[ndp88]

Leaving for South Goa tomorrow early morning (4am) from Mumbai (Mulund). Planning to take Belgaum-Bhimgad-Mollem route. Hoping to reach by 2pm. Will update on road experience & my travel.

Last minute plans, so finding it difficult to reserve a decent place for couple of days. Any suggestions highly appreciated.

[destrukt]

Hi @ndp88 I am on my way as well to South Goa from Pune today. Try Goa Villagio near Betalbatim beach. Decent place, may have rooms available.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by ndp88

Last minute plans, so finding it difficult to reserve a decent place for couple of days. Any suggestions highly appreciated.

Nanu Resort and Spa (Betalbatim), Beleza By The Beach (Betalbatim), Majestic beach comforts (Varca), Regenta beach resort (Varca), Joecons Resort (Benaulim) are some options which I had evaluated over the last couple of years. Have stayed at Nanu and Majestic, both are decent places for family.

[a_myth]

Originally Posted by magiceye

Hi guys,
Which is the best route from Kolhapur to Goa? Has anybody travelled on that route recently? How are the roads? Also grateful if someone could suggest a good place to stay in Kolhapur or beyond before reaching Goa.
Thanks

I feel Uttur-Ajra-Amboli route is still the best. I traveled on this route while travelling from Mumbai to Goa on the 13th Jan. Road condition is very good. Kolhapur to Panaji takes about 4 hours of drive so plan your stay accordingly.

[ndp88]

Originally Posted by destrukt

Hi @ndp88 I am on my way as well to South Goa from Pune today. Try Goa Villagio near Betalbatim beach. Decent place, may have rooms available.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Nanu Resort and Spa (Betalbatim), Beleza By The Beach (Betalbatim), Majestic beach comforts (Varca), Regenta beach resort (Varca), Joecons Resort (Benaulim) are some options which I had evaluated over the last couple of years. Have stayed at Nanu and Majestic, both are decent places for family.

Thanks a lot. We ended up spending a day in Patnem (Casa jaali) and rest of the days at Cabo de rama (Red crab eco resort).

Nanu resort was my first choice. Its an excellent property, have stayed there before. They didn't have vacancy due to high demand. Also tried The Bay Agonda, but no luck. Beach side rooms were sold out, and river facing cottage weren't very exciting.

I recommend Red Crab Eco Resort. Its a good property on the cliff with majestic sea view. Sure you don't have easy beach access; but place is calm, service & food is decent. If you want uninterrupted sea view in peaceful setting, this place is just perfect. It was my 2nd stay at Red crab eco resort. Cabo de rama beach is just 10 mins away, you've to climb down the cliff. Its a very small beach, not many people; thus less polluted in comparison.

[ndp88]

So here is summary of my Mumbai-Goa trip (23rd-26th Jan)

Mumbai to Goa

(Route: Mumbai-Pune-Satara-Kolhapur-Belgaon-Khannapur-Bhimgad-Anmod-Mollem-South Goa)

• Left Mulund at 5:30AM
• First stop - 8:30AM at Hotel Mile Stone, just outside Satara. Its a good spot for quick breakfast. Less crowded, reasonable food.
• Second stop - 12:30PM, Lunch break at Hotel Adarsha Palace, college road, Belgaon. Quick service, good food. Could've skipped town and tried to find something on the highway to save time. But wasn't sure of quality, so despite traffic decided to have lunch in town only. Solid 1.5hr break.
• Crossed Khannapur, into the Bhimgad forests. Barely few Kms in, and there is long queue of vehicle stranded because of truck accident.
• Some vehicles turned around as locals suggested to take Chorla instead of continuing.
• This was my first time taking this route to Goa so was worried when/how we'll reach. But I was in no mood to drive Chorla, so decided to stick around.
• In not long time, a narrow diversion opened up. Few of us SUVs decided to enter this rough narrow patch, reaching to a village; turning & guiding each other. Somehow we were back on track main road after 45mins of struggle. Really appreciate the friendly and helping nature of the lot. Everyone was frustrated, getting late but nobody rushed or blocked the road even though incoming traffic with heavy vehicles were also using this narrow road.
• 3rd stop - 3:30PM - Dudhsagar Spa Resort, just near Mollem check post. Snacks and Tea break. Food was ok, washrooms good enough. But service was slow.
• Final stop - Patnem/Palolem at 6PM

