Originally Posted by itwasntme

How is Arcot>Cheyyar>Vandavasi road given the rains as compared to Kancheepuram>Chengalpattu>Pondy? What kind of average speeds can I hope to maintain during daytime and are the stress levels much lower in the latter?

The road was generally good with some bad stretches, but driveable. The details are here.

Can I avoid T'vanam town completely by taking Vandavasi-Melmaruvathur (SH115), turn right on NH45 and then take the Tindivanam bypass to land straight on NH66 i.e. beyond T'vanam? Google Maps shows the distance as around 60km as compared to 40km using the direct V'vasi -T'vanam route.

Yes. You can either do that or take the option 4. My experience on option 4 is here.

[Neel]

Any recommendations for stay at Pondy, preferably sea side and close to the main town.

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Guys,

Planning Bangalore-Pondy-Bangalore in August. Want a smooth drive with good roads; don't mind extra distance as long the drive is uninterrupted :-)

So which one?
1. NH66 route, 311km {Bangalore-Krishnagiri-T'malaiu-Tindivanam-Pondy}, or
2. NH68 route, 440km {Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Attur-Pondy}, or
3. NH46 route, 375km {Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Vellore-Arcot-Cheyyar-Vandavasi-Pondy}

Could the experts advise given the ongoing heavy rains?

itwasntme, I can recommend you the below route.

NH46 route : Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Vellore-Arcot-Cheyyar-Vandavasi-Melmaruvathur - Pondy

I drove the distance upto Melmaruvathur last week and it is definitely good. The total distance of 2 laned roads is only 90km from Arcot to Melmaruvathur. All the rest are 4-laned roads. Out of the 90km 2-laned roads, 60km is pretty good and you can drive decent speeds. Only 30 km of bad patches is there which is still manageable at about 60km/hour.

The main advantage of this route is that you can bypass Arcot, Cheyyar. Vandavasi is a small town and hence should not be an issue. You will not have any issue with the tindivanam market in this route.

[ampere]

There is one railway crossing at Tindivanam, which is a bit of pain. Ravi and Narayan mentioned about it in the previous posts.
But overall its the better route to take.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by ampere

There is one railway crossing at Tindivanam, which is a bit of pain. Ravi and Narayan mentioned about it in the previous posts.
But overall its the better route to take.

Hi Ampere,

Seems if I take the Vandavasi-Melu'thar (Sothupakkam) route, I can completely skip entering T'vanam by takibg the T'vanam Bypass from NH45 to NH66 directly.

That way, I avoid the entire town and level crossing altogether, right?

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Hi Ampere,

Seems if I take the Vandavasi-Melu'thar (Sothupakkam) route, I can completely skip entering T'vanam by takibg the T'vanam Bypass from NH45 to NH66 directly.

That way, I avoid the entire town and level crossing altogether, right?

itwastme, Yes. you are right. you can bypass Tindivanam town and directly connect to NH66 Pondicherry road if you take the Vandavasi - Sothupakkam - Pondy route. It might be 20km extra, but covering those 20kms in the 4 lane divided highway could take you just 15 minutes.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Hi Ampere,
Seems if I take the Vandavasi-Melu'thar (Sothupakkam) route, I can completely skip entering T'vanam by takibg the T'vanam Bypass from NH45 to NH66 directly.

That way, I avoid the entire town and level crossing altogether, right?

Originally Posted by gopikb

itwastme, Yes. you are right. you can bypass Tindivanam town and directly connect to NH66 Pondicherry road if you take the Vandavasi - Sothupakkam - Pondy route. It might be 20km extra, but covering those 20kms in the 4 lane divided highway could take you just 15 minutes.

Yes as Gopi mentioned, that is true. But I am not aware of road condition from Vandavasi to Sothupakkam (GQ intersection). Given that its a SH and its hardly 30km, it should be fine I guess. But still I am not sure.

