[NPV]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Any feedback on the Hyatt Hampi for a two day stay in Hampi? Is it a good resort in terms of cleanliness and room quality? Any feed back on the hotel , and any other pointers or things to look out for in Hampi, would be much appreciated. We are planning to stay at the Hyatt, and visiting the usual tourist places in Hampi.

You can consider Clarks Inn which is closer to the main cluster of monuments or even Royal Orchid which is a 15-20 minute drive to the main cluster.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

How is the current road condition from Bangalore? I have not been to Hampi before this so not aware of the road. I assume its a smooth drive till Chitradurga and then take a right on to the road leading to Hampi, correct? Is that the best route?

Originally Posted by androdev

Chitradurga route will have 1 hr section of "slow remote village road" and better to drive during daytime only. This would be the preferred route.

You can also consider BLR-HYD route if you stay closer to this highway. Bellary route will have a section with lot of trucks.

If the plan is to stay in Hyatt, then instead its better to drive via Hiriyur-Challakere-Bellari-Tornagallu.

Hiriyur-Bellari is a belter.

For some more adventure once can also try : Ramapura-Ubbalagandi-Tornagallu.

This cuts a lot of distance especially the traffic prone Bellari bypass and the Bellar-Hospet highway. (route link)

Please do note its a single lane road and desolate. So no night driving and usually not recommended.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by androdev

Chitradurga route will have 1 hr section of "slow remote village road" and better to drive during daytime only. This would be the preferred route.

You can also consider BLR-HYD route if you stay closer to this highway. Bellary route will have a section with lot of trucks.

Originally Posted by ampere

If the plan is to stay in Hyatt, then instead its better to drive via Hiriyur-Challakere-Bellari-Tornagallu.

Hiriyur-Bellari is a belter.

For some more adventure once can also try : Ramapura-Ubbalagandi-Tornagallu.

Please do note its a single lane road and desolate. So no night driving and usually not recommended.

Out of the two preferred routes (Chitradurga route and Hyderabad highway route through Ananthapur) which would be best in terms of good road conditions. Will be driving down with parents, so would like to know which is the easiest route in terms of good road conditions.

For instance, on the Chitradurga route, after the NH-50 stretch, the map shows NH-40 from Kudligi to Hyatt Hampi. Is this last part also in good condition?

On the other hand - If the Ananthapur route is taken, is there any portion after Ananthapur where the roads or driving conditions are bad?

Would like to avoid desolate roads/ highway stretches to the extent possible. Will be driving in day time only.

[androdev]

BLR-HYD would be better only if your location is much closer to this highway. In all other cases, BLR-PUNE highway would be better.

Chitradurga - Kudligi (excellent highway) and then rural roads for 1hr.

Hiriyur - Challakere (fantastic wide road without median and with less traffic) and then rural road for 1hr. During day time, I prefer not going towards Bellary.

Both the above options are almost similar in my opinion and just go with recommendation of google maps based on travel time.

If you need a hotel only to sleep and shower, it is better to stick to the hotels nearer to Hampi. Royal Orchid Hospet is a good 'business' hotel and food is better than Hyatt. I have driven past Clarks Inn and it looked decent but felt like a segment/class lower than Hyatt Place and Royal Orchid. Maybe the proximity to Hampi makes it very popular and expensive.

If you wish to spend some leisurely time in and around the hotel then Hyatt Place would be a good choice. On some days, we just stayed at the hotel, used the pool and walked/cycled around the township. I travel with kids who are too young to be excited about Hampi, so I tend to stick to hotels which have a bit of "resort" feel. Hyatt is not a resort but comes very close to it.

Maybe you will get more helpful suggestions if you tell us what you wish to do in Hampi.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Any feedback on the Hyatt Hampi for a two day stay in Hampi? Is it a good resort in terms of cleanliness and room quality? Any feed back on the hotel , and any other pointers or things to look out for in Hampi, would be much appreciated. We are planning to stay at the Hyatt, and visiting the usual tourist places in Hampi.

I have stayed at Hyatt Place several times, and always enjoyed it. The food quality has gone down a bit in recent times, but other than that, it is a lovely place.

