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4.5
#1 of 2 special inns in Mulshi
Location
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Value
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Sleep Quality
THE ARK is a boutique spa resort situated at a distance of 45 mins from Pune. Set in the midst of nature, far from the maddening crowd, you will find that everything at The Ark has been designed keeping your physical and mental wellbeing in mind. We provide you not only an escape from the routine stresses of life, but also a luxurious stay that will leave you with a sense of peace and tranquility.
This was a real pleasant surprise. Something for everyone. The place is well maintained and has a HUGE variety of books to read, indoor board games, table tennis/carrom in a separate hall, a pool, lots of outdoor space to walk, cycles you can borrow, etc. basically a place to exercise, read, play, eat and relax. The staff is really good and attentive to your needs and will try to do whatever they can. Half a star less only for the food that was only north indian - was expecting local fare and would have liked a little less oily stuff. Still, the taste was good for every item we had over the 3 nights stay we had just last weekend. The two of us had gone with my parents and they also liked the place. Highly recommended for those who don't want to just reach a place and stay put.
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Date of stay: January 2021
Value
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Room Tip:Â Deluxe room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from V Pushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 19 Feb 2021
Thanks for your ennumeration of facilities and would certainly work on our menu choices as its set meals.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from VPushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 24 Mar 2020
We're grateful for your enumeration of resort facilities in peaceful & serene environs..
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Situated literally in the middle of nowhere, the Ark is a welcome relief from the bustle of the city. We stayed in the Deluxe room, which overlooks the mountain range in the distance and the pond / gardens closer. It was an experience waking up to see the sun's rays light up the mountain side in the morning - and this from the comfort of your bed! The food was superb, non spicy and a good range of both veg and non- veg dishes. Being isolated, there is patchy cellphone network and the immediate road which is great for walking, it pretty detrimental for your vehicle's tires. The staff are helpful and the thoughtfully spaced out nooks and crannies for reading throughout the property give a nice, cozy feeling. Food and drinks can also be ordered off their menu, although for most people that might not be necessary. The only negatives are: 1. The pool is rather small, courtyard styled, open to sky but situated inside the main building near the reception. 2. The cycle as promised on the website are rusting away in a corner (although the manager clarified that they need to be scrapped and new ones would be arriving soon). All in all, the chirping of the birds, the great ambiance and breathtaking views is a welcomed break for a day or two.
Covered parking and an all round security guard adds to the piece of mind.
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from VPushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 13 Mar 2020
We're happy to know about your stay.
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My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary here last month.
This is a lovely property on the outskirts of Pune and is a terrific place for a weekend retreat. For book lovers, this is a particularly remarkable property since it has several places within the main building where you can just sit with a good book and read away for hours and hours.
The staff are consistently attentive and helpful and extend great hospitality. The location is the kind of place that does wonders to your mood over winter. In other words, if you want a break from the heat of the cities, then this is the perfect place.
Food is great too. The manager and staff were terrific at organising a cake in the 11th hour, which is a gesture I will never forget.
I commend the owners of the property along with their staff for building such a lovely property. Look forward to our next visit.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from VPushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 5 Jan 2020
Seasons Greetings We're delighted through your experiences during your stay here. Certainly look forward to your next stay in near future too.
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While the Pandemic fatigue is taking a toll on all of us, we sneaked in a short trip during the downward turn of virus curve. Booking was a seamless. Approach road is rocky ride in the wilderness. Check in was simple and we were allotted the spartan/no frills room in a jiffy. Well demarked spacious parking lot. We had opted from Garden View room but it was no where close to the picture as no seating arrangement overlooking the herb garden. Interesting concept of naming each room after a writer with couple of lines written on the door room. Ample numbers of books to whet your reading appetite. Food and beverages are doing a good job. They make an earnest effort in providing personalized and efficient service with whatever is available at their disposal. Bengali chef is a big bonus. Good place to chill around in open spaces and be one with nature with not a whiff of polluting air. Though its names suggest it a wellness resort but nothing ‘wellness’ related is really followed so much so that dinner is laid up post 8 P.M. which is indeed sacrilege from healthy lifestyle point of view. White breads, fried snacks, nothing organic are severed. So pl. set your expectations. We were to check out on Tuesday and the place was close to empty by Monday and property was in a spree of shutting off the services thus we were left erratic supply of AC and no water in the washroom. The front office was far from helpful and pulling up unbelievable excuses which left a sour taste. A budget resort offering mediocre services.
