[pat2kin]

If anyone has done the Nagercoil-Trivandrum stretch recently (last 1-2 weeks), can you please let know the latest? I checked 'All Roads to Kerala' thread too, no recent updates there either.

Also, planning to start Bangalore at 3am (April 19) which means I will hit Nagercoil around noon. Traffic should be manageable, I hope?

[SajiNSalin]

I travelled this route last week on Friday from Trivandrum to Nagercoil and returned on Saturday morning. The drive to Nagercoil took about 3 hours due to heavy traffic and lots of traffic jams as there are towns all over this route and lots of traffic. The return journey was early morning at 7am and it took only two hours. I guess you will face heavy traffic from noon onwards, so target for three hours.

Saji

[pat2kin]

Originally Posted by SajiNSalin

I travelled this route last week on Friday from Trivandrum to Nagercoil and returned on Saturday morning. The drive to Nagercoil took about 3 hours due to heavy traffic and lots of traffic jams as there are towns all over this route and lots of traffic. The return journey was early morning at 7am and it took only two hours. I guess you will face heavy traffic from noon onwards, so target for three hours.

Saji

Thanks Saji. How about the road surface? Still filled with potholes? Any big ones to watch out for?

[rknair]

I will also hit this dreaded stretch on Monday noon. I am driving from Hyderabad to Perumkadavila, near Neyyattinkara. Google shows an alternate route by-passing Nagarcoil from Aralvaimozhi via Bhoothapandy, Kulasekharam, Thirparrappu, Vellarada.

https://goo.gl/maps/dMZ0z

Has anyone driven this route recently? About 2 years back, I have driven from Perumkadavila to Thirparappu this way, roads in Kerala were quite good but from Vellarada to Thirparappu was very bad.

Unless it is really bad, I wanted to try this route this time, it is a shorter route and I can avoid the traffic in Aralvaimozhi - Neyyattinkara stretch.

[SajiNSalin]

Originally Posted by pat2kin

Thanks Saji. How about the road surface? Still filled with potholes? Any big ones to watch out for?

Yes, there were some bad stretches, but not very big potholes. However, the going is still slow and it is good to watch out for these.

This road needs to be improved, but when it will happen?

Regards

Saji

[gandalf]

Hi All
Planning to drive to Trivandrum on the Easter weekend. Just had a query. Is there any benefit wrt travel time in taking the poovar route? We plan to leave by 2:00 - 3:30 hence reaching Nagercoil between 11:00 to 1:00

[nileshch]

Hi all, I am driving down to Poovar from Bangalore on 18th April. Based on previous posts, I am planning to take the regular route:

Blr-Salem-Madurai-Tirunelveli-Nagercoil-Kalaikkavilai-Viraly

I'll be travelling with family with ages ranging from 2-80 years Is this route good throughout? Any bad patches?

Would also like to get your suggestions for breaks on the way. I've never gone beyond Salem so clueless about good eating stops. I'll be leaving Bangalore early in the morning (4-5 am). So an early breakfast can be at Shoolagiri.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Would also like to get your suggestions for breaks on the way. I've never gone beyond Salem so clueless about good eating stops. I'll be leaving Bangalore early in the morning (4-5 am). So an early breakfast can be at Shoolagiri.

I would suggest get past Krishnagiri and then halt for Break fast. After the flyover over the Chennai exit, there is a Saravana Bhavan at about 2-3km.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Hi all, I am driving down to Poovar from Bangalore on 18th April. Based on previous posts, I am planning to take the regular route:

Blr-Salem-Madurai-Tirunelveli-Nagercoil-Kalaikkavilai-Viraly

I'll be travelling with family with ages ranging from 2-80 years Is this route good throughout? Any bad patches?

Would also like to get your suggestions for breaks on the way. I've never gone beyond Salem so clueless about good eating stops. I'll be leaving Bangalore early in the morning (4-5 am). So an early breakfast can be at Shoolagiri.

You can turn off NH47 at Kaliyikkavilai or better still at Balaramapuram. Both roads are - in typical Kerala way - good. However, be prepared for a battering on the Nagercoil-Trivandrum highway & also very slow speeds due to high vehicle & people density.

There is a good restaurant in Karur bypass & there are plenty of restaurants in the Madurai-Nagercoil route too.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

There is a good restaurant in Karur bypass & there are plenty of restaurants in the Madurai-Nagercoil route too.

Have they come up recently in the last 3-4 years? Because dont remember seeing any before? Looks like at the 4-lane came to its elements lot many restaurants have come up.

I remember some 6 years back, when we were driving from Kanyakumari, we were quite drained looking for a hotel on the just getting completed 4-lane (no markings and there were some deviations too then). Finally we had to enter Tirunelveli. We spotted a hotel. It was full and all I could manage was to pack curd rice and we had it in the outskirts under a tree. (Yes we could find a tree as it was not all 4-lane then! ) I think the Tirunelveli bypass was also not done by then.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by ampere

Have they come up recently in the last 3-4 years? Because dont remember seeing any before? Looks like at the 4-lane came to its elements lot many restaurants have come up.

I remember some 6 years back, when we were driving from Kanyakumari, we were quite drained looking for a hotel on the just getting completed 4-lane (no markings and there were some deviations too then). Finally we had to enter Tirunelveli. We spotted a hotel. It was full and all I could manage was to pack curd rice and we had it in the outskirts under a tree. (Yes we could find a tree as it was not all 4-lane then! ) I think the Tirunelveli bypass was also not done by then.

Plenty of good hotels:

1. Hotel Aryas between Sattur & KOvilpatti
2. CCD between Sattur & Kovilpatti
3. Capsi between Kayathar & Tirunelveli

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Would also like to get your suggestions for breaks on the way. I've never gone beyond Salem so clueless about good eating stops. I'll be leaving Bangalore early in the morning (4-5 am). So an early breakfast can be at Shoolagiri.

- As mentioned by ampere, Saravana Bhavan after Chennai Exit, its on the left side
- A2B @ Thoppur, around 150Kms from bangalore, its on the right side
- Grant Estancia - Salem, it is in the main road itself, left side
- Hari's restaurant - Just after Kappalur Toll Booth (NH 7), on Madurai Bypass, its on the right side
- Capsi restaurant - After Madurai, after crossing Kayathar you will stop at Spudhur toll, its around 5-10mins from here on the left side. There is one just after the Spudhur toll as well. I think its Anandhas

Apart from there you will find other restaurants as well.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

- Grant Estancia - Salem, it is in the main road itself, left side

Grand Estancia is not worth the money now. Not sure if there was any degradation after the GRT contract was off. My last visit was a disaster. Not worth the money at all. Instead I would say Park Plaza is way-way better. Its just a km before Grand Estancia.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by ampere

Grand Estancia is not worth the money now. Not sure if there was any degradation after the GRT contract was off. My last visit was a disaster. Not worth the money at all. Instead I would say Park Plaza is way-way better. Its just a km before Grand Estancia.

Oh..Is it? thanks for the feedback. During our last couple of drives we skipped Grand Estancia because we started very early from bangalore and hence reached Madurai for break fast.

How about the pricing in Park Plaza?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

How about the pricing in Park Plaza?

We had lunch in there and no breakfast. So can't on that front. Its like what you would expect in a other luxury hotel. The place is immaculately maintained. Also there is a break in the median at the entrance to the hotel. One just needs to be careful while crossing the road.