In fact, it is a destination in itself! The township surrounding the hotel, the park with a lake next to it, the museum next to it, are all beautiful places and I love spending time there. Although this is 1 hour away from the main Hampi sites, the proximity to these other attractions make up for that. In fact, even if someone stays in Hampi, I would recommend them to visit this Vidyanagar township, because it is that good!

We actually had a team-bhp drive there from Bangalore in 2016. You can check that thread for the pictures of the areas surrounding Hyatt Place: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-...er-2016-a.html ('Explore Hampi' Team-BHP Meet: 16th - 18th September, 2016)

Originally Posted by androdev

Hampi is the place we visit the most and we have stayed in this hotel several times. We choose between this and "Hampi Boulders".

For the price, it is a fantastic place (esp if you have kids). Very clean with a nice swimming pool. The township campus around the hotel is also fantastic - definitely worth exploring by foot or bicycles.

This 'park (kaladham)' is right next to the hotel:

+1 to this. The Kaladham museum is also a very nice place to visit.

Originally Posted by androdev

Chitradurga - Kudligi (excellent highway) and then rural roads for 1hr.

Thank you for this information. I have always taken the Hiriyur-Bellary route, and have never taken the Chitradurga route. Will do that soon. BTW, are there any stops for food or restrooms between Chitradurga and Kudligi?

Lack of facilities is one problem in general on these routes. Even on Hiriyur-Bellary road, the road is quite scenic but there are no facilities once you exit the Bangalore-Pune highway.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Thank you for this information. I have always taken the Hiriyur-Bellary route, and have never taken the Chitradurga route. Will do that soon. BTW, are there any stops for food or restrooms between Chitradurga and Kudligi?

Lack of facilities is one problem in general on these routes. Even on Hiriyur-Bellary road, the road is quite scenic but there are no facilities once you exit the Bangalore-Pune highway.

At present, lack of facilities applies to both routes (chitradurga-hospet and hiriyur-bellary). Entire Shimoga-Chitradurga-Hospet stretch is being upgraded and this will become the default option for Hampi and Goa destinations with improved facilities for food/rest.

Hiriyur-Challakere road is fabulous to drive - smooth, wide, less-traffic - and will remain a decent alternative option to Hyatt. Google maps doesn't even show it as an option to me - only shows Chitradurga route. I prefer to use Hiriyur - Challakere - Rampura (village road) to break the monotony of highway driving. It never feels like a holiday without some village roads

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by androdev

Chitradurga - Kudligi (excellent highway) and then rural roads for 1hr.

If you wish to spend some leisurely time in and around the hotel then Hyatt Place would be a good choice.

Maybe you will get more helpful suggestions if you tell us what you wish to do in Hampi.

1. Since I am travelling with family members, will prefer to take the mainstream route through Chitradurga. When you say rural roads for an hour after Kudgili (from Kudgili to Hyatt), are these roads good to drive in terms of surface condition?

2. Plan is to spend time on the first day at Hyatt and see the places around there. The second day, would be heading towards Hampi from Hyatt, doing some sighseeing and shopping in Hampi, and come back to Hyatt in the evening. Heading back to Bangalore on the third day by 12 pm.
How is the road from Hampi to Hyatt Place and vice versa? I understand this is an hour's drive, some info on the route and road condition would be very helpful.

Thanks for all the information

[androdev]

Few years back Chitradurga-kudgili was under construction. Kudgili-sandur was a nightmare due to infamous mining boom. It was a must avoid route earlier. Now Chitradurga Hospet Highway is completed and sandur road is concretised and mining has come down.

https://youtu.be/vuZpWYcj2vM

Hiriyur-challakere-bellary is the default route for people going to Bellary. It was also preferred to go to Hyatt. Hiriyur-rampura(turn left)-hyatt will have very less traffic and excellent road till rampura. After rampura, it's a single tractor fits lane village road. Decent condition. Nothing to fear.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

1. Since I am travelling with family members, will prefer to take the mainstream route through Chitradurga. When you say rural roads for an hour after Kudgili (from Kudgili to Hyatt), are these roads good to drive in terms of surface condition?

