If you are in Bengal or in Kolkata and you plan to spend couple of days on a beach and looking for a relaxing weekend getaway, then you should definitely visit Mandarmani sea beach.
Bengal is probably one of the best states in the country of India which has everything starting from beautiful mountains of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and pristine beaches of Digha, Mandarmani to dense forest of Dooars and Sundarbans jungle area. God has probably poured all the beauties into this state and thus Bengal is one of the country’s highest revenue generating state in terms of tourism and development.
If you are in Bengal or in Kolkata and you plan to spend couple of days on a beach and have a relaxing weekend, then Mandarmani or Tajpur should be definitely on your list . We dint talk about Digha, as the place is quite crowded these days with the number of people visiting the beach increasing day by day.
If you are a nature lover and a beach bum and want to spend a quiet and relaxing weekend then definitely visit Mandarmani or Tajpur sea beach which is just adjacent to the Digha Sea beach.
In this blog we will talk about Mandarmani and how you can plan a weekend trip quite within the budget for a relaxing gateway.
Things to know about Mandarmani
Mandarmani is a small quaint beach located in Purba Medinipur district of South Bengal. It is around 180km from Kolkata and around 30km from Digha sea beach. This little beach has plenty of resorts and is considered a perfect weekend getaway in terms of facilities and cleanliness all around.
A great place to just lie down on the beach, watch the setting sun against gushing waves, Mandarmani is quite an experience
How to reach Mandarmani
There are plenty of ways you can reach Mandarmani from the nearest city of Kolkata:
- By Railways – There are plenty of trains leaving Santragachi & Howrah station which goes directly to Digha. You can get down near Contai station which is closer to Mandarmani. Alternatively if you don’t get train tickets try to book a local train from Santragachi which leaves at around 6:00 AM in the morning which reaches Mecheda station at 7:40 AM which then changes it course to reach Digha station.
- By Roadways – Bus or self drive is the best option to reach Mandarmani. There are plenty of AC buses which leaves from Salt Lake Karunamayee Bus stand or Esplanade bus stand in Kolkata. It usually takes 4 – 4.5 hours to reach Mandarmani considering one halt for breakfast. Get down in Chaulkhola and hire an auto to go to the Mandarmani beach. If you are self driving, Kolkata to Chaulkhola is around 180 KM in distance via NH16-NH116B route and it would take 3-4 hours by car as well.
Accommodation
There are plenty of accommodation available in Mandarmani sea beach for your perfect weekend getaway. You would get resorts and hotels as per your budget. You can book through any online website or you can call the hotel and directly book. Try to stay away from the main market area and go further inside. The beaches are lot cleaner and the crowd is also good.
Note : Hotels in Mandarmani have raised their rates considerably high, compared to the other beaches and weekend getaway of Tajpur and Digha. They also have started a new policy of only accepting bookings for more than one day which is quite strange. Its an inconvenient for people who are privately or publicly employed as they only get offs on Saturdays and Sundays.
Food
Mandarmani is quite famous for its delicious food specially for their sea food. Starting from crabs, to different varieties of salt water fishes, Mandarmani is a paradise for food lovers. There are plenty of huts or shacks located infront of the sea beach where you can get lip smacking sea food. However the prices are on the higher side compared to local joints.
Try to go to their local market and get the food cooked from there, the prices will be lot cheaper. Don’t also forget to try their Country Chicken (desi murgi in local language).
Itinerary
Day 1
Start of early from Kolkata and take an early morning bus or train to Digha. The bus fare should be close to Rs 300-400 and the fare of the train depends on which class you are booking. If its a normal chair car it should cost you more than Rs 200 (for ac its higher).
Reach Mandarmani sea beach and check in to your hotel. Now as you have only one day in your hand you can’t just sit back and relax.
The first thing you do is to immediately head out to the beautful beach and take a dive. Carry your beach clothes and sunscreen with you
Dont forget to inform the hotel about your lunch preference as they need to be given atleast 3,4 hours time to prepare the food for you.
Once your are done with the bathing part, head back to hotel, get freshen up and have your lunch.
Hire an auto maximum by 2:30 pm. You can get the contact number of the auto which have dropped you from station/bus stop to your hotel. Take the auto to do a quick local sight seeing. So you have the following options:
- Head to Tajpur and Digha and spend the evening there. Head back before sunset.
- Head towards Lal Kakra Beach (Red crab beach) and spent the remaining part of the day in peace and tranquility.
- Combine Tajpur and Lak Kakra Beach (Red crab beach)
Once that is done come back to your hotel and get freshen up. Or you can head straight towards the main market and find a beach shack. Have the delicious sea foods over there. Come back to your hotel to spend the day at leisure.
Day 2
Get up early in the morning, hire an auto and head towards Talsari and Udaipur sea beach. On the way have your breakfast. These beaches are close to the Orissa state located adjacent to the border area. You can also go to Subarna island which is a secluded sea beach located near by.
Spend the morning clicking some beautiful snaps and head towards Digha sea beach.
The West Bengal Government has beautified and revamped the Digha sea beach recently. Visit some local stores as it gets open by 9-9:30 AM , do some last minute shopping or buy some souvenirs on your way back home.
After spending some time, have your lunch in Digha itself. Digha has plenty of good restaurants serving delicious meals. So its better to have lunch at Digha as you will have lot of options.
After lunch take a bus from Digha or board the train to head back towards Kolkata by the evening.
Budget
We were a group of 4 so our budget went like this :
- Bus from Kolkata – Rs 300 per head
- Hotel – Rs 2500 (4 bed room) which is Rs 625 per head
- Transport (Auto from Chaulkhola to Mandarmani) – Rs 200 , Per head is Rs 50
- Day 1 tour to Lal Kakra and Tajpur – Rs 700 – Rs 175 per head
- Day 2 tour to Digha, Talsari and Udaipur – Rs 1000 – Rs 250 per head
- Train from Digha to Kolkata – Rs 110 per head
- Food – Rs 800 per head
Total – Rs 2200 per head (approx)
Conclusion
Mandarmani is one of the best beaches in the state of West Bengal and a perfect weekend getaway. The crowd here is quite decent and the beach is lot cleaner compared to Bakhkhali or Digha. You can also choose to stay in Tajpur which is also a very beautiful beach but it has got very less options for hotels and restaurants to try.
The food here is delicious especially if you are a sea food lover.
Be a little mindful about the locals here, they are quite tricky to handle at times so don’t get into quarrels or fights with them.
Ac buses are the best way to commute from Kolkata. There are plenty of buses in and around Esplanade area early in the morning, so you just need to come and book a bus on spot.
For other weekend getaway do visit our blog section
Note: Bus booking apps charges a lot of additional taxes and higher charges at times
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