A Weekend At Tajpur

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”, has inspired passionate travellers like us a lot. Being home locked for around 6 months due to the second wave of the pandemic we were hell bored with our daily schedules. We wanted to get rid of this boredness for at least a day or two. We, this time me and my brother, thought of a few weekend destinations near Kolkata which are easily accessible roadways. Finally, we thought of paying a visit to the beaches of South Bengal. Keeping the constraints of Covid19 at the back of our mind we wanted to escape the happening crowd of Digha and Mandarmani. Giving it a thought we finally fixed upon Tajpur.

Tajpur Beach is a pristine, beautiful beach located on the shore of the Bay of Bengal. Located in between Mandarmani and Chandpur beach Tajpur is less touristy and less commercialised. The beach is densely fringed by eucalyptus, tamarisk and casuarina trees. The prime highlight of the beach is the uncountable number of red crabs that sprawl on the beach.

Tajpur is around 175 KMs from Kolkata and around 20 KMs from Digha. Tajpur is easily accessible by both railways and roadways. By railway, one can reach Tajpur by boarding trains that embark to Digha from their nearest railway station. You need to disembark at Ramnagar, the nearest station to Tajpur. By roadway, one can board buses that ply to Digha from Howrah or Esplanade and disembark at Balisai. One can also opt to drive or travel via car to Tajpur.

Journey

We planned to visit Tajpur the next following weekend which was just 3 days from the day we started planning. We immediately googled some resorts near Tajpur and called them up. Finally, after deliberately going through our options, we fixed upon Kristi Resorts. Being the time of the Pandemic we wanted to avoid the crowd of buses and trains. Thus we decided to hire a car and drive to Tajpur. Suddenly the thought of an Ola Outstation struck our mind. We scrolled through the ola app and luckily found it to be much cheaper than any car rentals that we have spoken to. Without wasting much time we immediately booked an Ola Outstation for our journey and finally waited for the D-day to arrive.

Day 1: 2nd July

We had scheduled our Ola at 5 AM. I woke up around 3:30 AM and prepared a cup of tea for us. Our driver called us and asked for our whereabouts. We asked him to arrive by 5 and give us a call. In the meantime, we all got ourselves ready and waited for the car to arrive. Keeping the constraints of Covid19 in mind we sanitized the car before boarding it. We commenced our journey at around 5:15 AM. The journey was very soothing and we kept on savouring the morning nature as the car drove the highway.

We stopped at Kolaghat for around 30 minutes to have our breakfast. The rest of the journey from Kolaghat to Tajpur was uneventful except that we relished the surrounding nature and some of us went to sleep en-route!

We reached Kristi Resort, Tajpur, at around 10:30 AM. What really assured us is that they sanitized each of us and all our belongings during the check-in procedures. Settling with our check-in formalities we made our way into the rooms. Even though we were impressed with their sanitization process, to satisfy our minds, we thoroughly sanitized each and every corner of the room. We took some time to get ourselves ready before we hopped to the swimming pool. With a glass of beer and various different swimming activities, we completely lost track of the time.

I must mention here, Krishti Resort, follows strict norms for hopping into the swimming pool. You must have proper swimming costumes, or else you can rent them there for Rs. 50/- per day. The pool is accessible from 8 AM to 7 PM. On weekends, depending on the situation, they extend up to 8 PM.

We went ahead for our lunch at around 3 PM. Considering the Google reviews, we chose to stick to proper Bengali cuisine. And considering it to be beachside, and the guests that these resorts and these destinations cater, it’s best to stick to Bengali cuisine. We ordered Rice, Yellow Dal, Jhuri Alu Bhaja, Katla Curry, Egg Curry and Chicken Curry. Yellow Dal is worth the mention. In the beginning, we thought of it being prepared with “Macher Matha diye Dal”, however upon enquiring we came to know that it’s veg. Dal. We were really surprised to realize that veg. Dal can be so tasty and finger-licking. Anyway, coming down to the food, I’d rate it Okayish except the Dal. What really impressed us is that all the restaurant staff were wearing masks while serving food considering your safety and well-being.

Later, in the evening we went to the beach which is around 5-10 mins walk from Krishti Resort. On the way, there are multiple permanent shacks where you will find various types of snacks and meals for dinner and lunch. The food in these shacks is very cheap and tasty if you are up for a cheaper option. Unfortunately, the beach has been completely devastated after the Yaas Cyclone. The road to Shankarpur from Tajpur has been torn away by the cyclone. The road is now full of boulders. The beach is full of uprooted eucalyptus and casuarina trees. The sight really made us sad. We perceived what these people have and are going through after the landfall of the cyclone.

We returned back from the beach by around 6:30 PM as it started drizzling which later got advanced into a heavy downpour. The rest of the evening was well spent gossiping amongst ourselves before we had our dinner and hit the bed.

Day 2: 3rd July

Today we woke up at around 8 AM. Done with our morning chores we proceeded for having our breakfast. Breakfast in Krishti Resort is complimentary and served as a buffet. Generally, you’ll have several options to choose from such as – Bread w/ Butter / Jam, Boiled Eggs, Poori – Sabji, Idli – Sambhar, Chowmein, Aloo Paratha w/ pickle etc. along with Juice / Tea / Coffee. They keep altering the offerings daily.

Post breakfast we planned to hop to the swimming pool. However, we were out of luck as by the morning, considering it to be a weekend, 3-4 groups checked in today. Considering the obvious reason, most of them jumped into the pool. We really wanted to stay away from other groups of people to maintain our safety due to covid.

