The Bark- An Art Hotel

This is indeed a charming little art hotel. Nice, quiet and quaint. Pet friendly too. Better for couples since it is secluded. It has a pool and a little garden with gazebo. If you like peace and quiet, this is the place to go. Lots of local dogs in the area who are fed and cared for by the hotel staff. That’s where the hotel gets its name. Good move by the owners. Well done.

This hotel totally blew our socks away! It totally is a labour of the owner who is also an interior designer. Everywhere the eye can see there are beautiful art pieces beautifully curated throughout the property. Their gardens are b autodukly manicured! Beautiful flowers of every variety possible surround the property. They have a lovely swimming pool and indoor outdoor cafe and a beautiful fitness center. With the package deals they offer it truly is a great value in lonavala.

There are no words to describe this amazing place. The art from all around the world is an absolute nayan sukh. The amazing library, pool and games did not let us get bored. With the yummy food, the cleanliness and the courteous staff our holiday turned out to be very memorable. I will be visiting again very soon.

I am writing this review while staying at the hotel. The food is excellent and room service is good. Now things that really upset me were: 1. Dogs all around the reception. Even if they are healthy dogs(which does not seem true specially for the oldest dog, who looks very sick), keep them away. Not all enjoy their company. 2. The front office staff are so serious about cost cutting that they dont even keep a/c nor lights on in the reception. Even the lift is 'under maintenance'. My point is that you are running a hotel and these things are not acceptable. 3. Every hotel room must have tissues, cupboards with hangers to hang clothes, mini fridge, slippers. The bark did not think these as essental in their deluxe rooms. 4. The bathroom does not drain water. Water logging is a big problem. Also, behind there is a dirty water body which stinks and the smell is always present in the room. Mosquitoes are plenty. Now, my request is to please have a look at the above and make an effort to improve. I dont want a reply from the management/owner stating that changes will be made because ive read most of these issues addressed by earlier guests and no change made till now. You are charging a normal 3 star hotel room rate. Please deliver at the same level at least. Jeff Demelo

Lonavala & Khandala have always seemed over crowded on weekends, and not being a fan of exotic sprawling typical Indian resorts like The Duke's & Fariyas, our visit to this popular Mumbai hill stn has been just in passing with stopovers for lunch at some nice eateries of hotels/resorts. This time in Feb, after a lovely glamping stay in Pawna, as we stopped by for lunch, we decided to stay back. On a Saturday it's difficult to get rooms in any descent place & luckily The Bark had one. I v always been curious about this place calling itself an art hotel, so it was an added bonus for me. Far away from the popular hotel zones, down a road, this hotel cum house is by a river/stream and immaculately maintained by its owner who is a friendly charming lady & an avid traveler and collector of art. And a dog lover too. The place is littered with arty objects & paintings. Is spacious, airy with a laid back attitude, polite staff and a library. The pool table unfortunately is no good, thanx to non-players trying to have fun with the balls all day. The pool & lawn & gazebo are the highlight here. One can just sit and watch numerous birds come and go. Being off the touristy zones, its unusually quiet and in the midst of old residential areas of Lonavala, which are quaint and peaceful. They have a nice buffet spread for breakfast, and their ala-carte menu is also quite good, although a bit pricey i thought. The owner has plans to start an Art Cafe soon, and that wud b lovely. Their basic rooms are quiet small but beautifully done and very well maintained. The rooms with balconies are very nice & given a choice i wud definitely stay in those. The suites are also spacious. And i personally felt it was great value for money, unlike the Dukes and Fariyas which have countless rooms and charge top dollar. If you are fond of Lonavala, stay here once atleast to know the difference from other hotels there.

Overall a 4 star experience. We were 6 people and had taken 2 Deluxe Rooms & 1 standard room. Deluxe rooms are better, but the standard room is too small. The hotel is nice and well kept. It's good a good feel about it. I suggest booking directly with them. I have been told that if you book directly they ensure you get a room with a good view. One challenge though with the place is that it's surrounded by resorts. So if there is a lot of noise being made in another resort, it might distrub you. That will also ofcourse depend on the room you'll have. Their food is not great. I am basing it only on the breakfast we had at the hotel. The breadth of breakfast buffet is good, but the cooking can improved 5 folds. Love all the art in the different rooms and the lobby. Pool is great and they did a great job of keeping it clean. Lobby is great too, but maybe they can do a better job of keeping their games and discarding one's which don't have the necessary pieces.

Stayed in studio room. The room is big with spacious balconies. The bathroom is large and clean. Very courteous staff. Special mention for Prateek who sits at the reception for his extremely polite and helpful behavior. The lift was under maintenance so we had to climb the stairs. Food quality and quantity both are great. Inroom dining experience was good. Would request the hotel to consider putting a fridge in the room. Liked the experience.

It has good decoration of art. Pool side with adjascent garden area is open and nice. Comfy rooms. Staff is polite and service is good. Morning buffet breakfast is also sumptuous with lot of options. Few indoor games also available. Overall a satisfying experience.