Goa to Mumbai

(Same route)

• Left Cola, South Goa at 7:30AM. Hotel staff was kind enough to provide some packed sandwiches.
• One short stop for Tea - Mollem check post
• 2nd stop - 11:30AM - Lunch at Hotel Kaveri, nr Nippani (1hr break)
• 3rd Stop - 4:30PM Khalapur toll naka, Mumbai-Pune expressway
• Final stop - 7PM - Mulund

This was a good trip, even though very short. Thoroughly enjoyed the weather in Goa, and fresh sea food. Some personal learning or findings -

• This was the first time I missed Climate Control in my car. Duster is great vehicle, but if sun decides to get angry then regular AC of Duster is no good. Especially if road is tedious, and you are driving at noon.
• Somebody needs to use live camera feed of all highway toll nakas and write an algorithm based on vehicle behaviors to suggest the best lane to pick in advance using propensity modelling. These is just no logic to any lanes at Toll plazas, they've messed up between Fastags & cash lanes. Maybe because the mandatory fastag date keeps on moving or the operators are helpless. In whichever case, I think current mess just defeats the purpose of automatic toll collection w/o human intervention. Hope this improves in year or so.
• Too many hobby drivers on highway this time. As much as you get frustrated by their foolish driving, don't lose cool. Witnessed some small cars with over-excited, too-young drivers get into unnecessary adventures on highway.
• If your co-passenger can drive, don't hesitate to switch seats & catch some break. After every 5hrs, I decided to handover keys to wife & take rest.
• Don't race yourself against a clock. Sometimes you do need a long break.

[ndp88]

Originally Posted by ndp88

So here is summary of my Mumbai-Goa trip (23rd-26th Jan)

Mumbai to Goa

(Route: Mumbai-Pune-Satara-Kolhapur-Belgaon-Khannapur-Bhimgad-Anmod-Mollem-South Goa)

Goa to Mumbai

(Same route)

Totally forgot to add, road condition of above route is very good.

Absolutely no complaints. Except for Pune-Satara road (which god knows when it will get fixed), and maybe 10km odd patch in Bhimgad; road is perfect if you are traveling to South Goa. We are happy we picked this route instead of any other. Totally recommend this to everyone.

I have other major complaint on Pune to Belgaon road, unrelated to road condition. There are Two-wheelers driving on main highway (sometimes in 1st lane), even when there is special service road lane for bikes. There are boards and signage every few kms asking Two-wheeler riders to take the service road, but nobody and literally nobody follows it.

What's the use of Highway if bikers are going to clog it ? Its very frustrating, the service road stays empty and bikers block the main highway. Problem is intense on Pune-Kolhapur highway. Forget convenience, it is extremely dangerous. Do not know when Indians will learn discipline. Its like, their safety is completely our responsibility

Separate debate, but is controlled-access freeways the only way ahead in this country ? If main highway lanes don't get sacrificed due to Two-wheelers, I am sure Pune-Kolhapur distance can be covered much faster.

[RJ2285]

Originally Posted by ndp88

(Same route)

• Left Cola, South Goa at 7:30AM. Hotel staff was kind enough to provide some packed sandwiches.
• One short stop for Tea - Mollem check post
• 2nd stop - 11:30AM - Lunch at Hotel Kaveri, nr Nippani (1hr break)
• 3rd Stop - 4:30PM Khalapur toll naka, Mumbai-Pune expressway
• Final stop - 7PM - Mulund

This was a good trip, even though very short. Thoroughly enjoyed the weather in Goa, and fresh sea food. Some personal learning or findings -[list]

How was your experience through Anmod on your way back. I am planning to drive back from South Goa in a BMW X1 and I am worried about the road condition, craters etc. Can you please shed some light? It will be very helpful. Thanks.

