Took a 2-3 days trip to Tarkarli/Malvan. Here are my views.

Overall: 8/10 The Goods: * Malvan does seem like a good alternative to Goa in case you like beaches. * The beaches are clean; no beer bottles/cans lying around. * Scuba is great (even though my experience varies because of a dumb instructor). * You will love the natural vibe you get here, great weather. * Roads are good—not too many potholes or faults. * People are respectful towards tourists; there are a lot of homemade-served restaurants. Underwhelming: * Has the potential to build a great infrastructure; right now it is just decent. * Not too many lavish places except for MTDC; a lot of hotels are side businesses of the landowners. * Majority dehat crowd as tourists; some might not like it. * Can do better with transportation. But overall it was a good experience; would visit often. The Vande Bharat train is a game changer; it took around 5 hours to reach Kankavali from Mumbai.