With the family craving for a vacation and the winter just coming to an end, I decided to visit Mandarmani in the month of February. With Digha, Taajpur, Shankarpur, and Bakkhali nearby, you have many other options as well. Each of them being equally beautiful, here is what you can do in Mandarmani, right in the lap of the Bay of Bengal.
From Calcutta, you can either drive down to Mandarmani or catch a train. Every day, about 4 trains run from Howrah to Digha. The journey being 3 hours, it is a beautiful way to set for a family vacay. That is what we chose for; munching on jhaalmuri, samosa, chop, chips, sipping on hot, and engaged in long and hearty laughable discussion, we reached Digha around 10:00 am. (We were travelling in the Tamralipta Express that departed Howrah station at 6:35 am. Note that to go to Mandarmani, Kanthi or Contai is a better station to get down. But the halt is for a very short time. Do not give it a try if you are carrying a lot of luggage and have elder members of your family travelling with you.)
The driver from our hotel had come to receive us at the Digha station. Ample of autos and tempos are always available outside the station and hence, the area is usually over crowded. In case you are looking for hassle free travel, do ask your hotel to send a cab. The travel time from Digha to Mandarmani is around 1 hour. However, based on the road condition it might take around 1 and a half hour. Cab fare from Digha to Mandarmani is Rs 600. And autos would charge you around Rs 300 for the same.
Mandarmani isn’t usually flocked by a lot of tourists. So, you would usually find it a little secluded. That is one of the main reason why we chose this place for a family getaway. We were put up at the Candlewood Park Beach Resort. The property was a little away from the main bus stop or market of Mandarmani. Needless to say, that this property was the single most reliable solution that I found over the internet.
We had booked a family room. The room being on the first floor gave a splendid view of the peaceful coastline. Walking into our family suite, we were assured that our weekend was resting on real good hands. Here’s a suggestion. While booking the rooms, go for the rooms on the first floor to get the best sea-view. As informed by the hotel authorities, the ground floor rooms are only available in OYO rooms. On all the other travel websites, it’s only the first-floor rooms that are available.
By the time we freshened up, it was already time for lunch. We called up Sukanto da (the hotel usually appoints a restaurant staff for every family). He was more than happy to assist us with the food. Not just for that day’s lunch. With his warm smile, positive attitude, and suggestions, Sukanto da was there for us, during the entire stay.
The cab driver appointed for our family was an extremely helpful guy. He helped us plan the places of visit. For the evening, we were travelling to the Talasari beach to enjoy the sunset. Talasari is situated in Balasore district of Orissa and is hence a little far away from Mandarmani. The drive time is more than 2 hours. So, in case you want to catch the sun setting done, do start by 3:30 pm.
The beach is often traded by high and low tide. Hence, the sea line keeps moving away. When at a distance, people usually travel till the sea, riding on bikes. We, however, chose to walk down. Jumping over small streams of water running through the wet sand, watching them make beautiful patterns, we happily marched together. With numerous fishing boats docked around and casuarina groves in the background, nothing could ever be a better backdrop for the most perfect sunset.
As we came back, we stopped by a few stalls selling beautiful cane baskets. Also, a heaven for evening snacks. So, we decided to stop over to enjoy some hot tea, crab roast, fish fry, and prawn pakora.
Finishing up the dinner, we strolled along the beach, and watched the moon light up the night sky and paint the sea white. The first day was well spent.
The usual time for sunrise is 6:00 to 6:15 am. But the dawn colors the sky with a mild red hue that unites everyone to the sea shore, way before the time for sunrise. And what a sight it was. With a blanket of moist and sticky sand laden around, cold waves mildly passing by, the sky getting ready to welcome the sun trying to pop-out; I hadn’t seen a sunrise more beautiful than that.
We decided to skip breakfast at the hotel. And walked down to the small stall cum café right next to the hotel. Our breakfast comprised on butter-toast, bread-omlette, and a cup of hot tea.
Having done that we boarded an auto to reach the Mohona (Bengali term for the meeting ground of the sea and the river). A beautiful place to visit any time of the day. The shore is usually crowded by large fish-trollers, small boats, groups of fishermen, and groups of red crabs. Watching those crabs soaking in the sun and quickly hiding inside the sand as we go nearby; was the best takeaway from the vacation. Our auto driver was friendly enough to catch hold of one of the red beauties, just to give our happiness a few more leaps to jump around.
The evening was a serene one, mostly because our stay was coming to an end. We spent most of the time sitting near the beach, drenched in the aroma of the sea, and listening to the waves crash.
The next morning, we called for the same cab driver, to drop us at Digha station. Another 3 hours journey and we were back to the city life. The weekend was spent really well. Starting from the room, its cleanliness, the hotel staffs and the food; everything asked for a big applaud.
Mandarmani, you will always be special. For you introduced me to a very different side of the Bay of Bengal. The otherwise roaring, voluminous, ferocious sea was rather subtle to us. May be because of the weather; at least that’s what the localities said. Who cares, I fell in love with you and will visit you soon.
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