a picturesque lake view, as stated in their description. However, upon arrival, we were shocked to find that not all deluxe rooms offered this view, leaving us stuck in a cramped space with a view of the dingy alleyway instead.

Speaking of disappointment, let's talk about the exorbitant price they charged us for this shambolic accommodation. It was like we were paying for a luxury resort, but what we received was far from it. The condition of the rooms was below par, with outdated and worn-out furniture, stained carpets, and a persistent musty odor that made it hard to breathe.

The food served was ok but not at par with the price theynare charging. Ultimately taking advantage of the secluded spot as you cannot find any other restaurants nearby. One aspect that made us feel vulnerable and unsafe was the lack of security guards. There was virtually no presence of security personnel on the premises, which made us feel vulnerable, especially at night. It seemed like the management was more interested in saving money than ensuring the safety and comfort of their guests.

Overall, our stay at this hotel was a complete disaster. From the deceiving descriptions to the arrogant and indifferent staff, not to mention the lack of security measures, this place is an absolute disgrace to the hospitality industry. I strongly advise anyone considering staying here to think twice and find a more reputable and customer-oriented establishment. Your family's safety and comfort should never be compromised for the sake of a few extra bucks in the pocket of an inept and self-serving...