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I have always taken the Hiriyur-Bellary route, and have never taken the Chitradurga route. Will do that soon.

Well, I went to Sandur on the weekend (stayed at the Sandur Palace - an amazing place to stay, and had a wonderful experience that I will share in a separate post) and took this new "Hampi Expressway". Here is my feedback.

This road is fantastic! Chitradurga-Hospet newly completed "Hampi Expressway" (NH50) is now undoubtedly the fastest way from Bangalore to Hospet/Hampi. I will recommend this to anyone without a second thought.

I took Chitradurga-Kudligi (NH50) and then Kudligi to Sandur the "rural road" which was actually very good too. This is actually State Highway 40. No issues whatsoever there.

Let me share some pictures so that one can see how good the roads are:


The beautiful and fast Hampi Expressway:



You see some windmills on the side as you drive on this beautiful stretch:



The road continues to be fast and smooth:



Some nice sweeping corners on occasion:



After Kudligi, I turned right towards Sandur. That is State Highway 40, and it too was very smooth, and actually somewhat scenic too!

The state highway between Kudligi and Sandur:



Some nice twists and turns, and some scenic patches:



I reached Sandur in just 4 hours and 30 minutes of driving time from South Bangalore! This road is by far the fastest of options I have tried in the past!

After Sandur, later I drove towards Hyatt Palace, continuing on the SH40, to enjoy the views of the famous "Narihalla River". Now that road is quite good too. It actually has a very scenic section of the Narihalla River/Lake, and there are some great viewpoints. While the road surface is good, and the views are great, there are many massive speedbreakers on this section (designed for the mining trucks). These speedbreakers are way too frequent (almost one every km or so) and they are really massive. It was a challenge to drive across those in my 320d. But I managed without any scraping. So it is possible to drive even a low GC sedan here, but one has to be extremely careful! However, no matter which road you take to reach Hyatt Palace, such massive speedbrakers (designed for mining trucks) are there in all access roads. So there is really no escape from these if you have to stay at Hyatt Palace.

The scenic road (SH40) towards Hyatt Palace from Sandur:



And finally, one shot of my car next to the scenic "Narihalla River" on SH40



In summary, this is the fastest road to Hospet/Hampi/Sandur, and I recommend this over any other roads. But again, two common pain-points remain (same as on any other roads to this area) 1. There are massive speedbreakers in the mining area 2. There are no clean food places or restrooms once you exit the Bangalore-Mumbai highway at Chitradurga. However, there are plenty of fuel pumps on this section, so fuel is not a problem.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

How is the road from Hampi to Hyatt Place and vice versa? I understand this is an hour's drive, some info on the route and road condition would be very helpful.

I did NOT drive to Hampi at all this time (this trip was just to enjoy the palace this time, as we have been to Hampi many times in the past), so I am not sure of the latest conditions. However, from my past drives, this road (Hampi to Hyatt Palace) was never a problem. It is a general rural highway with good surface that you can manage at decent speeds even in low GC sedans. So nothing to worry about there.

Originally Posted by androdev

Few years back Chitradurga-kudgili was under construction. Kudgili-sandur was a nightmare due to infamous mining boom. It was a must avoid route earlier. Now Chitradurga Hospet Highway is completed and sandur road is concretised and mining has come down.

+1. I just took this road on the weekend and enjoyed it a lot.

Actually I think this is better than that Rampura road from the Hiriyur-Challakere side, for speed, driving conditions, and in general the safety issues. Although the Hiriyur-Challakere section is more scenic for sure.

I would say Hiriyur-Challakere is the most scenic option, whereas Chitradurga-Hospet is the fastest option. Neither options have any food/restroom facilities after exiting the Bangalore-Pune highway.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by androdev

Few years back Chitradurga-kudgili was under construction.

Thank you

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Well, I went to Sandur on the weekend (stayed at the Sandur Palace - an amazing place to stay, and had a wonderful experience that I will share in a separate post) and took this new "Hampi Expressway". Here is my feedback.

