Buying a second home at a hill station or at other exotic locations has dual benefits: investment as well as a holiday home

CALL it a home away from home, a weekend home or your first home; eco-friend ly cities are increasingly becoming the most preferred options for the rich. Situated far away from the hustle-bustle of city life, these eco-friendly locations have all the modern and luxurious amenities sans traffic congestions, pollution, high noise levels, resource depletion, and a collapsing infrastructure.

No wonder, destinations like Lavasa and Aamby Valley in Maharastra or Shantiniketan (Tagore's `Abode of Peace') in West Bengal are fast catching up as the most desired options for consumers, who aim for a luxurious living, staying close to nature as much as possible, yet with all modern amenities that life offers.

Aamby Valley City for instance is developed by its promoters the Sahara group as India's first planned hill city and promoters claim it to be first ever completely networked wi-fi city. Aamby Valley City has residential, educational, recreational and infrastructural amenities on par with international standards. To elevate the concept of security, visitors intending to experience Aamby Valley as guests of existing clientele, prospective buyers or for business networking initiatives can gain access to the city through a planned approach with appropriate permissions from the city's site office.

The gated city has all the modern features and facilities of luxurious residential options ranging from chic and cosy Timber Chalets to fabulously modern and customised villas in distinct architectural styles. There are facilities like lagoon complexes, family entertainment zones, recreation hubs, and a world-class gymnasium horse riding course, salons, spas, premier clubs and many more.

The city infrastructure includes an airport, hospital with tele-medicine and air ambulance facility, well laid out 3/4 lane road network, international residential school, water bottling plant and a power plant. To add value, it also has restaurants catering to different cuisines, such as typically Indian, Chinese, Italian and Continental.

"The inception of Aamby Valley City was around 1992-93. For several years, the focus remained on developing Aamby Valley City in terms of superior infrastructure and state-of-the-art amenities for our citizens," said a company spokesperson. Once fully equipped, the personalised residential villas were put up for sale in 2005.

"There are a variety of residential properties available at Aamby Valley City. Subsequently, their prices range according to their individual specifications. However, price range of a property at Aamby Valley City would be approximately Rs 1.40 crores onwards" the spokesperson adds.

The company has already sold approximately 700 units in different categories. The villas have been priced in the range of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore. Apartments are priced in the range of Rs 15 to 45 lakhs, depending on size and location.

Located at a 60-minute drive from Pune and a 3-hour drive from Mumbai, Lavasa is one of the most ambitious projects of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC). Set amidst 25,000 acres of picturesque landscape in western India, Lavasa has been planned based on the principles of new urbanism, which organises all the components essential to daily life within walking distance -or hand shaking distance if you will -from each other. It is a city where one can literally walk to work, where shopping, entertainment and leisure facilities are round the corner, where children have access to the finest education within a short distance from home. It is thus a full, new economy that is being created, which is inclu sive and environmentally sustainable. s Lavasa city will include towns like s Dasve, Mugaon, Dhamanohol, Sak s hari-Wadavali and CBD (central business district), scheduled to be ready w by 2021. The first town, Dasve, will be it complete by 2010­11. The key focus h of Dasve, besides being the primary la residential space at Lavasa, is to h establish reputed educational, tou u rism and hospitality institutions. Mu 3 gaon is the second town to be devel o oped according to the master plan for a Lavasa. The Mugaon development h programme focuses on corporate and educational campuses, tourism, expl I oration, sport and R&D. tr "Dasve was the first town to be p developed at Lavasa. We opened book W ings for Dasve in 2007 and the w response was fantastic. Till date, 1,300 t units have already been sold. We will shortly announce the launch of the second town, Mugaon," said a Lavasa spokesperson.

The city has strategically tied up with the best in construction, hospitality, tourism, leisure, education and health and wellness sectors. Over six lakh square metres of area at Dasve has extensive greenery. With a continuous tourist inflow, Lavasa will have a 365-day economy. Moreover, work options at Lavasa will be varied because there is a conscious decision to have all non-polluting industries.

