I will be traveling to Pune and staying for almost 3 weeks. While the weekdays will be pretty much filled with work, I should have most of the weekends free, plus I was told there is a national holiday on Aug. 15/16th, so I will have those days free as well.

I'm sure a number of you have spent some time there (or have better knowlege of the city than me). I have never been to India before, so what are some suggestions on what to do and see while I am there?

I don't know if it effects anything, but I will be staying at the Le Meridian for the first 12 days and then staying at the TAJ Diamond for the remainder of my stay.

There are a ot of nice places around Pune for the weekend....my uncle has set up a b&B on top of a mountain which is very beautiful and extremey peaceful...if interested PM me and I will put you in touch with the manager...

I prefer the Le Meridian over the Taj -- as this is not that great of a propertyy....also, try all the different food products available...by the way...getting an English speaking guide is easy since Pune is a college town...

If you are married and want to really knock the SO on her butt(so to speak), go to PNG World Jewelers...and look around...negotiate hard...I got my wife a
.5 carat soliatare necklace with matching .5 carat earings that cost me approx 8000USD with perfect diamonds...got it appraised it here by a certified gemologist and it came back to me approx 15000USD...saves me a couple years of anniversary gifts....

If you are not married, then go for a walk on FC Road-- ask your concierge...nothing livens up the spirit of a man than to see hundreds of beautiful college girls walking up and down the street...

but really try to try all different varity of foods that are available...

if you need anymore help, pls let me know...btw...my wife is from Pune...

Thanks for the reply. I will definitely try some of the various foods. I would have preferred staying at the Le Meridian, but it was sold out for the 2nd half of my stay. But who knows, once there, maybe they will be able to find an open room for me and allow me to stay there for my whole trip.

I have heard about some of the very nice jewelry items in Pune. And while I haven't budgeted 8K US, I'm sure I can find something to bring back home.

Does this place have a web site? I travel to India every year/2nd year and wouldn't mind looking into a peaceful place ( we are retired) for a stay near a city like Pune.

nope..not yet...but I will get the number from the manager and you can contact him directly....I will PM it to you...

I was in Pune a few years ago and stayed at the Meridien. It's not exactly a 5-star (maybe 4) but it seemed much nicer than the Taj Diamond, where we ate lunch one day and waited around for a flight.

I always try really, really hard to eat at some place recommended by a food-loving local (as opposed to a hotel concierge). I did very well in Pune, getting a Maharashtrian thali at a little place called Shabree. I wrote this up on Chowhound here .

I'd second the recommendation for the Maharastrian thali. Last I was in Pune
was January 06, and I enjoyed my stay. There are several places within
a couple hours of driving distance from the city for a quick weekend getaway.

Just ask the locals and you'll get several recomendations.

Pune is a great place.. enjoy!

Shabree is an excellent place to eat the VEG food...also try Vaishali...

if you want some meat..try northern indiacuisine---but eat it with yogurt__ most American stomachs cannot handle the amount of spices...

You can eat Maharashtrian Thali and go up and down FC road on a weekday. But first you must hire a taxi and go to Aurangabad (5 hour drive 2 day trip) to see Ajanta and Ellora caves (more than 2000 years old Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves - painting and sculpture). These are World Heritage sites and a must watch. Ellora caves boast of world's biggest Monolith (whole temple cut out f one single rock). Definitely not worth missing when you are so close. Colors in Ajanta are fading and you must see them at the earliest.

After that I would go to Shirdi (another 5 hours and one day trip) if you you are little religious / spiritual. If you have a good driver and you leave early, you can do Pune Shirdi-Aurangabad in 2 days (single weekend). In Pune go to Jangali Maharaj temple which has an ancient temple - over 1000 year old. If you still have time go to Sinhgad, Lonavala-Khandala (of "Aati kya khandala" fame), Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar, Raigad fort etc.

On food, apart from Sharbree (good) and Vaishali (nothing great - only holds Nostalgic value to those who grew up in Pune), you can try "Zamoo's" and "The Place" for sizzlers, must try international coffee flavors at Cafe Coffee Day, try Appa's Sabudana Khichadi in Deccan (at Deccan Gymkhana Club) near Bhandarkar road, eat Bhel at Sambhajee Park, must try vada pav and misal pav (unhealthy but what the hell), take a walk in Pune University campus and try its main canteen (if possible).

Pune is very expensive city and I would never buy my Jewelry from there. If I had $8000 to spend I will do that in a smaller city (like Nashik, Ahmed nagar or Aurngabad) or Mumbai where you will get more bang for your buck. Ahmednagar is just 2 hours away.

All the best and let me know if you need any other info.

Pune was a nice place to retire 10 years back. Now with all the development and economic growth it is in a mess but still quite safe and accessible. You can send me a personal message and I will able to help you.

I diagree with you on the jewlery....grandparents, parents and now us have been buying jewelry in Pune...once you have contacts...you can get much better deals than say in Mumbai or any other towns...at BC Sen's in Calcutta, I get a 25% discount after negotiations because my family has been buying jewerly from them as long as I can remember..



I do agree with you on other things being born and raised in India....

You are right; if you have contacts you get better deals. I don't think "hhoope01" has any family / contacts in Pune and that is why I suggested that he buys from smaller place or Mumbai but not Pune. Pune is one of the most expensive places in India. Except real estate it is more expensive than Mumbai in all other aspects.

If one doesn't have contacts in both Pune and Nagar or if one has contacts in both Pune and Nagar he will probably get a better deal out of Nagar because Nagar is a smaller and less expensive place. People are willing to do business at lesser margins and salaries & overheads are lower. The only case where you can get a better deal in Pune is when you have contacts in Pune and no contacts outside. And if you spend $8000 (!!) at a Nagar Jeweler he will probably give you 7* treatment and a tons of extras.

I lived in Pune for 10 years, Kanpur for 15 years and Jabalpur for 12 years. I have contacts at all the places but the best deal I get is in Jabalpur because it is the smallest of then all. And trust me the quality, design and workmanship is absolutely comparable.

Yeah, but wherever or whatever the OP buys, he will pay the "Foreign rate" anyway...

You might also visit ABC Farms http://www.abcfarmsindia.com/index.html. They have a choice of several different restaurants. I really enjoyed the food the last time I was there.