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Date of stay: March 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Go for first floor rooms for a better view
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from V Pushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 17 Jun 2021
Thanks for your feedback. Severe power surge in the area during the last day of your stay had crippling effect on power systems and water pumps which lead to some equipment damage and cascading effect shut down supply as reported had to be replaced and rectified. We had our Generator operational to support existing operational services while team repaired and got systems working before checkout. Gardens rooms are located near herbal garden and guests can always walkin to check out various plants. We've noted all your precious pointers and concerned departments notified towards adequate service resolutions and improvements desired.
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I visited Ark with my family for Diwali weekend and we booked 4 Deluxe rooms at this property.
This was my third visit to Ark and I was extremely disappointed to see how the boutique resort has changed. Firstly, the place has become dilapidated with lights hanging in the bathroom, mold everywhere, basins and bathrooms in shoddy conditions. Cleaning and dusting leave much to be desired and there is dust and dirt in the rooms on almost all surfaces. The interiors were once warm but now feel dank and dingy with low lighting and mismatched curtains.
All meals are included and the food menu is poorly planned. The same yellow gravy is repeated for at least one vegetable in every lunch. The food was oily but decent. However, the choices were limited and the service was bad. One breakfast, they ran out of bread. For almost all lunches the staff was not prepared for the Diwali rush crowd and we waited for rotis while the rest of the food went cold. Meals were often served late (even after there being a set menu and set timings) and we had to keep asking for some items because things would not be brought out on time.
The pool was very dirty. Also, because there were no timings, our afternoons got extremely loud and noisy with kids splashing around. The noise was especially loud because the structure encourages the echoing of sound.
The lift didn't work. Our AC's kept going off in the night. The shrubs in the garden were overgrowing and not well maintained. The list goes on.
There were lots of rules and sometimes it didn't feel like a vacation.
Because I have been here before, I understand how much better this place could be. I have been here when Mishal and Prasanna were managers and the service was what one went for. I have even recommended this place to so many friends. I am really upset to see how bad this place has become, especially because I insisted that our family visit here for Diwali.
Needless to say, I won't be going back. The one extra star in the review is for the location, which is great.
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Date of stay: November 2021
Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from V Pushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 26 Dec 2021
Sincere apologies. With due respect we've made continous improvements progressively..
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Booked one night's stay at this place based on the rave reviews and because we were looking for a quite place with a swimming pool. Sharing my personal review ahead with the pros and cons.
Pros: 1. Kind and helpful staff. 2. Awesome food! I can talk from a vegetarian perspective, but the spread across lunch, dinner and breakfast was amazing. Even the high tea had couple of snacks. 3. The beer and other liquor is decently priced (obviously higher than the MRP). 4. We had booked the garden facing room and it was well appointed. 5. The huge collection of some of the best books, makes one feel that spending the just the weekend there is not enough. 6. The natural surroundings are a treat for the eyes as well as make for a good area to stroll after your meals. 7. The directions on Google Maps are perfect and the approach road isn't too bad either. Infact it has fewer undulations than the roads running along the Pawna lake that get you to the hotel.
Cons: 1. The swimming pool. It is prominently advertised and for us city dwellers, amongst all the things that we get at boutique hotels/resorts, a swimming pool is the toughest to get in the city. Hence it was a major consideration for us while booking our stay.
However at the time of check-in, we were told that there has been some issue with the pipes due to which soil and impurities have been seeping back in. As a result the water was white & murky and hence unusable. I belive a proper solution to this issue should have been done well before the extended weekend. Customers shouldn't be given excuses, something we are mindful of at our own jobs as well.
2. The cycles were put out of service, awaiting some repairs-person to arrive. But I saw this exact issue and management response in an earlier review.
