MTDC Shirdi resort review – Pilgrims Inn Deluxe Room AC
MTDC Shirdi resort is one of the best places to stay in Shirdi if you are looking for good accommodation at a cheaper price. Its location is the best as it is located nearest to the Sai Baba Samadhi temple. I keep on visiting Shirdi temple frequently and every time I try new accommodations. During our visit in October 2021, we stayed in MTDC Shirdi resort, and here is my honest review.
Location
MTDC Shirdi resort is located very near to the Sai baba temple and I like it most for this. You just step out of the resort, walk a few steps, and here you are at the entry of the temple for darshan.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of the resort is old and needs renovation but still, it is perfectly okay to accommodate tourists. It has its own parking space. There are several types of AC and Non-AC rooms from deluxe to the VIP suite.
We booked a deluxe room AC for Rs. 1400 for one night. It was clean and provided with all amenities. Towels and mini soaps were provided. Bedsheets and blankets were clean. Apart from the double bed, there was a single lower bed provided to accommodate an extra person. It has no balcony that is not required though here.
AC, TV, fan everything was working fine. Hot water facility also provided. Some of the resort properties needed maintenance but overall it was okay.
If I talk about the food at the MTDC Shirdi resort then it is okay. Breakfast for the two was included in the room tariff and we only paid extra for our child. They provide pure vegetarian food in their Neem restaurant. Breakfast options were poha, bread butter, bread jam, idli-sambhar, urad vada-sambhar with chutney and tea.
The staff of the resort is very good. They are polite and helpful in nature.
Have a look at this video for details of MTDC Shirdi resort rooms.
Places around MTDC Shirdi resort
Since it is located close to the Shirdi temple, it comes in the main area so it is surrounded by various hotels and shopping places.
At a distance of 2 km, Saiteerth and Wet n Joy water park these two places you must visit. Right now water park is closed due to Covid but you can drop by Saiteerth. This is worth visiting.
Sai heritage village is also one option where you can enjoy different rope activities along with other enjoyable things.
Visit the MTDC official website https://www.mtdc.co/en/stays/mtdc-shirdi/.
There you will have a list of the several rooms available along with a brief description. Select your room as per your requirement and go ahead with the booking.
Shirdi travel guide - accommodation, food, Sai darshan, local tour, places
After lockdown in April 2021, the Shirdi Sai Baba Samadhi temple is opening from 7 October 2021 (the start of Shardiya Navratri). All Sai devotees are very eager and happy to see their beloved Sai after a long period. This article is all about the Shirdi tour guide where you will find all the details that are required to plan your trip to the Shirdi for Sai Darshan. Here I will elaborate the points on how to reach, the best time to visit/weather, accommodation, food, places to visit in Shirdi, nearby cities for tourists, etc.
How to reach Shirdi?
Shirdi is easily accessible by road, train, and flight.
By Road
If you are coming to Shirdi from the nearby cities and want to travel by car then you can easily do it. Shirdi is well connected by road and many tourists reach here by car from near and far cities as well.
Sainagar railway station in Shirdi is the nearest railway station to the Sai baba Samadhi temple. If your train is passing through this station then you can drop here and then can take an autorickshaw or cab to reach the temple. Otherwise, there are other nearest railways stations such as Kopargaon, Manmad-Junction, and Nagarsul where sai devotees can get off to reach Shirdi. Kopargaon is at 22 kms, Manmad-Junction is at 60 kms, and Nagarsul is at 50 kms from Shirdi.
By air
At a distance of 14 km from Sai baba samadhi temple, Shirdi International airport gives you the option of air travel.
At a distance of 14 km from Sai baba samadhi temple, Shirdi International airport gives you the option of air travel. You can check out the departure and arrival timing of the various flights applicable for Shirdi through the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan trust website.
Accommodation in Shirdi
Since it is one of the tourist places so there is enough accommodation. Shri Sai Baba Sansthan trust provides three bhaktaniwas for Sai devotees accommodation, they are Sai ashram, Sai Baba bhaktaniwassthan, and Dwaravati. These provide accommodation at a very cheap price. They all are well maintained and clean where one can stay easily.
Also, there are several hotels near the temple at a reasonable price. I suggest booking accommodation online prior to your visit. If you want to stay in one of the bhaktaniwas by Sansthan then you must book your room 1 month prior to your visit because all these rooms get booked very soon.
All bhaktaniwas has a free transport facility for Sai devotees to travel between temple, Sai prasadalaya, or bhaktaniwas.
