I go to Lonavala to take a much-needed break from work and to relieve stress every once in a while. I usually return the same day or stay back at a hotel. However, this time around I decided to do something more exciting by spending a day at the biggest backpacker hostel brand in India, Zostel.
Hi, my name is Vinay, and I’m taking you with me on an unforgettable Lonavala trip. So, fasten your seatbelt and get ready to share my exclusive experiences at Zostel Plus Lonavala.
Traveling Experience
I usually book a car for my trip since I return on the same day. However, I decided to take a bus instead for a different experience. I used the Red Bus app to book my ticket, which cost INR 441. The boarding point was closeby to where I live. I received all details via SMS and email as soon as I booked the ticket using the Red Bus app. The departure time was 7:45 am, but I reached the pickup point at 7:20 am.
Journey Experience
Much to my delight, the bus arrived ahead of its scheduled time. Now, as soon as I entered the bus, I noticed that it had extremely comfortable seats. Moreover, there was enough leg room to keep my bag. I had booked an A/C Seater bus via Neeta tours and travels. The bus was set to stop only at one place where travelers could get down to use the washroom. So, I reached Lonavala at around 10:10 AM., which was sooner than I expected.
Reaching Zostel
I had booked a 1-day stay at Zostel Plus Lonavala. The staff at Zostel had helped me get in touch with a ricksha driver who would take me to the destination. The bus dropped me at the Lonavala exit point. However, the rickshaw driver claimed I had got down ahead of the previously decided spot and he’d take about 30 minutes to reach there. Alternatively, he recommended another driver if I was willing to pay INR 200 more.
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As per our discussion, the ricksha driver was already charging INR 800 to take me to Zostel Plus from Lonanavla highway. I felt he was simply taking advantage of the situation, and decided to take another rickshaw. If you’re traveling solo, fret not, you’d find ample rickshaws at the drop-off point to take you to your destination. In fact, you don’t even have to rely on Google Maps to reach Zostel, since most of these rickshaw drivers know the exact location.
Anyway, Zostel Plus Lonavala doesn’t recommend using Google Maps to reach the location. To recap, I received an email from Zostel Plus Lonavala with travel directions to the hotel to make the travel easy.
Registration
After about 40 minutes of not-so-cozy rickshaw ride, I reached Zostel Plus at around 11:10 AM. My check-in time was 12 PM noon. My check-in experience was seamless and contactless. The first step involves scanning a QR code using your smartphone’s QR scanner or Google Lens. You’d get a link on the screen that you need to click on to open the Web Check-in page.
On this page, you’d need to fill up details such as name, mobile number, email, Nationality, and arrival and departure date. It is also worth mentioning here that you need to carry a valid ID proof like Aadhaar Card, Driving License, or Passport since you need to upload it on the Check-in page. Lastly, you need to agree to the property Terms & Conditions and submit the form. I received these instructions and the web check-in link via email as well. So, you can choose to fill out this form before reaching Zostel to save time.
Accommodation
I had paid INR 1,119 for a bed in a 6-bed, mixed dorm. It is worth noting this does not include meals. Nevertheless, the room was clean and looked pretty cozy. The bed sheets and pillows on all beds were clean and well-organized. The bed was pretty comfortable as well. The bathroom was clean and had both cold as well as hot water supplies. Overall, the Mixed Dorm was pretty good.
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Alternatively, you can choose from a wide range of beautiful rooms including a Villa, Superior Deluxe Room, Suit with lake view, and more. You book these rooms and check out their prices here.
Food
Zostel Plus Lonavala has a restaurant called The Garage. As mentioned earlier, I reached here around noon so I was too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. I had to wait about a couple of hours to place my order. I felt the food was slightly overpriced. But I wasn’t expecting the food to be reasonably priced anyway. I ordered chicken triple fried rice which came with a price tag of INR 320. With this, I ordered a 7 Up, which cost INR 120 here. So, I spent INR 440 on my lunch.
The chicken triple fried rice was good so, I was looking forward to checking out some of the other dishes on the menu at night. In the afternoon, I wanted to have tea, but I was told tea and coffee would be served only after 4:30 PM. I didn’t understand why they have a time slot for serving something that doesn’t take much time to make. Nevertheless, I went to check if they had started serving tea at 4:30 PM, but I was informed that they would serve tea at 5 PM.
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I got lucky the third time. The tea here costs INR 50, while coffee will set you back INR 60. I usually don’t drink tea, but I didn’t see green tea on the menu so had to order tea. In the evening, I decided to order a veg sandwich, which turned out to be pretty good. Before checking out the next day, I had ordered aloo parantha, which didn’t disappoint as well. However, I had ordered veg Singapore noodles that night, which didn’t live up to my expectations.
Overall, I liked the food they served at The Garage, but do not understand why they have such strict time slots for tea and coffee.
Things to do at Zostel Plus Lonavala
Zostel Plus is located right by Pawna Lake and is the biggest Zostel yet. There’s something to do for solo travelers, those traveling with their partner, or with friends. The activities here include boating or kayaking, fishing, and an island tour. Alternatively, you can go for hikes nearby or go on a trek to the ancient Lohagad Fort.
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The Amenities include (on-screen)
Mountain View
pool
Swimming Pool
wifi
Free Wi-Fi
payment
Card Payment Accepted
local_drink
Water Dispenser
ac_unit
Air-conditioning
casino
Common hangout area
restaurant
Cafe
sports_esports
In-house Activities
waves
Lake View
liquor
Bar
local_parking
Parking (public)
You can dive in the swimming pool, enjoy games in the glasshouse, or simply watch the sun go down from the infinity hammock.
Night Experience
The most notable aspect of my stay at the Zostel Plus Lonavala was the live music. The song selection was pretty average in my opinion, but the singers and their band didn’t disappoint. I ended up making some very good friends here and ended up dancing until 2:30 am. However, since they serve alcohol here, expect to see all kinds of the audience here.
Check Out
I returned to my room around 3 am and went straight to sleep. However, I woke up around 5 am when it was still dark here. So, I waited in my room until 6 am to explore the area one last time before checking out. I loved how everything looked prettier in the morning.
I packed my bag and was ready to leave around 9:30 AM. The checkout time here is 10:00 AM. I called the same ricksha driver who dropped me at Zostel Plus to take me to the pickup point near Lonavala highway. Also, I used Red Bus again to book my ticket to Andheri, but this time, I got a Golden Travels bus. I enjoyed the weather during my rickshaw ride which was surprisingly less bumpy this time around.
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While waiting for the bus, I decided to have some breakfast at a restaurant nearby. The bus arrived on time and dropped me in Andheri around 4 PM. However, my experience traveling on the Golden bus wasn’t as comfortable as traveling on the Neeta bus. The drop-off was barely a few minutes away from my home. I took a rickshaw and reached home around 4:15 PM.
By the way, I saw a place called Dinosaurs Park on my way to the Lonavala highway, and have already planned to visit here soon. In the meantime, please like, and share this video, and consider subscribing to my channel if you like watching travel-related content. Until then, stay well.
Watch this space for more travel-related content.