Looking for an alternative, we consulted with the staff if there is any place to go around or an alternative beach from where we can get to the sea. We were informed that this part of the sea beach is known as Jaldha sea beach, the actual Tajpur sea beach is on the other side which is around 15-20 mins walk along the beach. But considering, the devastated state of the beach, it’s hard to navigate through it. Considering the aforementioned situations, the resort manager helped us negotiating an auto for Rs. 250/- for a round trip to the Tajpur sea beach.

It took us around 10 – 15 minutes to reach Tajpur sea beach navigating the village with lush greeneries around. The beach was almost empty with hardly a few groups. The shacks and the entrance to the beach have been completely devastated. The locals were mostly busy with re-constructing the shacks.

Being the summertime, the sun rays were burning a hole through our skin. However, we managed to spend quality time for an hour, splashing around on the sea. As we returned back to the resort we were lucky to find the pool empty. We immediately grabbed the opportunity and hopped into the pool. Enjoying ourselves for around an hour or so, we headed to have our lunch.

In the while, as we were heading back from the Tajpur sea beach, another cousin of ours called us and mentioned that he is also heading to Tajpur and will be joining us soon. This simply doubled our excitement. Post lunch we took a power nap. It was around 4:30 PM when Avijit called and informed us about his arrival. We went ahead to meet him at the reception and after check-in formalities, we all headed back to our rooms.

The evening was well spent in the pool chilling together with beer and some snacks. Later at around 8 PM, we all gathered together on the lawn with liquor, hell lots of snacks and Hookah! Finally, by around midnight we called off the day.

Day 3: 4th July

Because of the late-night party, we took our own sweet time to get out of bed. Post breakfast, we planned for the swimming pool but later ditched the idea considering we’ll have to check out today. We spent a few hours leisurely gossiping amongst ourselves.

We really didn’t want to stop in-between for lunch. So we requested the resort manager, whether they could extend our check out time by another hour so that we can head out post-lunch. We were really glad that they accepted our request.

Finally, after having our lunch and settling down our bills, we headed back to Kolkata by around 1:30 PM. The drive to Kolkata was completely uneventful except that we took a halt at Kolaghat for a tea break and slept throughout the journey. It was around 6:30 PM when we reached back our home sweet home!

Conclusion

The tranquil environment and the pristine sea beach of Tajpur make the place a popular gateway for a weekend. Tajpur is the perfect place if you like to laze on a hammock and spend some time in the solitude of nature. The crescent-shaped beach also endows various photographers for the panoramic view of the sea. Tajpur is a perfect weekend getaway from your busy chaotic life.

Reviews :

Krishti Resort, Tajpur : We visited Tajpur right after the lockdown curbs were relaxed a bit in June 2021. It was a quick 2N outing with friends to freshen our minds. After scanning through several hotels, we chose Krishti Resort keeping a few points in mind…

• We kinda guessed that due to the recent cyclone – Yaas, the beach would have been devastated, thus we were looking for a hotel with Pool.
• We wanted to be safe considering the current situation, so we were looking for the hotel’s safety standards and spacious hotel so that even if there are other guests present, we could at least follow the social distancing.
• Even though we are a budget traveller, however, we thought of raising our budget to mid-range in order to meet the above requirements.
• AC’s are a must, as it was too hot and humid during that period.

Krishti Resort ticked all of the above points. Basically, in Tajpur there are two different beaches. The main beach where most of the hotels are located, none of them offers a pool. And on the other end, where the Tajpur Sea Beach View Point is located (locally known as Jaldha Sea Beach), around 15 mins walking distance from the main beach, have only two hotels – Krishti Resort and La Macaw Resort, both are of similar category and have pools. Jaldha Sea Beach is just 5 mins walk from both the hotels, however, you need to keep in mind that, this part of the beach is not the main Tajpur sea beach though. But you can enjoy a secluded and peaceful time here.

Anyway, coming down to Krishti Resort, the property, rooms and washrooms were really well maintained and neat & clean. The staffs were very courteous, humble and very helpful. What we loved is all the restaurant staff was always wearing masks while serving the food considering your safety. While checking in, at the reception, all of our luggage and belongings were sanitized properly.

Coming down to the food, the cost is very nominal. The food is really tasty and finger-licking, especially the Bengali Cuisine. I’d also recommend you to stick with the Bengali Cuisine or Snacks in here, as Chinese Cuisine is not that tasty. It’s not bad, but comparing with the Bengali Cuisine, it’s not at par which is obvious at such a destination. People mostly prefer to have Chicken, Mutton, Fish, Crabs and Prawns etc. at Tajpur. So instead, try the Sea Food / Mutton / various kinds of Fish in here. Yellow Dal, Jhuri Alu Bhaja and Crab Masala are worth the mention. Snacks though are not much pocket friendly I’d say considering the quantity, but the quality and taste of the food beat everything!

If you prefer otherwise, there are lots of shacks outside the hotel, where you can choose to have your meals for a much cheaper price. The food in those shacks is finger-licking as hell too! Bonus Tip: They do have options for Hookah if you are up for it!

I’d say, considering the price that we paid it was really value for money.

Costing :

Cottages: Rs. 2600/- per room. We opted for the cottages as the deluxe rooms are in the same building as reception which is kinda a min or two away from the Lawn and Pool. Moreover, Cottages offers a nice view of the lush green agricultural fields. As we stayed for 2N and was the first group right after lockdown, we bargained a deal of Rs. 2500/- per room.

Deluxe Rooms: Rs. 3000/- per room.

Contacts :

Krishti Resort, Tajpur: Phone – +91-83369-34090/91/92/93/94 | Email – info@krishtiresorts.com | Website – www.krishtiresorts.com / www.krishtiresorts.in

Manager, Krishti Resort, Tajpur: +91-82400-69674 / +91-82404-06068