Best time to visit Shirdi
There are 3 important festivals (Ramnavami, Guru Purnima, and Vijayadashami) that are celebrated in the Shirdi Samadhi temple and this is the time when the Shirdi is heavily crowded. So you can plan your trip accordingly as per your convenience.
Well, Sai devotees flock here throughout the year and you can visit this place anytime but I suggest avoid visiting this place in summer due to not so pleasant environment with hot sun.
If you want to visit Shirdi along with other nearby places, then rainy or cold weather will be good for you. located at a distance of 2 hours from Shirdi, Nashik city has a very pleasant, beautiful, and enchanting environment in both the rainy and winter seasons. There are several well-known temples and places in Nashik that you must include in your trip.
I Recommend reading the article on Places to visit near Shirdi within 100 km where you will find the various places which you can cover while your trip to the Shirdi.
Sai Prasadalaya
Sai Prasadalaya is the place where free food is arranged by Shri Sai Baba Trust Sansthan, here Sai devotees can eat Sai prasad for free or at least cost. Sai prasad is the food that is offered to the Sai Baba.
If you have stayed in any Bhakt Niwas, then there is also the Prasad offered to Sai Baba. Due to covid, now the prasad may not be found in the bhaktaniwas but can be found in Sai Prasadalaya. Sai Sansthan provides food for free or at a minimum price at all three times of the day.
If you are staying in any of the Sai Bhaktaniwas then you must confirm the timing of the food offered by Sansthan.
Sai Darshan
For Sai Darshan you have to get your sai darshan pass online or offline. You can book darshan passes online through the Sai baba Sansthan website, otherwise, you can get it there itself in Shirdi near Sai baba temple or bhaktaniwas.
I suggest you should book it online to avoid additional hustle after reaching the temple. Free and VIP passes both are available you can opt for them as per your choice. VIP passes get you through darshan easily and you don't have to wait for a longer period.
You have to keep your shoe, electronics items, luggage, etc at the shoe stand, mobile counter, and baggage counter respectively. Lockers are available everywhere so you will find it easily around the temple.
At first Sai devotees used to carry garlands, flowers, prasad, and coconut to offer in the temple, but due to Corona, now all this is not allowed.
If it is heavily crowded then you may have to wail in the queue for a longer period (2-3 hours) and if it is not so crowded then you will finish the Sai darshan in an hour. This is the case of free passes and if you have VIP passes then it will far lesser time.
Best time to visit Sai temple for darshan
The morning time temple is crowded so avoid this period. If entered the temple at the time of Sai aarti then also you may have to wait for long because during aarti the queue is paused and does not move. Once the aarti and respective rituals are finished then the line moves further.
Noon period from 3 pm - 5 pm and night time from 8pm -10pm is the best period when you can do Sai darshan in lesser time with free passes.
Do not forget to collect your Sai Udi packet and laddu's packet (1 per person) after exiting from the temple. Due to corona now laddu's packets are not distributed.
Places to visit near Sai Baba Samadhi temple in Shirdi
After Sai darshan, you should check out the Sai Museum (here all things related to Sai showcased for sai devotees), Dwarakamai (where Sai stayed lifetime when he came Shirdi), Chawadi (where sai used to visit and sleep alternate days), Maruti mandir and other small temples inside the temple premises.
You should also visit Khandoba temple situated at walking distance from the temple.
You are in Shirdi, done with Sai darshan, and took his
blessings. Now you have ample time which you can use to explore other nearby
places and add them to your tour diary. Here I will explain a few places within
100 km from Shirdi.
By the way, there are several places to visit in Shirdi near
to Sai Samadhi temple such as Dwarkamai, Museum, Saiteerth, Wet n Joy Water Park, etc. But you are looking something different from these then you may have a
look at this article and find out your next destination after Shirdi. Shirdi is
well routed with these places which impart better and comfortable transport.
Shani Shingnapur located at 80 km from Shirdi approximately
2-hour duration is famous for Lord Shanidev. People landing in Shirdi for Sai
baba’s darshan also visit this temple and take Lord Shani’s blessings. It is
believed that Shani Shingnapur is protected by Lord Shani and this village is
free from the act of theft.
You can book any car or mini traveler bus from Shirdi. During
the 2 hours of drive you will witness the natural beauty of the villages on the
way.
Nashik
Nashik, situated at 80 km distance from Shirdi, is a
pilgrimage city and well known for several temples and its connection with
Ramayan. Most of the devotees or tourists visiting Shirdi also drive through
Nashik to as an additional tour nearby.
