When Pravin and Priya Samanth retired in 2009, they turned to their 10-acre ancestral land in Sindhudurg’s Parule village in Maharashtra.
The couple decided to set up cottages amid the plantations here and invite guests to share the culture with them.
“That moment was the inception of Maachli,” their son Prathamesh tells The Better India.
The name borrows inspiration from an old Konkan tradition where farmers built themselves these huts for getaways, or as places of rest, and spent months here with their families.
“My grandfather, a farmer himself, did this many times. So when we decided to start homestays, we wanted to imbibe this concept,” says Prathmesh.
Everything at Maachli imbues sustainability — from the six cottages made with coconut wood to the lack of ACs and the activities planned for guests.
The family also encourages visitors to take a much-needed digital detox while here.
The hosts conduct plantation tours where guests are taken around the place and introduced to the benefits of all the medicinal spices and plants.
There is also a neighbouring pottery village where, for Rs 1,000, guests can take a class from an expert potter.
No one who comes to Maachli leaves without paying a visit to the glorious Sindhudurg Fort built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj around 1665.