Beyond, Sula Vineyards, Nasik

The entrance to the resort

Beyond is the resort opened by Sula Vineyards. It (like the vineyards) is also situated in Nasik and is 2 km ahead of the vineyards itself. We visited Beyond in June 2012 and the trip turned out to be much more than we had expected.
From Mumbai we took the NH3 - the highway is well maintained and the drive is smooth and enjoyable - there is a short stretch that goes through the hills and the view from there is beautiful. 
The highway has a lot of punjabi dhabas. On our way to Nasik, we ate at Oye Punjabi. We ordered  one aloo paratha, a plate of chole bhature, chaaas and lassi. The food costed us approximately Rs.700 and was decent, though nothing to rave about. The place has been done up like a village haveli, which was quite interesting.

The cool and pleasant evenings

It took us around 4 hours door-to-door to reach Beyond. We had rented a deluxe room as opposed to other more luxurious choices available. The room was simply yet tastefully done. Every room has an attached balcony - our's faced the beautiful lawn and the vineyards. The bathroom is smartly designed with modern furnishings, though there is no bath tub. Overall, the room was very comfortable and we had no complaints.
The location and the architecture of the resort offers a beautiful view of the lake in the vicinity and the mountains in the area. Even though in June the area was dry and arid, the view was simply gorgeous. 

The grape plantations - you can see the lake and mountains in the background

The resort also has an infinity pool, though it is not much to swim in considering its size and  depth. Wine is served in the pool if requested. Sitting in the pool with a glass of wine and looking at the lovely scenery was one of the most relaxing experiences. 
The resort also has a spa attached to it - Aura. It offers couples massages as well which is perfect for a romantic weekend. A basic massage costs Rs.2000 per person.

The 'inifinity' pool - sitting with a glass of wine makes the experience even more enjoyable.

A very good thing about the resort is the peace and quite it offers. Even though the resort was fully occupied when we visited and there were some not-so-quite families (with kids) around, we never felt our privacy  being encroached upon. 

The view from our balcony

There is only one cafe in the resort which is not open 24 hours. The breakfast that we had (which was included in the package) was not very impressive. Sula Vineyards has three more restaurants - The Tasting Room, Little Italy and Soma.  We had dinner in Little Italy (you know to behave like Italians - since we were having wine!), and like every other Little Italy outlet in India (as were told there) serves only vegetarian food.

The restaurants Little Italy and Soma - they open to a nice courtyard

Though one can rent a bicycle from Beyond to reach these restaurants, the road is  not lit in the night and it may not be safe to walk or bike the distance.

The grapes used in the fermentation process for preparing the Sula  'Sauvignon Blanc'

Do note that the resort does not have network coverage everywhere. Also, though it was warm during the day, the evenings were cool and pleasant. 
We paid Rs.6,500 for the stay which included one night stay, breakfast and a tour of the vineyards. The tour of the vineyards was quite informative, though it is actually for only Rs.300 and does not add much to the package.

The barrels in which the wine is stored

On our way back to Mumbai we ate at Daras Dhaba. We ordered kadai paneer, daal tadka, breads and a Carlsberg and the total bill was around Rs. 650. The food was better than Oye Punjabi, though the place has no ambiance to talk about.
Beyond is a perfect destination to relax and a great weekend getaway.  We do recommend taking this stress free weekend if you are in or around the Mumbai-Pune-Nasik region or happen to be here on a long trip. If you are residing in areas beyond this Maharashtra region, hold your trip plans till January - February - thats when the Sula Wine Festival takes place (dates are announced closer to the festival) and we have heard its pretty good. 


We plan to visit it again during the wine season.