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by ampere

Yes as Gopi mentioned, that is true. But I am not aware of road condition from Vandavasi to Sothupakkam (GQ intersection). Given that its a SH and its hardly 30km, it should be fine I guess. But still I am not sure.

Ampere, As I stated in my earlier post, I traveled the Vandavasi to Sothupakkam route last weekend and it is in ok shape. The road has occasional rough patches and potholes. But easily drive-able at 60km / hour. The pot holes are not huge as seen in Krishnagiri stretch. I covered this distance in about 35 minutes.

The best part about this route is that the driving time from Melmaruvathur to my home in Rajarajeswarinagar is exactly 5 hours 10 minutes. Including the breaks, I reached home in 6 hours flat. this is enabled because only 90kms stretch is 2 laned road and all the others are 4-laned. And ofcourse the NICE road from Hosur road to PESIT.

[babaops]

Hi All,

I needed one help.

Wanted to travel to Pondicherry on 13 to 15th August, But not able to zero down on any beach resort. I have already tried St. James Court, Nalla, Kailash, Ashok and Dune. All are fully booked.

do we have any other good resort available there.

Range 4 - 5k
Rooms - 2 rooms ( 4 persons)
Amenity - Beach resort

Will be grateful if anyone can give pointers.

Thanks a lot.

[sachinj12]

Hey, I am typing this as I take a stroll on the Auro beach. Try this resort called Soorya beach resort. The entry to the beach is right behind the resort. They have beach view, garden view rooms etc. They fall in your budget. Try this too- Zest beach resort.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Neel

Any recommendations for stay at Pondy, preferably sea side and close to the main town.

I stayed at a place called Lotus comforts. It is just 200-300m (very short walking distance) from the coast and also on the other side, you can access the main town. In addition, there are adequate parking facilities if you go by car. Even the 2 wheeler rental shops are just a stone's throw away

lotus comfort pondicherry - Google Maps

Pretty decent rooms and food, reasonably priced in everything. It is a small hotel, not many rooms so you could book well in advance.

[babaops]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Hey, I am typing this as I take a stroll on the Auro beach. Try this resort called Soorya beach resort. The entry to the beach is right behind the resort. They have beach view, garden view rooms etc. They fall in your budget. Try this too- Zest beach resort.

Hi Sachinj12,

I just went through some reviews on the Soorya resort on trip adviser and other sites. They are really bad, though not sure how true they are.

Are you staying there? What are your reviews on this place with respect to cleanliness and hygiene? I am not too worried about food as I will have a car with me. Any other thoughts, would be really helpful.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by ampere

There is one railway crossing at Tindivanam, which is a bit of pain. Ravi and Narayan mentioned about it in the previous posts.
But overall its the better route to take.

A bigger pain is the bus stop on the flyover in Tindivanam, beat that now. Either ways this railway crossing aint a big problem as such, not crowded usually.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by babaops

Hi Sachinj12,

I just went through some reviews on the Soorya resort on trip adviser and other sites. They are really bad, though not sure how true they are.

Are you staying there? What are your reviews on this place with respect to cleanliness and hygiene? I am not too worried about food as I will have a car with me. Any other thoughts, would be really helpful.

No, I am not staying there. I booked a room near Nehru street. Just enquired here. The place looks good and well maintained. As for food, you must try the wood fried pizzas. They are simply brilliant. Try this place- cafe xtasi. Dont know the road. Will give the land mark. On Nehru street, search for Hi-Design showroom, take right, walk around 100 mts,its on the left side.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by babaops

Hi Sachinj12,

I just went through some reviews on the Soorya resort on trip adviser and other sites. They are really bad, though not sure how true they are.

Are you staying there? What are your reviews on this place with respect to cleanliness and hygiene? I am not too worried about food as I will have a car with me. Any other thoughts, would be really helpful.

Le Pondy & Ocean Spray are pretty good as well.Though not sure of availability for the 15th weekend.All the best with it.