"We have tied up with best in IT/ITeS, biotechnology, R&D centres, training centres, fashion design, film production and an animation studio.

We have developed strategic alliances with the best in their respective sectors," the Lavasa spokesperson said.

In the near future; the city will have a global standard fire station, library, museum, and courthouse. The plan of the city encourages and creates community spaces and public plazas.

The trend is fast catching up in Kolkata and elsewhere in West Bengal as well -not just on hill stations, but at other serene locations, too. Leading developers in this part of the country are up to offering you "an abode of peace" over the weekend, which you can actually own! It all started with `Sonar Taree', a comprehensive housing complex of duplex bungalows at Santiniketan, 300 km off Kolkata. On offer at Sonar Taree are parks to wander in, play grounds, a club, a market, a multi-cuisine restaurant and a residential doctor's chamber and a hospital.

"We've developed this property as a second home destination. People are so stressed these days that they just die to cool their heels over the weekend. We thought why can't we give them something, which will be their own and where they can unwind. Thus came Sonar Taree," said Kumar Sankar Bagchi, MD of Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company, which has built this property jointly with Sriniketan Santiniketan Development Authority.

The overwhelming response to Sonar Taree prompted developers to replicate the model on the next plot.

"Sonar Taree-II offers an unpolluted wide living space open to pristine blue skies. It is a geo-poetical habitat, a unique environmental experience.

Each sunrise here will bring the promise of a peaceful quality life. For the senior members of each family there would be a green garden with each home a flight to freedom and nature," added Bagchi.

Attached to Sonar Taree is `Arani', six acres of lush green dovetailing with seven greening acres of Sonar Taree.

There is a dhyan griha (meditation room) at Arani also.

The success of Sonar Taree has not gone unnoticed. It has brought in other developers to eat a piece of this wonder pie. Renaissance, a 256 acre township in Burdwan, 110 km off Kolkata, is being positioned to be the next luxury holiday home destination in the state. Being developed by the Kolkata-based Shrachi Group and Burdwan Developers, Renaissance is a town square with facilities like banks and financial institutions, community centre and a recreation club, a banquet hall, gymnasium, tennis court, kids' zone, swimming pool, an open air theatre, swimming pool, wellness centre, entertainment zone and mall.

"The whole idea is to strike a balance between contemporary lifestyle and the rich culture and values. These bungalows amid lush green nature will have something special in store for everyone. If you are staying in the city, you can still buy a bungalow. The advantage is even if you are holidaying, you are not feeling alienated," a spokesman of Shrachi Developer said.

Designed by Delhi-based Morphogenesis Architecture Studio, the entire township will be constructed in harmony with nature.

If you are willing to embrace a life that is unhurried and unruffled and is close to nature, Shanti Shristi, a bungalow estate at Santiniketan, developed by Shristi Infrastructure Development, can be your next port of call.

The 70 picturesque bungalows (priced between Rs 16 lakh and Rs 30 lakh) come with private gardens and welltended lawns. What's more, each bungalow at Shanti Shristi is designed leaving enough open space, so that you can savour your oneness with nature.

"This is like a weekend getaway, far from the chaos and clutter, in the lap of nature. Yet, it lets you stay close enough to all the amenities that a modern city life has to offer. Shanti Shristi is a unique blend of nature and technology," said Abhishek Bharadwaj, vice-president, Shristi Infrasturcture Development.

Nilesh Biswas, director, Calcutta Skyline, a leading realty consultant and marketing firm, told FC Estate, that there are more advantages than one of buying a second home, be it at a hill station or at some other exotic location. "The banks are willing to finance up to 70 per cent of the cost in clear and approved dealings.

Buyers, too, prefer gated communities in hill stations as they can be assured of clear titles and ownership.

Access to the property and its scenic location are key criteria in buying decisions. Then there are dual benefits: Investment as well as a holiday home," said Biswas. An ideal combination of head and heart.