Aamby Valley City opens its doors to non-members, offering waterskiing, rain dancing on a floating pier and luxury pontoon boat rides. We got onto an inflatable banana boat, got thrown off, got back on and had a blast The speedboat is in position, the life jacket's fitted and banana boat fixed. It's time to take position and wait for the man on the wheel to turn on the ignition. A few tense moments and the boat starts to tug along. 
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Mid Day writer Aditi Sharma (in front) on a banana boat ride. Pics/Rane Ashish</td></tr></tbody></table>There's hardly enough time to balance myself on the canary yellow inflatable boat that's suddenly hit 60 km/ph and is showing no signs of slowing down. So, I hold on tighter, let out the loudest yelp I can and feel the cool lake water slap my cheek. And just when I think I've mastered balancing a banana, a sharp jerk and I'm bobbing like a ball in the lake! We are at the Central Lake at Aamby Valley City, where water sports-enthusiasts are lining up at the pier to get fitted into life jackets before they set off on shrieking sessions of their own. What's there to do With Aamby Valley City opening up its once members-only gated area to anybody with moolah to spare, guests can try out water sports among a host of activities on offer. "The property has been developed for a gated community but over the years we've opened up to corporate conferences, andu00a0 realised that we could spread the concept of the city to more people through our hospitality ventures," says Rajiv Ghosh, Joint Head Operations. The Central Lake, nestled between hills and the Koyarigarh Fort, is where all the action unfolds. Choose from a ride on a speedboat or wakeboarding, knee boarding, water skiing or simply get towed away on inflatable boats. If there's a long wait till you get your turn, drop in for a quick rain dance session on the floating pier or take a dip in their floating swimming pool. The less adventurous can do the propah thing grab a can of chilled beer or a glass of wine and set off on a leisurely luxury pontoon boat ride. Traditional kayaks and lightweight paddle boats are for those who want to exercise their limbs. Water sports are a big draw here, so make sure you book your slot in advance. How much you shell out The tariff for an overnight stay starts at Rs 14,000 plus taxes onwards. Charges differ depending on the package you pick. Access to Aamby Valley is open on prior booking only. Water sports are not included in any package and have to be paid for on per use basis. For bookings call 020-39884000 How to get there Aamby Valley City is 122 kms from Mumbai. You can take the Mumbai-Pune Expressway till Lonavla, from where you follow the route past Bushi Dam to the valley. Alternatively, you can take a chartered plane or helicopter from Mumbai Airport, if you want to get there in 20 minutes, and have the moolah.

Aamby Valley City opens its doors to non-members, offering waterskiing, rain dancing on a floating pier and luxury pontoon boat rides. We got onto an inflatable banana boat, got thrown off, got back on and had a blast

Slapped by water, and thrown off a banana

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Slapped by water, and thrown off a banana

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