Lonavala, Maharashtra
The Machan
There isn’t much to do here. And that’s the point.
There isn’t much to do here. And that’s the point.
The Machan is in Atvan, near Lonavala, tucked into the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra.
About 2.5–3 hrs from Mumbai, roughly 2 hrs from Pune. The last stretch off the highway is narrow and slow, especially after rain.
Nearest station is Lonavala, around 30–40 minutes away by taxi.
Nearest airport is Pune, about 2 hrs away. Mumbai’s international airport is roughly 3 hrs.
October to March for the clearest valley views — or June to September if you want the forest at its greenest and mistiest, which is when we went.
Couples and slow-travel weekenders. Less suited to large groups or very young kids, given the stairs and the height off the ground.
We wanted a weekend within driving distance of the city that didn’t feel like it. The Machan kept coming up as the treehouse stay near Lonavala — not a gimmick room bolted onto a resort, but an actual elevated structure in the forest. We went in late October, right as the monsoon mist was thinning out but the hills were still soaked green. It lived up to the photos, which is rarer than it should be.
Warm timber, a four-poster bed, huge openings to the forest and a private deck. It feels more like living inside the landscape than looking at it.
Mist, forest, valley and the occasional patch of blue. The view is less something you visit and more something that stays with you.
Breakfast is served looking straight into the treeline — idlis, roasted tomatoes, sambar and a couple of chutneys, simple and well made rather than a sprawling buffet.
Then walk. The property has marked nature trails, dense greenery and enough quiet to make doing absolutely nothing feel like a plan.
For couples who’d rather wake up in the trees than wake up to another hotel room.