A gentle movement is unfolding in the hills and neighbourhoods around Mumbai. Travellers are looking for escapes that allow rest without detaching from creativity.
These places encourage hands in mud, conversations with strangers, and time with trees. The result feels grounded and refreshingly human. Here are three spots that celebrate art in ways that feel honest and deeply connected to their surroundings.
Art Village, Karjat
Art Village, founded by Ganga Kadakia, began as a vision ten years ago, at a time when community-led nature stays were rare in the region. The founders wanted to build a space that welcomed people, animals and the land with equal respect. Homes here are created from earth and shaped to sit within the natural contours of the valley.
Guests come for workshops in theatre, craft and farming. School children rediscover the joy of stream water and mud under fingernails. Corporate teams loosen up during theatre exercises, leaving titles at the gate.
Indoor-loving children can build boats from leaves and sticks and race them in tiny streams. This place proves that creativity blooms when bodies move, senses open and screens sit forgotten.
Conservation sits at the heart of this project. Native trees and plants have returned across the land, and the team continues nurturing biodiversity while sharing traditional and indigenous knowledge through stays and small workshops.
House of Bliss, Lonavala
House of Bliss began as Manasvi Bhatia’s family home in the hills. Hosting started long before homestays, pet-friendly spaces and curated getaways became fashionable. Guests here enter a warm home atmosphere that encourages both solitude and togetherness. The vision is simple: offer a space for people to speak, listen, create and rest.
Each retreat brings a mix of strangers who soon feel like friends. Storytelling circles encourage honesty. Someone might teach pottery, movement or a craft they practise. Conversations flow over homemade meals, and inspiration often arrives in the quiet between activities.
A wall painted with the word BREATHE by artist Harshit Manocha has grown into a quiet symbol for visitors. Many sit before it at sunrise, tea in hand. Over the years, guests have included writers, dancers, astronomers, film-makers, musicians, entrepreneurs and the space also supports small homegrown brands through pop-ups and product tastings.
Roots Art Cafe, Chowk–Karjat Road
Roots Art Cafe sits on the Chowk to Karjat road, surrounded by farms and gentle hills. It describes itself with clarity: a way to revive your roots. The space blends homemade cuisine, an art gallery, a pottery studio and a rustic homestay. Visitors drop in for a hearty meal, linger over art displays or spend unhurried hours shaping clay with both hands. Workshops welcome travellers, hobbyists and Karjat locals, making it a true neighbourhood hub.
The pace here feels calm and friendly. A cup of chai might be followed by a pottery session. A chat with a resident artist might turn into an idea for a workshop. The café also hosts intimate exhibitions and gatherings that highlight emerging talent from the region. The focus stays on warmth, craft and conversation. Enquiries happen informally, often over WhatsApp, which suits the setting well.
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