I had no great expectations of Woodlands.. in fact the only reason I booked it was that I could not find ANY ADVERSE comments about the hotel in the net. In fact the profile and pictures of itself, which the hotel had put up on the net, were not impressive at all. But on checking in, I was amazed as to how spacious it actually was, completely insulated from the filthy surroundings that is Matheran, and how well equipped. The food was homely, tasty, in generous portions and served with affection and dedication by the staff. I had heard that Matheran was plagued with monkeys. Well, a couple of stray dogs, affectionately called Julie and Raju by the staff, had made the resort their home. These friendly creatures had sanitised the placed so well that no monkey or its stupid brood could be seen in the vicinity. Julie, an affectionate tail-wagging creature was in her snarling, aggressive form, while giving a chase to a huge snake, in front of my eyes. The dogs would even accompany guests on their walks, so that they would be protected against vicious monkeys and other forms of ‘nature’, including lack of proper signages, which invariably caused visitors to get lost. God Bless the owners of Woodlands. I would request them to put up proper pictures of themselves on the net, though.
I guess Woodlands Hotel can be a haven for couples as well as families, looking for peace and quiet.. good homely food, lots of greenery, leisure to read books (the Hotel has a small, cute library), kiddish games and generally chill.. as compared to the more commercialised hotels down the main bazaar of Matheran, where the incessant clomping of horses, dust and grime from the broken tracks and all-pervading smell of horse feces and urine, can easily make a sane person go insane..
