Hotel Overview

A Destination is more than its location, a hotel is more than a building, experiences are more than a way to pass the time, a holiday is more than just a stay in a hotel.

With this in mind, we bring you Woods at Sasan – A luxury lifestyle retreat.

What are the key elements when seeking a hotel?

The Location | The Excursions | The Aesthetics of the Building | The Cuisine |  The People.

The setting is in an 8 acre mango orchard, the location is adjacent to Gir National Park. The Asiatic Lions remains one of India’s most successful conservation stories, but a visit to Woods at Sasan is about more than just a safari. It is about discoveries which lead to connections. it is their holistic approach in bringing you a series of opportunities to connect with the culture of the region, the wildlife, its people, the local tribal population, its art and crafts, its topography, its cuisines, the landscape and the opportunities that all of these offer.   To truly get to know a destination is to connect with all of its element and this is what 1000 Island Hotesl& Resorts Pvt bring you with Woods at Sasan, a first of its kind, lifestyle retreat.

Hotel Story

Woods at Sassan, the brainchild of Maulik Bhagat, to develop a unique concept in hospitality, a holistic wellbeing experience that was to combine eco design, nature and meaningful experiences. A resort that in as many ways as possible connects meaningfully with the environment, the land, the people, the culture, nature so that we are able to reconnect with the self.

His “Destination First’ approach is about the land, the nature, the indigenous people, the wildlife, the arts and crafts of a region, the food, of course the food as much as the build and all these connections had to be found and made.

The building has been carefully designed and planned to be fully eco aware. Materials were sourced locally, the stone, and the limestone plaster that was used, as well as traditional mud walls which adorn some of the interiors.  In keeping with the locale,  furnishings as far as possible were sourced locally or created locally to reflect the local crafts and culture, hand tooled wooden interiors, clay artwork, cane and rope weaving and of course, hand-spun khadi was always part of the plan.

The design focuses on nature, bringing the outside in. Huge glass, floor to ceiling doors, open decks, waterbodies in restaurants, spacious, individual spa units, at every opportunity there is the opportunity to connect with nature whilst ensuring that the property adheres to the tenets of eco design.

The overall theme was to focus on lifestyle. So much more than simply wellbeing, it is the combination of a host of elements, holistically drawn together then frame our lives, our health and our happiness. Our lifestyle is about the choices we make, the exercise we take, the food we eat, the activities we do, and the discoveries we make that become important to us.

What was key, was creating a host of activities that would enable you to discover. We believe that this discovery is your journey, not determined by us but facilitated by us. We offer a whole host of experiences which you may choose to do at your leisure, determined by your preferences and the journey you want to take. These can be nature based, spa based, food based, culture and local people based, or a combination of all of the above.

A Selection of the Experiences Available

Gir Safari: A Golden Opportunity to See the Rare Asiatic Lion

When in Sasan, you must pay tribute to the King of the Jungle – the rare Asiatic Lion! Sasan Gir is not only home to the last of the Asiatic lions in the world, but also hosts a myriad of exotic flora and fauna. Discover the wildlife of Sasan on a safari in an open jeep ride accompanied by a personal guide.

Rail Safari: A Narrow Gauge Forest Trail to Kansiya Nes

A unique meter-gauge rail journey takes you through the forests of Sasan to Kansiya Nes. A nes is a typical dwelling of the Maldhari community of Sasan. This visit gives you an opportunity to get an exclusive glimpse of the Maldharis’ unique lifestyle and their co-existence with the last lions of India.

Woods Safari Lunch: A Culinary Experience in the Forest

A curated culinary experience that takes a simple traditional luncheon to the next level. Set amidst a clearing in the forest surrounding the resort, lunch is prepared on a wood fire and served on the spot. Enjoy the fresh, local delicacies of Sasan seated on a charpoy whilst listening to the melodious music of a live flute recital.

Nature Walk: A Guided Bird Watching Trip

Take a guided trip through the forest paths to spot the amazing birdlife that Sasan offers – over 300 species of birds, many of them migratory and rare. Our guide is a naturalist who excels in the art of birding and is knowledgeable about the biodiversity of Sasan.

Village Day Out: Engage with the Locals and Discover the Culture of Sasan

A private drive will take you to a nearby Sasan village where you can interact with the locals and be introduced to their unique lifestyle. Explore their indigenous culture as they include you in their daily activities starting with traditional refreshments.

A Vintage Tea Tale: A Riverside Excursion

A vintage car ride to an idyllic spot along the merrily-flowing Hiran river, sipping freshly brewed tea whilst resting your gaze on the scenic surroundings, lends a royal feel to this one-of-a-kind excursion at Woods at Sasan.