Panchvati in Nashik
If you have your own vehicle then it is best but if you don’t
have one then you will find several buses at regular intervals from the Shirdi
bus stop. Also, you may hire a cab from any of the travel agents near to the
Samadhi temple.
Trimbakeshwar is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and holds major
importance for several types of Pujas being done here.
Panchavati is the place where Lord Ram, Laxman, and Sita
stayed during their exile period as mentioned in Ramayan.
To explore the above-mentioned temples in Nashik, you need a
complete day for comfortable travel throughout the city. If it is a seasonal period
then you might face a huge crowd and a full day won’t be sufficient to visit
all these temples in a day.
Also if you are a water sports ride lover and you are visiting Nashik then Nashik boat club is perfect for you to explore. If looking for accommodation in Nashik itself then you may try out MTDC Grape Park Resort near the boat club. This place is far from the city amid nature. Several wineries such as Sula and Soma are located nearby places.
Saputara
Saputara is a small hill station lying on the border of
Nashik and Gujarat. Travelers from cities of Gujarat like Surat will pass
through this beautiful hill station so this may be one of the places to visit
near Shirdi. The distance between Shirdi to Saputara is more than 150 km so
this won’t be a traveling option for the devotees coming from cities other than
Gujarat.
By the way, in the rainy season Saputara looks more beautiful, and here is the video to witness the beauty.
Whenever we will find any other places to visit near Shirdi
within 100 km this post will be updated with more options and if you have come
across any venue other than above mentioned then please let us know through your
comments.
Saiteerth is a devotional theme park purely dedicated to Sai Baba. Constructed under the Malpani group, this is one of the tourist places and a wonderful destination for devotees or tourists in Shirdi which gives an amazing experience of devotion infused with technology and entertainment. You should not miss this place if you are a tourist in Shirdi.
Location
This tourist attraction is situated about 2 km from Sai Baba Samadhi temple just opposite the Wet n Joy water park in Shirdi. The location is easily accessible by road and you may hire an auto-rickshaw or taxi to reach here.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of Saiteerth is marvelous. This is huge, wide, spacious (inside and outside both), royal, and beautiful. It also accommodates its own parking space so parking your vehicle is not a problem here.
It has different sections for each attraction and they are large enough to accommodate a good number of people at a time. There is a water fountain inside to flourish the beauty of Saiteerth. You will get popcorn, candies, ice cream, and other snacks like stuff inside. Also, there is a restaurant where you can sit and eat the food of your choice from the menu.
An entry fee charged for an adult is Rs. 399 and for a child, it is Rs. 299 (excluding GST 18%). It includes all four attractions. The entry fee differs for school and college students. During monsoon, they offer special packages along with Wet n Joy water park tickets. Check out the official website for complete details of tickets and current offers.
Saiteerth theme Park timing
Saiteerth theme park timing is 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. Usually, it takes 3 hours to explore all the four attractions here but if it is crowded during seasons then you may require 3-5 hours overall. They have a luggage or baggage counter where you can keep all your belongings if you have any and roam around hands-free.
Saiteerth theme park attractions
Four different types of devotional and entertaining attractions are being offered here for the visitors/devotees and they are revealed below one by one.
Teerth Yatra
This is a spiritual journey of devotees across various famous temples or religious places in India. Devotees sit on a mini toy train and they are taken to the several halts of temples slowly. In this journey of Teerth Yatra, you will also see a virtual image of Sai Baba appear in front of you and I am sure you will love it.
Lanka Dahan
Lanka Dahan is an interesting and exciting 5D movie of 25 minutes duration which is based on the part of Lanka Dahan in Ramayana. This is amazing to experience the adventure of several scenes in this movie. You are left feeling cold and a little bit wet at the end of the movie. Overall this is great to watch.
Sabka Malik Ek
This is a movie based on Sai Baba’s life which is shown on a big screen like you watch in the theatre. The movie named “Sabka Malik Ek” takes a 1-hour duration and in the end, you will see the audience (including yourself) in tears due to the loss of Sai Baba at the climax. All major incidents occurred in Sai Baba’s life and his teachings; everything is covered in this movie.
Dwarakamai
This is a robotic act where you will come across the teachings of and good lessons of Sai Baba through the humanoid robots of Sai Baba, Mhalsapati, and Abdul (his devotees) enacting as per the audio being played in the background. The whole show runs in the Dwarakamai structure.
Saitheerth Review based on my visit experience:
My experience of visiting Saiteerth was very good. I enjoyed all 4 shows here but Dwarakamai was the least engaging as per my review. Lanka Dahan was spectacular but my 4 years old daughter was not comfortable accepting the show so she did not watch it completely and sat eagerly waiting to finish it as soon as possible.
