[Nik9912]

Hi guys ..
am going to goa for next week for the New years.
taking my new vtec..

every previous time id not been driving ,and it was in night and i had been mostly drunk..this time i intend to be sober and drive thru .in the day

any tips on the route ?
and any other tips in general ..?

good places to halt/see/eat etc ?

i had form someone earlier that fuel in goa has adulteration problems..is that true ..any precautions i can take...?

thanks for any help

cheers
Nik

[CaAT]

Hi Nik,

I did a trip to Goa last week from Pune and one our family friend us joined from Mumbai.

I would suggest you travel via Pune than taking the Mumbai Goa highway. Even though it would mean 50 odd kms more on the ODO, the road is superb and you can reach Goa in 10-11 hrs time, depending on your speed/no.of halts. (FYI, we reached Goa in 8.5 hrs flat, including breakfast halts and frequent breaks in between for our pet dog.

My suggested route would be :

Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Sankeshwar - Gadhinglaj - Aazraa - Amboli - Sawantwadi - Baandaa - Panjim. The road right upto Sankeshwar is a four lane (with divider) and is approx 440 kms from Mumbai. Take a right turn to Gadhinglaj from Sankeshwar and the distance from there upto Panjim should be approx 150/170 kms.

As for the stops, if you love non veg food and if you happen to be in Kolhapur at noon, have your food at the very famous Opal Hotel.

If you plan to start early and reach Goa by around 2:30pm, give a try at Hotel NH-17, right on NH 17 highway, just before Panjim.

I would also suggest Souza Lobo,at Calangut beach, if you are looking at multi cuisine restaurant.

Hope that helps.

Drive safe and enjoy.

[max_911]

Post Edited by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT use SMS / Slang language on this board. The entire community will benefit from your posting in full and proper english.

hey nik9912,
i stay in goa,( calangute ). so when r u arriving here?
may be i can let u know the parties and resturants in goa here.
lemme know wen u arrive. will also let u know the petrol pumps not to visit , n the 24 hrs petrol pumps here.
have a safe journey. give me a buzz. will try 2 help u out here..
9960701148. And yeah don't forget to say u r from team bhp.. or i may just cut the line.

[mobike008]

Dont miss " Martins Corner" in South Goa near Colva beach for some of the best seafood and non-veg delicacies, its frequented by bollywood folks and is supposed to be Sachin's favorite eatery

[Nik9912]

Post Edited by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT use SMS / Slang language on this board. The entire community will benefit from your posting in full and proper english.

thanks guys...
Caat..that route is new to me .we've always used the mumbai -goa highway ..(but tthen i could be horribly wrong .he he..considering i was wasted on most of those occassions )
il check on ur route ..and also load up the GPS on my phone ..

max ..thanks il take you up on ur offer ..will msg you 1st .so you dont bite..hehe
sunburn,submerge & the party @shiros are some of the ones i plan to go to..

and yep ,souza's ,martins, brittos ,titos,mambos,cabana,cavala ,& all the trance gigs are usual hangouts of mine ,,looking to bump into some newer places..
stayed at la calypso right on baga..3 months back
cheers
Nik

[rohan_fonseca]

Originally Posted by max_911

hey nik9912,
i stay in goa,( calangute ). so when r u arriving here?
may be i can let u know the parties and resturants in goa here.
lemme know wen u arrive. will also let u know the petrol pumps not to visit , n the 24 hrs petrol pumps here.
have a safe journey. give me a buzz. will try 2 help u out here..
9960701148. And yeah don't forget to say u r from team bhp.. or i may just cut the line.

Which are the 24hrs petrol pumps around? Would like to know too.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by Nik9912

thanks guys...
Caat..that route is new to me .we've always used the mumbai -goa highway ..(but tthen i could be horribly wrong .he he..considering i was wasted on most of those occassions )
il check on ur route ..and also load up the GPS on my phone ..

NH-17 is in shambles from what I heard. I would say you take a detour via Pune. Should be much faster than NH-17.

[Nik9912]

aah yes..forgot to ask .. i havnt got my Rc book yet .since car is about 45 days old ..
is that ok ..or wil it be an issue in any checking..?
what else would i need ..

[CaAT]

Hi Nik,

Do carry all your car papers with you. Check with your dealer again for RC book.

Can anyone advice, what one needs to do if RC book is not available?

In case you do not wish to carry the original documents (RC and TC book, Car invoice and insurance papers) get them xeroxed AND attested.

The patrol was on full swing on the Goa border (second check post on the way to Sawantwadi) during our way back. Guess, they will be even more strict, come the new year.

[shuvd]

Guys, I'll be in Goa between the 27th of Dec and 1st of Jan. Would be nice if we can meet up.