In conclusion, I think this place deserves an applause on a lot of factors but at the same time needs to improve on a couple of prominently advertised and yet undelivered services. They also have a spa which my wife and I were very much interested in paying for, but because of the huge let down of the swimming pool, we decided not to.
Here's hoping to a next visit, when things are better.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from VPushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 28 Feb 2020
Thanks. Latest images of Swimming Pool uploaded. Neverthless we managed to ensure clean, filtered and potable water supply to our guests rooms / kitchens etc all through the busy weekend. We're pursuing necessary remedial action towards some facilities. Infact large Pipes as informed got damaged on main roads previous night probably due to some heavy truck movement, leaving us little time and water capacity to refill the Pool. Bicycles are not used by all guests and if due to some reasons we come across damaged ones we do not blame, we ensure to withdraw such facility purely for our guests safety. We're in a remote location, repair technicians are scare, hence we've withdrawn the bicycles untill safety and repairs are addressed. Certainly never bargained in lieu, expressed facts and very next day had a pleasant sight of large group enjoy in the pool. We believe in being fair and rational with our facilities and certainly endeavour to ensure availability and efforts visible from latest images of Swimming Pool uploaded.
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We were 3 families, total of 6 adults and 4 children (all below 7), every one of us enjoyed every minute at this place. We lived only for 1 night and wished that we could stay more. Kids enjoyed: the pool side play, running around the corridors, staring at the stream of water, playing with the djenga blocks, playing cricket, cycling around the garden, throwing stones in the pond, wondering around all kinds of plants, and jumping on the bed, bonfire at 10PM, dancing on a rocky stage right behind the bonfire, taking swing in the playarea and also in the main building
We adults enjoyed: the fact that kids didn't need us much, it was quite safe, food was delicious, they asked for food customization if we needed any, they arranged nice small chat and food party at the night for us with a few tables joined together, washed our cars in the parking, cycling around the garden, bonfire, super cool weather and nice breeze, books collection, sitting in the 100 year old swing, courtesy of the staff, the chef special menu, breakfast.
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Date of stay: December 2020
Location
Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from V Pushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 19 Feb 2021
Our Ark Team is indeed happy to have your feedback and continue to delight our guests
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Ark is located amidst lots of greenery within its campus itself . It is tastefully decorated and I loved the book theme - library, reading nooks, authored rooms etc . Food was simple but tasty. Good play area for children. Overall a nice getaway from busy urban life. The manager is very friendly and helpful.
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from V Pushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 1 Apr 2021
We're glad you've enjoyed our theme and facilities during your family stay. We certainly look forward to your next stay in near future
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Negatives : 1. NO ROOM SERVICE : it's a pain to carry alcohol that you are paying for from kitchen to your room 2. No WiFi at all - I don't want somebody telling me who to connect with. 3. Small and dirty swimming pool 4. Zero sense of hospitality. - no flexibility around spa pricing , no effort to make our stay occasion special.
Overall I thought it would have been a great find , but the overall property , along with the staff’s dogmatic attitude won’t encourage me to visit here again.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from VPushkar, General Manager at The Ark Wellness Retreat
Responded 28 Jan 2020
Our resort theme provides an opportunity for all guests to come together and enjoy meals in our restaurant, besides we've had a lot of friendships happening and return trips. Sincere apologies. Majority of our guests prefer taking a break from internet connectivity and spend time in nature. We will explore feasibillity of Wi-Fi . Spa is outsourced and whenever any special packages available, we display for our guests directly at the Spa. Swimming pool is open to sky and gushing winds do spring surprises, which is skimmed and cleared frequently. Thanks for your feedback. We certainly would try improving within our theme and communicate our enhancements on our website.
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Very safe. The location is a little secluded and it's not like you can walk out and find shops and tourist destinations around the corner...but the hotel has a lot you can do and it's very safe. I would honestly feel safe to visit them on my own.
There are more places to choose from in the Mulshi area.
PRICE RANGE
₹6,913 - ₹9,358 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
IndiaMaharashtraPune DistrictMulshi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
14
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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