Hotel Reviews: Lonar, Maharashtra
MTDC Holiday Resort
Lonar is a small village with basic lodging facilities. The only big hotel close to the crater is MTDC’s 
Holiday Resort and so we had no option but to pick it. Unfortunately, it turned out to be our worst stay yet 
!
Calling this place a Holiday Resort is quite laughable! It is old and very poorly maintained. We stayed in one of their air-conditioned ‘cottage’ rooms. It was spacious but quite ugly. The bathroom was rundown and just about functional. There was a color TV but it ran only 4 national channels 
. At night there were quite a few creepy-crawlies in the room; I slept terribly !
The room was bad enough but the restaurant was worse. It’s on a level above the hotel’s reception area and is nothing but a large hall with worn-out furniture. It has more of a canteen feel than that of a 
restaurant. The only positive was a large balcony overlooking the crater. The food was edible but given how dirty the rest of the place was, we had our doubts about the kitchen’s hygiene-levels…
Overall, this hotel is best avoided. In fact, until more hotel options develop in the area, Lonar is best visited as a day-trip from Aurangabad.
Rating: 4 out of 10
March 19th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
I beg to disagree with you on this review. I went to this place three weeks ago and I was impressed with what I saw. I did not stay in the cottages so I cannot comment but the 16-bed dorms were spacious and clean and perfectly functional. The fittings in the bathroom were of high quality and working perfectly though it could have been slightly cleaner.
As for the restaurant, I agree, its not much when it comes to decor but the people working there were friendly, enthusiastic and the service was quick and satisfactory. The menu was also satisfactory.
You have to consider everything in the right perspective. In spite of this place being a natural wonder and a very important geological site, very few people know about it. Most of my friends from Pune haven’t even heard of it. Hence the number of customers that this resort sees is very low. Most of the rooms/dorms are usually empty and the income generated is quite obviously too low to sustain the place. In spite of that, MTDC has kept this place going and I appreciate them for that. This is RIGHT ON THE EDGE of the crater and there could be no better place to stay for the night if you visit Lonar. If MTDC decided to shut down this resort, it would be a shame because this is definitely better, cleaner, quieter, less crowded and more pleasant (surrounded by trees) than any shady lodge/hostel etc. could be.
March 19th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Hi there,
I’m glad to hear that you liked the MTDC resort; the dorms must definitely have been better than the cottages we stayed at. But I have stayed at far cleaner places; not having enough customers is no excuse for unclean rooms. Yes, if this MTDC were to shut down, it would be bad because there are no other hotels out there.
Cheers!
Savi
May 25th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Hi Savi,
1. Is there no other place than the MTDC resort?
2. What kinda of tariff’s at MTDC ?
3. How was your experience with the surroundings and the crater?
May 25th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Hi Samir,
There are a couple of lodges in the village of Lonar, near the bus stand. They may be worth checking out; I wish we had too. Since we didn’t have a car, we figured it would be smarter to stay within walking distance of the crater and MTDC’s Resort was our only option. We paid somewhere around Rs.1000 for the room here.
The crater and the surroundings are quite pretty and definitely worth a visit. However, it gets terribly warm and dry in spring and summer so I would recommend visiting it only after the rains have set in or in winters.
Are you planning a visit sometime soon? I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Savi