[max_911]

hey guys ,
the condition in goa is really strict ..
i would advise clear documents if not original atleast a xerox attested ..
wht time approx are u guys gonna be in calangute , we could meet up ..

[kARTIK IYER]

I have just returned from my trip to Goa from Mumbai . I took the expressway route and found out that though it is 50- 70kms more than the old mumbai goa highway , but the route is worth the drive as it is a almost staright expressway right upto Nippani it is easier to zoom and the road is four lane . You do not encounter traffic except at Pune and kolhapur . If you leave early in the moring you can reach goa in 10 - 11 hours . The route moves to state highway after Nippani and have above average roads till goa . If you are going with family and kids and leave Mumbai in the afternooon , you can take halt at kolhapur overnight and leave early next morning .

Route guide : Mumbai - Panvel ( expressway ) - Pune - Karad - Kolhapaur ( 6 hrs ) - Nippani - ( take a right turn from Hotel Savera ) - Uttur - Ajhra - Amboli - Sawantwadi - Goa .

Petrol Pumps enroute : You can fill it up at Expressway after first toll gate , you have a compnay operated HP pump in the outskirts of Pune , You can fill up at Reliance outlets on the way too .

Places to stay/ eat : You can do a night halt at Hotel Sai Interantional just before karad , good hotel with food and ambience being little above average right at the highway . At kolhapur you have alot of hotels , i stayed at Oriental Crown , which was excellent with good spread of complimentary breakfast .

Route Recommended for :

• Good and safe expressway drive , straight road with less of ghat sections as it is in the Mumbai goa road , can driven in night as it is four lane road
• Enogh of hotels enroute
• Police or highway assistance is dsiplayed along the route by NHAI
• Good hotesl to stay as it crosses major towns like Karad , Kolhapur , Pune Satara .
• You can also spend time at Amboli which is a secluded secnic hill station enroute

[PatchyBoy]

Originally Posted by Nik9912

Hi guys ..
am going to goa for next week for the New years.
taking my new vtec..

every previous time id not been driving ,and it was in night and i had been mostly drunk..

Good to know you were not driving. Please do not drink and drive. Your family loves and needs you.

Rajan

[midlifecrisis]

If you are a non-vegetarian, try the food at Hotel Bamboo in Malvan. Food's excellent, place isn't very clean, stick to soda instead of water. And you could spend an hour at Sindhudurg fort.
Road's good except for a small patch between Ratnagiri and Chiplun

[Nik9912]

Ok guys ...

i've come back and thought id post all my observations about my trip which would answer similar queries in future

what i did is i tried both routes ..
the normal mumbai -goa route while going and the expressway while coming back

il leave the route details aside as both caat & karthik have covered it well( thanks guys)

My findings

1-first & foremost .was overjoyed when i reached goa on just 1 full tank -NHC vtec.
certainly didnt expect that .

2-Left mumbai at 7.30 in morning ..reached directly to 9 bar At 7.45 pm..about 12 hours .including a long 1.15 hour lunch break with beer ..and 2 30 minute breaks for breakfast & tea

3-Road absolutely smooth .not one jerk in entire route..dodnt remember it ever being so smooth

4-No checking whatsoever ,while going or coming

5-Also like to add ,there was some last minute panic about permits being required to carry liquor bottles on our way back ..no worries on that front also ..as no checking..got 10 bottles between 3 of us.

6-parking issues & traffic(only on 30-31st) as usual at all the hotspots ( rave spots) good i took a driver..

7-On way back took the detour , a right friom sawantwadi ,,onto Amboli and Nippani ..Road condition horrible for about 90 mins .. made me feel as if i had opted for a offroad excursion..average speed would be less than 30 here ..
everyone was cursing me for my decision

8- but as soon as you touch the Expressway after nippani ,you feel you made the right decision ,as you can zoom to 140 + before blinking

9- all in all ,i left goa at around 7.30 am and reached mumbai at around 6 pm .. a clear saving of around 1.5 hours over the previous trip

10..and yes this route will involve about 300 bucks more in Toll
11-basically my trip of 1 week in goa & back was made in 2.5 tanks ..(including roaming in goa ) ,

12- and yes repainting my bumper ,due to one drunk jeep fellow ramming rear bumper on a narrow road ,while we had given him adequate room to pass through .

13- and also ,its better to take smaller cars into goa due to the narrow twisty roads .

All in all , it was a blast ,sunburn 2007... avoided all the touristy places tito's/ mambos etc..and went to all the anjuna ,vagator places .
The vibe in goa has become more happier & chilled out than before i guess..

if anyone needs any food ,stay ,partying tips ,i'll be glad to hlep .as im goin again for Big chill
cheers

Nik
pics below