Founders Of Machan Resorts To Develop 26-Acre Luxury Residential Community At Lake Mulshi
Mumbai : The founders of Machan Resorts, one of India’s early nature-led luxury hospitality destinations and a carbon-neutral operation have entered the luxury residential real estate segment with Aqua Vie, a fully managed private estate community on the banks of Lake Mulshi. The project has received registration from the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA), marking the formal commencement of the development.
Spread across 26 acres, Aqua Vie will comprise 26 private estates, 17 one-acre and nine half-acre estates with an estimated retail value of over ₹600 crore, each placed so that every villa offers unimpeded views of the lake. The project is entirely family funded and marks the promoters’ expansion from nature-led hospitality into luxury residential real estate after more than 16 years of building and operating The Machan.
“Aqua Vie came from our guests. For years, they asked us to build private Machan homes with the same connection to nature and the same standard of care. We waited until we found the right land on the banks of Lake Mulshi. Aqua Vie is the culmination of everything we’ve learned over the last sixteen years—how to build in nature, how to sustain it and how to look after people,” said Varun Hooja, Partner, Machan Resorts LLP and Founder & Promoter, Aqua Vie.
Located on the banks of Lake Mulshi, the community has been planned around the site’s existing landscape, which includes more than 6,000 natural trees, each counted and marked by species, natural watercourses and sloping terrain overlooking the lake. Rather than reshaping the land, the strategic plan has been designed to preserve existing trees, protect natural streams and retain the site’s contours, with the 26 estates positioned to maximise privacy while responding to the natural topography.
Aqua Vie has been conceived as a fully managed residential community, bringing together private estate living with hospitality-led services. Every residence will be supported by a permanent concierge team managing housekeeping, horticulture, maintenance, engineering and resident services. Beyond individual homes, the community will include a clubhouse, café, wellness spaces, nearly two kilometres of walking and jogging trails, an amphitheatre overlooking the lake, botanical gardens, children’s play areas, senior citizen spaces, a dog park and other shared amenities. Designed as a car-free community beyond individual homes, residents will primarily move through the development on foot, by bicycle or by golf cart.
Sustainability has been integrated into the project from the planning stage. Aqua Vie is being developed as a carbon-neutral community through carbon accounting, passive cooling strategies, native landscaping, solar energy generation with battery storage, and water and waste management systems. The project is also pursuing IGBC and LEED certifications. Every residence will be connected through a full-fibre network and smart-home infrastructure.
The community will also have access to The Machan Resort & Spa, Lake Mulshi, which is rising on the hillside overlooking the community. Residents will have access to its restaurants, wellness facilities and hospitality amenities, extending the hospitality model that the founders have built over the last sixteen years into long-term residential living.
Construction is currently underway on the first three estates, with first handovers targeted for 2028.