This road is fantastic! Chitradurga-Hospet newly completed "Hampi Expressway" (NH50) is now undoubtedly the fastest way from Bangalore to Hospet/Hampi. I will recommend this to anyone without a second thought.

Thank you for the detailed info and pictures. The pictures are lovely and look droolworthy for a nice drive from Bangalore. I will be taking an Ecosport TDCI and therefore, hopefully the speedbreakers that you mentioned about would be manageable without too much hassle.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

I will be taking an Ecosport TDCI and therefore, hopefully the speedbreakers that you mentioned about would be manageable without too much hassle.

Great then! I am sure in Ecosport you can manage those speedbreakers without issue. Just be very careful because some of those are deceptively big, and the edges are broken causing a sudden step as you enter and exit the speedbreakers. So one has to be very careful even in a high GC vehicle.

And of course, there are some fast moving mining trucks in that area, and some of them were driven pretty recklessly (although most of them were quite disciplined!). So be a bit careful of the truck movement in that section too (Sandur-Hyatt Place). At the same time, this section offers some great views on your right hand side (while going from Sandur to Hyatt Place). Make sure to stop and enjoy the views too wherever possible (there are some designated parking spaces and even some viewing towers on the right).

Other than that, this is a great drive. You will enjoy this. Have a safe and fun drive!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I would say Hiriyur-Challakere is the most scenic option, whereas Chitradurga-Hospet is the fastest option. Neither options have any food/restroom facilities after exiting the Bangalore-Pune highway.

Beautiful update! So surely the Chitradurga-Kudligi-Sandur has come long way. And yes one needs to be careful about driving between Sandur and Toranagallu thanks to humps and mining trucks.

But the views along Narihalla are very nice. Take a moment to see if you can spot a mining train wagon along the Narihalla backdrop!

EDIT: Here is one for example!

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

At the same time, this section offers some great views on your right hand side (while going from Sandur to Hyatt Place). Make sure to stop and enjoy the views too wherever possible (there are some designated parking spaces and even some viewing towers on the right).

Other than that, this is a great drive. You will enjoy this. Have a safe and fun drive!

Thanks for the tip, will definitely do that. This is the first proper (long) highway trip for our new Ecosport, so looking forward to stretching its legs over these lovely roads.

By the way - last time I travelled on the Mumbai road to Davanagere, I remember paying lot of tolls. Would you be able to provide an approximate amount of toll payable between Bangalore and Hampi when taking this route? Will top up Fasttag accordingly.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by ampere

But the views along Narihalla are very nice. Take a moment to see if you can spot a mining train wagon along the Narihalla backdrop!
EDIT: Here is one for example!

Wow. That looks beautiful. Unfortunately I did not see any train while I was there.

By the way, I saw some elevated structure carrying what looks like some pipes or cables across, over a long distance (see the picture below). What are these? What are they carrying?

What is this structure and what is this carrying?

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

By the way - last time I travelled on the Mumbai road to Davanagere, I remember paying lot of tolls. Would you be able to provide an approximate amount of toll payable between Bangalore and Hampi when taking this route? Will top up Fasttag accordingly.

There are two tolls on NH48 between Tumkur and Chitradurga. Those are Rs. 85 and Rs. 70, going by my FastTag messages. Then there is one tollbooth on the Hampi Expressway, and the toll there is Rs. 65. So that is a total of Rs. 220 from Tumkur to Hampi.

From Bangalore till Tumkur the toll depends on which road you take (NICE road for example), but in general there are three toll booths of Rs. 20 each (approximately, I don't remember the exact amount) if you take the elevated highway from Bangalore to Tumkur. So that Rs. 60 each.

Thus, I would say the total toll is about Rs. 280 in each direction.

[revvytorques]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

By the way - last time I travelled on the Mumbai road to Davanagere, I remember paying lot of tolls. Would you be able to provide an approximate amount of toll payable between Bangalore and Hampi when taking this route? Will top up Fasttag accordingly.

I always use this feature on NHAI's website - have found it accurate so far, you may give it a shot. It's also useful for route planning as we get tolled roads everywhere

NHAI Toll Plazas between Source & Destination -http://tis.nhai.gov.in/tollplazasonmap?language=en