Madhu found Akshay Bungalow on the internet and the pictures looked quite appealing. What I liked most was that the structure looked newly built, which would mean that the bathrooms would be new too . We called them from Alibag’s bus stand and were happy to find that rooms were available. However, getting there turned out to be a problem as the roads around the bungalow are all completely dug up. It is tucked at the back of a small alley and the auto couldn’t drive up to the gate. Distance-wise, though, it isn’t too far from the town center or the beach.
Akshay Bungalow’s owner lives in Bombay and manages the property remotely. A local lady lives onsite with her family and takes care of the day-to-day operations. She does all the cleaning and cooking as well. Although we didn’t eat there, she said she could cook up veg as well as non-veg (chicken/fish) thalis for dinner. She was quite warm and had a friendly smile.
Our double-room was quite spacious with a large window looking out to the greenery around the 
bungalow – this is probably the best feature of the room. There is seating built against the window which is quite nice. It is also enough space for a child to sleep in. The room had no closet space and the world’s smallest TV . The bathroom is small and cramped but with good fixtures and plumbing. The only thing we didn’t like were the floor tiles in the bathroom; they seemed to be dirt-magnets .
Overall our stay at Akshay Bungalow was comfortable. We were expecting a true home-stay where we would get the chance to interact with the family that lives there. However, Akshay Bungalow is like any other hotel but, obviously, at a much smaller scale. A large group or family can live in the main section of the bungalow while rooms for couples or smaller families have been built into a 2-storied structure that is attached to the back of the bungalow. It doesn’t have the feel of a home-stay but is warmer than a hotel-stay.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Just last week we had been to Akshay bungalow at Alibaug (Saturday & Sunday). This has been the worst experience we ever had!
The road upto the bungalow is very narrow and big vehicles such as a minibus, etc find it very difficult to reach the main gate. In the rainy season, the road is full of muck. We had a harrowing experience just to get in and out of the bungalow. Also, the neighbours get irritated with constant vehicle movement. Due to the mucky road, any occupant has to take the road through the adjoining compound and this irritates them the most. The neighbours have been constantly complaining to the owner to build a proper road to the bungalow to which he has turned a deaf ear.It so happened that when we were trying to get our bus to the main gate, few neighbours came to assault us. Only after some sweet talk were they pacified. Moreover the owner is extremely arrogant. When we brought the above incident to the notice of the owner, he replied that incident has occured outside his premises and he is in no way concerned with it. Just see the treatment given to customers. Moreover, he was insisting that we should pay the entire amount of food and lodging for two days immediately on checking-in. We paid the advance and told him that we would be settling the rest afterwards. The height of arrogance was he told the care taker to serve us food only if we pay the balance amount first. Food quality was very poor. They are so stingy in serving food that we can’t eat to our heart’s fill. How can we enjoy and relax on empty stomachs.A sincere requests to all the people who are looking forward for a weekend at Alibaug. Just stay away from Akshay bungalow !!
Hi Manoj,
Welcome to 10YearItch and thanks for leaving the detailed report of your trip.
We were not impressed with the place either (Hence the rating 6/10).
Luckily for us we did not have any negative experience. It was just that we didn’t feel that it qualified as Home Stay.
Definitely not a recommended place for sure.
Regards,
Madhu
mymail_manojk@yahoo.co.in