Need help: Mumbai to Bangalore - driving with a dog

[nilanjanray]

Hi

This is my first post. I am driving down to Bangalore from Mumbai this weekend. Our dog - an Irish Setter - will be accompanying me.

I have planned to leave Mumbai at 3 am Sunday, stop at Belgaum for the day, then start early morning (around 5 am) for Bangalore so that I can reach Bnglr around noon.

I would have done the trip without a nightrest - I will have co-driver - but the dog can't travel 16-17 hours at a stretch. He insists on standing throughout the journey and barking at everything that moves :-)

Any advice on where I can stay in Belgaum or some other midway place - a place that is family friendly, and accepts dogs?

I went through the 3 page Bangalore-Mumbai road tri[p thread, but any updates - e.g. on what to avoid, where to stop for lunch etc - would be welcome.

[hvkumar]

Sankam Residency is a good hotel at Belgaum just off the NH4, but don't know about their dog-friendliness.

.::HOTEL SANKAM RESIDENCY, BELGAUM::.* - sankam, belgaum, hotels in belgaum, north karnataka, hospitality, business hotel, sankamthai
I find the contact numbers are [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][COLOR=#800000]Telephone : +91 831 2455838, 4207888[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

You could stop over at Hotel Mahendra in Satara on NH4 for lunch, but since the doggie is there betetr to try out any of the open-door dhabas on the Pune-Kolhapur stretch.

You could reach Belgaum in 6-8 hours.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

I have planned to leave Mumbai at 3 am Sunday, stop at Belgaum for the day, then start early morning (around 5 am) for Bangalore so that I can reach Bnglr around noon.

If you want to stop belgaum then why start at 3AM (if you continue, you will be in Bangalore by 4PM )
Mumbai - Belgaum is a 6 hour affair (if you want a small break in between)...Start at 10AM, have multiple breaks in between and reach belgaum by 6PM...

Abhi

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Sankam Residency is a good hotel at Belgaum just off the NH4, but don't know about their dog-friendliness.

.::HOTEL SANKAM RESIDENCY, BELGAUM::.* - sankam, belgaum, hotels in belgaum, north karnataka, hospitality, business hotel, sankamthai
I find the contact numbers are [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][COLOR=#800000]Telephone : +91 831 2455838, 4207888[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

You could stop over at Hotel Mahendra in Satara on NH4 for lunch, but since the doggie is there betetr to try out any of the open-door dhabas on the Pune-Kolhapur stretch.

You could reach Belgaum in 6-8 hours.

Thanks!

I called up a few places, and found a hotel that accepts dogs - Hotel Ramdev in Belgaum.

I was planning to leave at 3 am to avoid the morning rush, and also leave an option for proceeding to Bangalore on the same day if the dog feels upto it. But I think 4:30 am makes better sense perhaps - to avoid Mumbai as well as Pune outskirts traffic.

I will be driving a 4 yr old Tata Indica v2. This will its longest trip so far.

[hvkumar]

Leaing Bombay at 3 am is my favourite time - Pune expressway is empty, you clock through Pune by 600 am and the next stretch of road is very good. The sugarcane cutiing season is on and the roads become crowded later in the morning and day between Satara and Kolhapur, so an early morning start may be the bets for the current season. And, yes, you can continue to Bangalore if the doggie takes the ride well. My best time to Belgaum starting 3 am is 5.5 hours, which means I reach it by 830-900 am

[nilanjanray]

Great, practical inputs - thanks Kumar!