The staff personnel at Saiteerth are very professional and supportive in every manner. This is fully air-conditioned and very relaxing. I liked the infrastructure with a large amount of space for the visitors to accommodate comfortably.
You will love the photography here, inside and outside both. You may carry your phone inside but you are not allowed to capture the pics inside any of the attraction sites through the show is ON. Outside also there is enormous space to sit, roam, or picking better shots in your camera.
Have you ever been here, what do you say about this?
Devotees travel and flock here in Shirdi from various corners of India and all around the world mainly for the Sai Baba Samadhi temple. Once reached Sai baba Samadhi temple and finished Sai baba darshan, they are keen to know different nearby tourists’ places to explore Shirdi in a better way. There are several places to visit in Shirdi including the local temples as well as entertainment places, have a look here.
Dwarkamai is the place where Sai baba stayed for his whole life after he came to Shirdi. There is continuously burning Dhuni (the source of Udi) in a corner beside the stone where Sai baba used to sit. This place is also crowded always but the queue is moving fast so it does not take much time as imagined when you see the crowd.
Shree Chavadi
This temple is situated next to the Dwarkamai. This is connected to the Sai baba because he used to sleep here a few nights every week. This is a small place and accommodates a few things only including a large picture of Sai Baba.
Also, there is Shri Dakshinmukhi Hanuman temple close to the Chavadi.
Abdul Baba Cottage
This is a cottage where Sai devotee Abdul Baba used to stay. He served Sai baba for a longer period. This is a very simple, compact and not well-maintained room opposite Chavadi.
Khandoba temple
If we are talking about Sai baba’s life then Khandoba temple holds major importance here. Sai Baba was first seen and welcomed by Mhalsapati in this temple only where he gave the name “Sai” to our Sai Baba. This is located at 5 minutes walking distance from the Sai Baba Samadhi temple on the main road.
These are the few small temples situated adjacent to the Sai baba Samadhi temple.
Sai Museum:
Sai Museum is located inside the premises of Sai Baba Samadhi temple. There are several things such as his clothes, utensils, cot, etc are stored safely which were used by Sai baba in those days. You must visit this place after Sai darshan.
Wet n Joy Water Park
Wet n Joy Water Park located just 2 km from Samadhi temple. This is a quite huge water park including several attractive and adventurous water rides. You will have to spend your whole day here to experience all the rides and explore the water park completely. Several people from nearby locations such as Nashik travel to the Shirdi only to enjoy Water Park due to the unavailability of large water parks in those areas.
Saiteerth
Saiteerth is a spiritual theme park dedicated to Sai Baba, located in front of the Wet n joy Water Park in Shirdi. The infrastructure of Saiteerth is huge and excellent. It offers 4 different types of devotional and entertaining attractions for the visitors mentioned below:
Teerth Yatra (a spiritual journey across 10 well-known temples of India)
Lanka Dahan (interesting and exciting 5D movie of Lanka Dahan)
Sabka Malik Ek (a movie based on the Sai Baba’s life is shown on a big screen)
Dwarkamai (similar to a puppet show where you will come across Sai baba in Dwarkamai)
You may need 3-5 hours depending on the crowd to fully discover all the 4 shows. You will love catching the camera shots here.
Since Saiteerth and Wet n Joy Water Park, both of them are the parts of the Malpani group business so here you will get the combo offer for Saiteerth and Water Park.
Sai Heritage Village
Sai Heritage Village is a spacious enough theme park which is developed on the basis of Sai baba’s era which depicts the actions of Sai baba and the lifestyle of villagers during that period with the help of various statues. You will witness the beauty of the village when Sai baba lived there. The entry fee is Rs. 125 per person.
Wet n Joy Water Park in Shirdi is one of the hangout places for travelers, tourists, or devotees coming from a different region to the Shirdi during the summer season. I am from Nashik and here I will discuss my experience visiting this water park. Many people from Nashik city keep visiting this water park in the summer season due to no availability of a big water park in Nashik. Shubham Water Park is the only water park in Nashik city that is spread over a limited area with no big rides. But I am sure small kids would love visiting there. For them that is okay but for adults one-time visit is sufficient. Let’s come back to the Wet n Joy Water Park in Shirdi and talk about it.
Wet n Joy Water Park is located at a distance of 2 km from the well-known Sai Samadhi temple in Shirdi and just opposite the Sai Teerth – The spiritual theme park dedicated to Sai. This is easily accessible through any vehicle. Sufficient parking space available for 2 wheelers as well as 4 wheelers in front of the water park. One more branch of Wet n Joy available in Lonavala, Pune.
