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Haven't used Waze yet. But from what you say looks like its very similar to Radarbot which also gives audio warnings and tells you what the speed limit is too. This stretch is most 90 km except for a few which as per Radarbot are lower.

I took Varkala-TVM few weeks back and it was in good shape. Roads are narrow when compared to the regular national highway but was good.

Would like an update as well :)

It was truly a lovely route to take to get to TN. But yes, it was pretty desolate and was not very confidence inspiring with bad patches here and there.

We have so many nice options to cross over to TN and still we persist with the usual Balaramapuram-Parasalla-Marthandam stretch :( Can't wait for NH66 to fully open.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions, especially @ask_017 for the detailed points. I am doing a road trip this time, which will include TVM to Kanyakumari & also TVM to Kollam & back with a Revv car, for a total of around 4 days. I will let you know my experiences & will follow the routes you guys suggested.

A couple of days ago I got an opportunity to check the Kovalam - Cheruvarakkonam stretch of the upcoming NH (Trivandrum - Nagercoil route). It is possible to drive through the stretch with some caveats. At two sectors, we are diverted to service roads that is surfaced. The bridge over Neyyar river is not done yet. This is the most challenging part where on both directions, vehicles take the narrow ‘bund road’ coursing along the eastern side of the river, cross it at Vlathankara bridge, take the ‘bund road’ along the other bank and join the service roads. It is a bit tricky for the unfamiliar. The bund road is quite narrow along the northern bank of the river. Two SUVs in opposite directions could find themselves in a challenging situation. Apart from this niggle and another ‘off-roadish’ stretch along the highway that rakes up dust, the entire highway is useable, fast, and surfaced. But not for night drive though. Perhaps evening traffic is heavier too, clogging the service roads. From Cheruvarakonam it is just 4 km to Kaliyikavila.
Now, instead of getting diverted at Kovalam, one can course along the highway till Mukkola. It appears that the full stretch till Cheruvarakonam may not be complete anytime soon, but the work is going on.

I have a drive planned from Trivandrum to Cochin with an overnight stay near Ambalapuza. Will be traveling with two senior citizens and therefore will be needing breaks every hour or so. Looking at suggestions for possible stop options with good restrooms and refreshments.

And which road is preferred from Trivandrum to Alleppy? Google is suggesting the Kottarakkara route.

Will be hard to find decent restaurants between Trivandrum-Kollam but after that you will find many small restaurants but the restrooms will be sort of hit or miss. For restrooms, it will be better to go to some good hotels rather than standalone restaurants.

Avoid AC road - That's a mess.

Would suggest to stick with NH66 via Kollam, Alleppey. The roads are wider, straighter than Kottarakkara route. Traffic will depend on what time you start. This highway carries heavy traffic from 9AM till almost 9PM. If you start early morning between 4:30 - 5AM you can cover significant distance and might not need a stay.

For refreshments and good rest-rooms some of my suggestions below, lots of options nowadays in this route.
1) Sree Suprabatham hotel just after the Kollam bye-pass,
2) Regent Lake Palace is another one little ahead,
3) KTDC Aahar before Kayankulam,
4) Planet Multi Cuisine after Kayankulam,
5) Kalpakavadi Restaurant before Thottappally bridge.
6) Madras Veg Tables just before Allapuzha Bye-Pass
7) Indian Coffee House after Pathirapally, Hotel Aryaas

For an overnight stay Alleppey Prince Hotel is a good option.

On a visit to Alathur soon, I will have half a day (6am-12 noon) on a Sunday (unfortunately I can't change the schedule!) and was wondering what places I can visit between Alathur and Nelliyampathy - Pothundi Dam, Kesavanpara, Karapara waterfalls - in addition to driving time, how much of walk/trek is involved at these places ? Will the available time be sufficient ?

*Any places I'm missing in the list ?

How are the current road conditions ?

If you are not committed to an eastward tour you should consider a half-day outing to Kerala Kalamandalam in Cheruthuruthi near Shornur. Should be about 1.5 hours drive from Alathur.

And if you are spiritually inclined, the banks of Nila all the way west from Palakkad till its estuary in Ponnani are peppered with temples of all shapes, sizes and note.

Thanks naveen and pms. I did the drive on the 13th. Started from Trivandrum post lunch and reached Ambalapuza around 5. There was constant traffic but no jams. I had marked a few options from pms's list on google maps and they appeared to be the nicer options on the road. Another option that looked good from the outside was Hotel Memories Inn, Karunagapally.

I was about to stop at Regent Lake Palace but spotted a newish restaurant called Nadaala 100m before. It has ample parking and the restrooms were clean. Only had tea, which was also decent and the service was quick. This is a good alternative to Regent Lake Palace for quick stops. Another option that

Stayed at Coral Heights Amballapuza. The proximity to the sree krishna temple is the only plus point. The room although clean had dusty curtains. The food was bad.

I am planning to drive from Bangalore to Alleppey (Ramada Wyndham) on 23rd October. Plan is to start from Bangalore (Mahadevpura) by 4 am. Google map suggested route is
BLR-Salem-Coimbatore-Thrissur-Kochi-Alleppey
Is this the best route. Anything that I need to be careful in terms of the road conditions. Recently had a bad experience of tyre side wall burst on my drive to Goa.
I travel back to Bangalore from Club Mahindra Cherai beach resort on the 29th as per the Google recommended route, expected starting time is around 10 am
CMH Cherai- Walayar-Salem-BLR

What are the good places for having breakfast and lunch en-route.

Yes, that's the route you can follow. Please remember that Kerala has a strict speed limit and cameras every 500 meters so drive carefully. There are some sections where road work is going on after Palakkad but flowing traffic. You might encounter traffic near Coimbatore bypass.
For breakfast options, there are various options like A2B, Murugan Idli etc before Krishnagiri if your timing matches. Again there are many A2B near Salem and on the way to Coimbatore. I don't think you will have any issues finding good restaurants on this stretch.
I enjoyed lunch here at NMR Uptown near Coimbatore bypass.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hubJqzz5aMiBiQyf9

Enjoy your trip.

Roads are good throughout. Expect slow moving traffic once you enter Kerala, especially the last leg after Cherthala where road widening preparation is going on.

For a 4AM start from Bangalore, SaravanaBhavan (~25km after Selam) would be a good option for Breakfast (https://goo.gl/maps/y6KMcHwGeaz9Skwn8) There are restrooms attached to the restaurant and also the NHAI wayside plaza (after the covered parking at near the restaurant).

If you are planning a Lunch stop before Alleppey, then Salkara near Nedumbassery is a good option. (https://g.page/salkara?share)

Its a long weekend, so expect crowd at all the eateries.

While returning from Cherai, you can follow the GMaps (routed via Muthakunnam, Mala). Depending on the traffic you may stop for lunch at Thrissur or Palakkad (Srichakra International) or Walayar (RiceBowl)

Correction - The restaurant name is NMR crossroads and location is near Palakkad
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SbgGAYavY2U7V5Nx9