Nitin Mongia - AlibaugWelcome to Ccaza Ccomodore
 This boutique villa is perfect for anyone who wishes to go spend a weekend in Alibaug. Tastefully furnished, it is private and self contained and offers peace and quiet, says FARZANA BEHRAM CONTRACTOR
 Nitin Mongia is a man with a mission. All he wants to do is offer an exclusive retreat to those visitors to Alibaug who have no homes there. To give to his guests so much privacy and space, they don’t feel they are spending a weekend at a hotel or a resort. It’s a good concept, this boutique villa. Especially since the kitchen is as good as the rest of the place, for Nitin Mongia is known for Peppers, The Home Deli, a top-class catering outfit which he runs in Bombay and has just initiated in Alibaug too.
Nitin has an illustrious background, though you won’t be able to get any of it out of him, he is that shy and reserved. It will not be an exaggeration to say, he belongs to the first family of ´Indian Sailing´. His father, Commodore S.K. Mongia won the Arjuna Award in 1978, his brother Ashim in 1998 and Nitin himself won it in 2003. That makes it the only family of sportsmen in India with three Arjuna awardees. Between them they also have Gold, Silver and Bronze medals adorning their walls for such prestigious tournaments as Asian Games, National and World Championships right from the 70s to the current year when Nitin won a Bronze at the Asian Championships. Nitin also holds the record for being the only Indian to have won the World Championship in 2003 in a singlehander class of boat. Remarkable achievements indeed. Neena Mongia who is alas no more, must have been a very proud mother. Neena was the marketing wiz who worked with India Today and Mid-Day publications.
The Mongias bought a few acres of land way back in 1988 with the intention of building a farmhouse. The senior Mongia who worked with the Indian Navy and now heads Vijay Mallya’s fleet always aspired to start a dhaba with the assistance of Man Singh his Man Friday, and call it Black Tiger Pub after the cigars of the same name that he used to smoke. Nitin who always loved good food helped realise that dream by his catering effort and now by converting the family home in Alibaug which they built in 1994 into Ccaza Ccomodore, a boutique villa.
 “I love eating, so I learnt to cook. Long ago I experimented with marinations for BBQs and am very good at that. I have the ability to re-create anything. Our specialities are Man Singh’s forte; raan and bhuna gosht but I like to cook Mediterranean dishes. I used to be completely hands-on when we started six months ago, but now the entire staff is well-trained and work independently,” says the young entrepreneur.
The villa has two bedrooms plus a family room which accommodates children. An optimum number would be three couples at Rs 9000 per couple per night with all meals included. Once the guests arrive the place is shut down, in the sense that no outsiders are then allowed in. You have the place all to yourself, including the pool. A nice change from swimming with strangers in a hotel pool! There are no fixed timings, you can eat when you want too, even if it is 4 pm. And the option of booking spa treatments is also available. They have two trained Balinese girls on hand including a male masseur from South India. One can hire the villa for just a day party also, at a cover charge of Rs 1000 per head. The cost would include the use of the place and service. But not the alcohol or bartenders, for that you pay extra. You can choose from a menu which ranges from Rs 700 to 2000. Rs 3000 and more if what you desire is caviar, foie gras, lobster etc, etc…
It seems like a pretty cool set up. Brother Ashim builds as well as sells boats and Nitin runs the Ccaza Ccomodore and catering units. Nitin’s wife Deepti, a graphic designer, assists him with all the back-end jobs and daughter Krishna who is seven, helps by just being the apple of Nitin’s eyes. UpperCrust recommends.
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