How to reach Wet n Joy Water Park, Shirdi from Nashik?
This is just 2 hours travel from Nashik so you may carry your own vehicle to visit the Wet n Joy water park in Shirdi. But if you do not have one still no worries. There are numerous vehicles traveling to and from Shirdi at a regular interval, you may catch any of them from CBS, Nashik road bus station, or Bytco point. I suggest leaving at 8:00 am so that you reach Water Park on time that is 10:00 am, the opening time. You may catch luxury sleeper buses too from Nashik road at 8:00 am heading towards Shirdi. They won’t cost you much.
Wet n Joy Shirdi water park entry fees, locker and costume charges:
Wet n Joy Water Park entry fees in 2019
Entry fee for adults – Rs. 900 per person
Entry fee for Children height 3’3” to 4’6” – Rs. 600 per person
Entry fee for Children below height 3’3” – Free
All these prices are inclusive of GST 18%.
We have been visiting Wet n Joy Shirdi Water Park consecutively for 3 years. The first time we landed here in 2017, then the entry fee was 750 including food. In 2018, the entry fees remained the same excluding food. The food was discounted from the entry fees. Now in 2019, GST 18% added and the total amount per person is 900. Food is not included in the entry fees.
Locker service
Locker service is available at Rs. 100.
Luggage room
The luggage room is available at Rs. 500.
Costume charges
Nylon costume is compulsory to enter the pool or enjoy the rides. If you do not carry your own costume then you may get it here on rent. The condition of the costumes is satisfactory.
Costumes price for gents set: Rs. 100
Costumes price for ladies set: Rs. 100
Costumes price for kids: Rs. 50
Towel prices: Rs. 50
A refundable deposit amount of an extra Rs. 100 applicable for a locker, luggage room, and adults’ costumes and Rs. 50 for kids' costumes and a towel.
Also, there are tubes available for kids on rent at Rs. 100 plus refundable deposit Rs. 100. If you want a cap then you need to purchase it as they are not available on rent. Better you carry your own water kinds of stuff if you have already.
Timing of Wet n Joy Water Park in Shirdi:
Wet n Joy Water Park, Shirdi is open from 10 am to 6 pm. All rides do not start at sharp 10 am because most of the people are engaged in booking tickets, being ready in nylon costumes, and entering the water park. After 11 am all the rides start and till then (if you are ready and entered) you can enjoy the rain dance or play with water in the pool with your family or group.
Attractions in Wet n Joy water park in Shirdi:
Wet n Joy Water Park in Shirdi is widespread over a large area and spacious enough to accommodate various amazing rides and the crowd with ease. There are several different types of attractions for all age groups to experience during your trip to this Water Park. Let me mention the attractions here:
Lazy River: Long and twisted river through which you pass slowly on the tube enjoying the various scenario. This is super fun with the group.
We enjoyed all the rides here. Kids also do not lag behind to entertain themselves as they are provided with kids’ pool and small kids’ ride. You need to spend here full day to experience all the rides with ease. On Sundays the water park is crowded and I like visiting on Sundays only. There are few rides where singles are not allowed so you need to be with your partner to enjoy those rides.
Water quality of the water park:
The water being supplied here throughout the water park is not very clear but okay. This is a bit salty. When you are out of the water and dried well then you will notice a layer of white substance like salt all over your body and costume.
Staff and safety:
Most of the staff personnel here are quite active and taking care of visitors.
Food:
Wet n Joy Water Park is equipped with Friends Restaurant offering various types of snacks and food items. Outside food is strictly not allowed inside. The taste of the food and snacks is okay. Seating arrangements are sufficient enough.
Washroom and Changing room:
I found a washroom in a clean and hygienic state and I was happy to see it because I presume a dirty and sinking washroom in crowded places. The changing room was also clean and tidy enough.
Address and contact details of Wet n Joy Water Park Shirdi:
Wet N Joy Water Park
Near Sun-N-Sand Hotel, Post: Nighoj, Taluka: Rahata,
Ahmednagar, Shirdi, Maharashtra. Pin- 423109
Email: wetnjoy@malpani.com
Phone: 9850586650, 9527640000/50000
If you have any query then you may clear it by contacting on above numbers.
Conclusion:
Despite being a bit costly this time in 2019, overall it has been a nice experience every time we visited this water park and I will surely recommend Wet n Joy Shirdi Water Park to the others.
