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I tried an Udupi hotel in Gundlupet in my last 3 trips, and its an OK hotel.
No frills, tasty food, average toilets, good parking.

Its on the left side after the bus station and stadium towards Mysore.

I see that Kerala SRTC buses too stop there for food.

Anyone tried the BAR attached hotel towards Batheri after ? What type of crowd we can expect there?

If you're referring to the one on the right hand side midway between Gundlupet and the Forest entrance checkpost (I think the name is Cauvery International or something similar), the place was pretty bad a couple of years ago. Bad food, slow service, and the joint appeared to be pretty shady as well. (Also recall seeing a report about some immoral trafficking raid in that place a few months ago)

If you don't mind a non-vegetarian restaurant, Hotel Rasana on the right hand side about 300 or 400 meters from RTO checkpost junction towards Bathery is pretty OK. I've had lunch at that place, and the food was quite decent. No idea about of what vegetarian food is available.

Rajdhani is the sweet shop, and Mayura is the name of the restaurant I think. The food is quite OK, but restrooms aren't all that clean as per my wife who tried it once.

Hi,

Am planning to drive down to Coonoor on Friday(30th). Planning to start early (to get out of Blr quickly :) ) . Are there any good B'fast joints between Banashankari Temple and Kanakpura ?

On return,will need to stop somewhere near Gundulpet for lunch. After seeing so many references...am a little confused please: . In your opinion, which the best joint in Gundulpet ( Food (veg-n.veg both OK), Toilets , service ) ?? I am sure there are no decent places after leaving Gundulpet (being a Sunday, don't want to take the SH ).

Venu

Adiga's restaurant about 5 kms after Banashankari Temple is probably the best of the lot, but it's generally quite crowded. Saw a new restaurant called "The Kitchen" about 10-12 kms before reaching Kanakapura which looked good from outside. No idea about what type of food they serve and quality, but there were quite a few cars parked in front when I passed by on Saturday morning as well as Sunday afternoon. Both these places are on the right hand side of the road when travelling towards Kanakapura.

Hotel Rasana which I referred to in my last message isn't very upmarket, and the rest rooms are just about tolerable. I think the other restaurants that are 2-3 kms towards Mysore (CCD and Misty Rock) would be better from an amenities point of view. Another option for lunch would be the restaurant in the Jungle Lodges property just outside the Bandipur forest. (I believe they do serve lunch to people who aren't staying there as well - but not 100% sure)

Yes, JLR resturant serves for walkin customers also. However it is on first come basis, so you may not find food incase late. They have clean restrooms.

In Kanakapura town you can try Vasu Hotel. The board is in Kannada only and just as wide as the door (4 to 5 feet at most) but it opens out into a large dining area once you enter the place. Easy to miss, it is in the middle of town, you will find quite a few cars parked outside the place on the road. It is just before the right turn towards Ramanagara in Kanakapura town. Excellent Idlis, Dosa, Vada place.

I did mean the Mayura Rajdhani place, Thanks!

I wouldn't go into any bar on the way to (or within) Kerala with or without family. :-)

I have had reasonable success at the ones that are opposite to Kollegal bus stand (have forgotten their names now).

And this last trip, I had lunch at a place that is on the left when coming towards Calicut somewhere near Naikatti. I have forgotten its name now, but it is run by a gentleman who is differently abled. The food was excellent and the washroom quite well-maintained.

Had a question: If I need to drive at night to Calicut, which is the route to take. Is it Hunsur-Gonikoppal-Kutta and then? Google maps looks confusing to me. Would appreciate if someone could post detailed directions. Also how is the road conditions? As far as I know, this is the route private buses take at night and some sections were said to be not drivable in a car (this was 2-3 years back).

Note: I do not plan to do a night drive, but wanted to be prepared in case it is needed.

Or is it just better to go Bangalore-Salem-CBE-Palakkad-Calicut?

Not sure where you are starting in Bangalore from and where you are going to in Calicut .. but anyway, if Gonikoppal-Kutta is a bad option, the next best route during night would be Gonikoppal-Iritty-Thalassery-Calicut route. More seasoned travellers can comment on the latest status of this route !

Not sure about Gonikoppal route.
For an all night drive, I'd take the Bangalore-Salem-Coimbatore-Palakkad route since there's more of good 4 lane roads.
However, not too sure about traffic on the Calicut-Palakkad stretch for a night drive, also it's 2 laned undivided road. Day time traffic is quite heavy on this route. Worst case you can break your journey with an overnight stay at Palakkad.

*During my last trip to Calicut, we started around 2pm, crossed the forest around 7.30pm, had an unhurried, relaxed dinner stop at Woodlands, Kalpetta and still reached Calicut around midnight.

EDIT:Is the Mananthavady route open to night traffic ? This was the bus route after the forest timings were introduced. This may be an option as well for you in case of an all night drive.

I think you can take Iritty route during night. Updates are available on Bangalore-Kannur thread. I'm not regular on that route and looks like its longer by some 30-40 kms.

Generally night-time driving in Kerala is better than elsewhere because local civic bodies in Kerala ensure that street lighting is adequate. The downside is drunken driving - but if you reach Kerala past 2 AM (not unlikely if you start from Bangalore in the evening) or so, the you shouldn't be scared of NH 213 if you are used to night driving.

The road from Kutta to Mananthavady via Tholpetty was in very good shape when I travelled last (Not very recent - probably 6-8 months ago). Hunsur Gonikoppal road is undergoing repairs and has apparently improved a lot from the pathetic condition it was in a year ago. Only some 3-4 kms near Anechowkur checkpost is still bad, but should hopefully get done soon. (But may not be a great idea to attempt it in the night and during monsoons since the news is that it hasn't been asphalted yet). Not sure about the current condition of the Gonikoppal-Kutta section since there haven't been any recent reports here. Better to enquire with someone who has been that way recently because roads in Kodagu can sometimes be horrendous.

That route is open to traffic 24 hours because the forest stretch between Kutta and Mananthavady falls in Kerala (around Tholpetty). But do keep in mind that the stretch has plenty of wildlife, so one needs to be slow and careful negotiating it in the night.

From Mananthavady to Calicut there are 2 options - one via Kuttiady ghats and the other via Kalpetta - Vythiri (NH212). I know that the latter is in very good condition since I travel frequently on that road. But former is also supposed to be in decent shape, and could perhaps be a little bit shorter.

I had to leave suddenly to Calicut on Friday. Since I came to know by evening 6pm, tried for bus tickets and surprisingly got a ticket on the 7.30PM Kallada Multi Axle Volvo. Cost is a whopping 1250:eek:

Tried to wake up to judge the Gonikoppal-Kutta Stretch, but woke up only once the bus was at Tholpetty. So thought that either the road was not too bad or the volvo masked it well.

Return on Sunday night was in Bhavani Travels (booked via redbus, I think it was a special buses added on Sunday morning). The website said AC 2+2. Turned out to be one of the regular buses retro fitted with AC. The whole thing was a rattle trap and the AC was extremely loud and cold. Hence I was awake most of the night. From my observation, does not seem like the Kutta-Gonikoppal Stretch is a smooth one, but considering the speeds at which the bus flew through and the smooth ride in the volvo, should be a managable route for cars. But I would not want to be caught in a car at night opposite to these monster buses screaming down that narrow road.

Gonikoppal-Hunsur was mostly smooth apart from some stretches where work was happening.

How is the road conditions
Tholpetty>begur forest reserve>kabini reservoir>sargur>Mysore.
Is there any timing for entry into begur forest road.
Will be on a bike so want to know if it's moon path:deadhorse or smooth tarmac.