Kashid Beach, wedged between two rocky outcrops reaching out into the sea, had not changed much since my last visit some five years ago except for the slopes of the hill that overlooked it. Then, only one hotel, Kashid Beach Resort, graced this land. This time around it was strewn with a few more holiday retreats. And not surprisingly so, for this semi-circular sweep of beach is probably the finest in the entire stretch from Mandwa down to Murud-Janjira. Indeed, it does not have the bustling activity that one associates with its two sister beaches, Alibaug and Murud-Janjira. There?s no shortage of sights here, though. For Kashid has access to a ponderous sea-fort, a lonely lighthouse and, every now and then, a bird of paradise.