Heat drove many to cool hills this Easter

PUNE : The four-day long Easter weekend offered people the perfect opportunity to beat the heat and escape to the hills or the beach.
Many adventure travellers chose Kashmir and Sikkim for snow sports activities.
Neelu Singh, chief executive officer and director of Ezeego1, said, “With Mahavir Jayanti on March 29 and Good Friday on March 30, this weekend, in effect, became a four-day holiday.We made the highest number of bookings for Goa, Tarkarli, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Kamshet, Lonavla, Alibaug, Gokarna and Kudal. The concept of staycation was very popular, especially among the youngsters and the DINKs (a popular acronym for double income, no kids). During such long weekends, most tourists either want to relax or rejuvenate themselves.” Singh said families preferred all-inclusive resorts and homestays that offer amenities like spas, swimming pools, water sports and indoor games. “We have also seen a huge surge in car rentals from Mumbai and Pune,” she said.
“Though the mercury is rising, there is still snow in the mountains and that is a relief. Destinations in the north and northeast India are very popular. Adventure travellers, especially the DINKs, are off to Kashmir and Sikkim. They have been snowboarding, skiing, riding cable cars and snowmobiles over this long weekend,” said Karan Anand, head (relationships) at Cox and Kings. Srinagar, Gangtok, Auli, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Manali and Nainital are other hot destinations for weekend travellers. “Chopta-Tungnath, Dzongri, Roopkund are some of the treks preferred by the city trekkers as the weather has been quite pleasant there,” said Anand.
Many others opted to spend their weekend in water. “The water temperatures in the Andamans, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives are ideal for a dive at this time or to explore coloured corals and underwater creatures in the crystal clear waters Both expert and amateurs have been heading to the beaches,” added Anand.