Barbecue Under the Stars: A Unique Culinary Experience

A culinary experience with all the flavours of private dining. While soft ambient music plays in the background, our chef creates culinary delights that are roasted to perfection and suited to your palate while your private butler waits on you.

Farming Explorations

Reconnect with nature with our chief horticulturist, Bhagwan bhai.

Garden to Table with Chef

A culinary exploration to know about our kitchens and gastronomical stories.

Learn a Craft from an Islander

Jethabai shares his unique mud craft techniques to make toys for children or art for home decor

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IE Reviews

For once I had no expectations.  I was traveling around Gujarat, making it up as I went, when an invite came to stay at Woods at Sasan. I readily accepted, had no wifi to see where I was going and simply turned up.  If anything, given that this was SasanGir, home of the Asiatic Lion which is the only reason I’d heard of the place, and given the name, I was expecting a classic wildlife lodge. I was wrong.

The design is modern, elegant and all focused around sustainability. The landscaping all focused around an existing 8 acre mango orchard, greenery, organically grown bamboo and lemon grass automatically encouraged me to breathe, and it’s not often that happens! The staff, on first impressions were professional and personable, an impression that was to continue. It has been 22 years now that I’ve been doing hotel reviews in India and one learns to be more forgiving in simple homestays and more discerning (okay, downright picky) the higher the rating and I soon realised that if I was to find fault here, then I was going to have to be picky – what fun! But I struggled to find much to fault –  ultimately. Once that is, that I realised that the overriding concept was of a luxury lifestyle retreat and not a classic safari lodge.

You see, they focus not just on the wildlife but on the people, the characteristics of the destination, the food, the nature and overall well-being, wellness isn’t just wellbeing as we know. At Indian Experiences, we are all about discovering destinations differently and what struck me was how the team at Woods at Sassan have come up with a whole host of excellentlythought out and curated experiences to showcase all aspects of the region. They want a stay at Woods to be about you finding your path, discovering what it is that is important to you in a stay.

Of course I had to go on safari, how could I not? They naturalist Jeetendra was excellent and we had an amazing safari seeing leopard as well as a lion on a kill, but having got that out of the way, I was free to choose my own path. I opted for a nature walk, a narrow-gauge train ride and to visit the local tribal village as well as to venture out to see the thread and nail art being produced, a local art and craft. It is this type of discovery that is my meditation and makes me happy. Others chose a more classic wellbeing journey, opting for yoga, spa treatments and appreciating nature from the gardens of their rooms. I did partake in my first ever Sattvik meal and was pleasantly surprised, tasty, plenty of small course options and not horribly filling which also made a pleasant change. Yes, overall I was impressed by my experience of a stay here, only wished, as always, I’d had longer.

Sustainable Tourism

The A | B | C

Of Woods at Sassan

Atelier: Studio design | Inspiration

Biophilia: An innate desire to connect with nature.

Connections:  With nature | people | the land | the seasons |

And ultimately connecting with the self. 

Sustainability

Biophilic design calls for a connection between nature and the built environment. At Woods at Sasan, an intermingling of nature and architecture reconnects the self to the living world and makes for a healthful and rejuvenating environment for guests.

 

With the trees in the orchard and the forest greenery, the air at the resort has 33% less CO2 than the average air that we breathe. In addition, the soil of the resort is free of chemicals and bio-hazardous materials. The use of local stone for walls and paving, natural lime plasters, wood paneling and bamboo-based materials and products, minimize concrete usage and reduce carbon footprint.

The Guest Stays are designed to catch the gentle rays of the rising sun and reduce exposure to the mid-day heat, an architectural intervention that contributes to approximately 26% energy savings. The resort has also minimized plastic use by 90%.

More that 40% of the staff are locals – as Woods at Sasan grows, so does the local economy. The resort also plays an active role in supporting and preserving local culture and crafts.

Woods at Sasan has sustainability at its core a fact that was recognised by being nominated for a SKIFT Design Award in 2019.

 

Som Wellness

We believe that your journey at Woods at Sasan Lifestyle Retreat should be determined by the factors that are important to you. We pride ourselves on our architecture and design, experiences and varied choice of cuisines, all of which you are free to combine in any way to ensure that you are making the most of this opportunity to refresh, reconnect and find your balance. However there are those who prefer a more traditional wellness experience and we are proud to showcase Som Wellness.

SOM at Woods at Sasan is a space for Ayurveda, Yoga and Inner Wellbeing. Founded on ancient Indian principles of holistic living, Som offers a way to harmonise mind, body and spirit through a range of treatments that cover Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Acupuncture, Yoga and Meditation. Breathe in the essence of the forest, and relax in the serene treatment rooms scented with aromatic oils and spices.

Som is an integral part of our overall theme of lifestyle and wellbeing.