[ndp88]

Originally Posted by RJ2285

How was your experience through Anmod on your way back. I am planning to drive back from South Goa in a BMW X1 and I am worried about the road condition, craters etc. Can you please shed some light? It will be very helpful. Thanks.

There is a patch of about 10kms bad road on this Anmod route, few craters & washed away road. It didn't bother me, Duster just glided past that easily.

It would also depend on what time you cross it I guess. On my return, it was early morning on holiday (26th Jan) so not much traffic. Rest of the road is good, no complaints. Also you are passing through jungle, thick woods and occasional monkeys make up for a lovely drive even if you encounter an uneven patch of road slowing you down a bit

[roadie_swift]

Originally Posted by ndp88

There is a patch of about 10kms bad road on this Anmod route, few craters & washed away road. It didn't bother me, Duster just glided past that easily.

Originally Posted by ndp88

So here is summary of my Mumbai-Goa trip (23rd-26th Jan)

Thank you so much, this is really useful stuff!

One question, based on your recent experience with the Anmod route. I'm planning to travel from Mumbai to Palolem coming week, 10th Feb. Based on Google maps there's only a 45 minute difference between the route via Ajra-Amboli-Mapusa and the route via Belgaum-Anmod-Mollem.

Given the dicey nature of the Anmod route, and the fact that I'll be driving a sedan (Octavia 1.8 TSI), would it make sense to take the route via North Goa (Ajra Amboli) instead of gambling on the Anmod route?

Any views from the Goynkars will be much appreciated, too, regarding the difficulty of commute from Mapusa to Palolem. Thanks a lot!


Cheers,
R_S

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by ndp88

Mumbai to Goa

Thank you so much for the detailed report. This is certainly going to help me in my trip starting this weekend. Goa is my second stop before continuing further down south.

I've been reading up about the road conditions for my upcoming Ahmedabad, GJ - Thrissur, KL drive for the last couple of weeks and such fresh updates make the preparation more reassuring. This is the real value of our forum which none can match.

Drive safe,
R-Six

[moralfibre]

Here's the typical route one would take from Sawantwadi towards Banda. This one traverses through narrow village roads of Sawantwadi outskirts to Insuli and thereafter to Banda. If you are stuck behind a large vehicle, overtaking becomes a challenge. Note, the start point for this route is the end of lake one encounters in Sawantwadi city.

https://goo.gl/maps/YpwSmw1HNmPW3NadA



Instead, one could choose to head early towards the NH which offers better average speeds and is faster despite being longer by 2km.

https://goo.gl/maps/rGfmNjLcHFq4gJ7X7

[ndp88]

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

Thank you so much, this is really useful stuff!

One question, based on your recent experience with the Anmod route. I'm planning to travel from Mumbai to Palolem coming week, 10th Feb. Based on Google maps there's only a 45 minute difference between the route via Ajra-Amboli-Mapusa and the route via Belgaum-Anmod-Mollem.
Cheers,
R_S

I have made frequent Mumbai-Goa trips in last 2-3yrs. Used to always take Ajra-Amboli-Mapusa route or occasionally through Chorla ghat. Usually my destination is Mapusa or Panaji, therefore Amboli or Chorla route makes sense.

Now, traveling from North Goa to South Goa is a subjective matter. I personally find it troubling because of traffic, also highway construction still ongoing so diversions & heavy vehicles spoil the ride. It's not so bad though, you can still drive it.

If your destination is Palolem directly, I'd suggest to go ahead with Anmod route. Road is good, it's an enjoyable ride. I tend follow below points for my Goa trips -

• If it is weekend, avoid Amboli. If unavoidable, try to cover Nippani-Banda stretch early morning.
• If it is heavy monsoon, don't take the village shortcut from Nippani
• Prefer Nippani-Sankeshwar-Gadhinglaj-Ajra if not in hurry. Road is significantly better.
• In case traveling with elderly seniors or kids, try to take the busy route. Bio breaks & tea shops are frequently available.
• If not traveling late night or in pouring rains, I'll definitely take Anmod route for South Goa destinations in future.

P.S. If taking Anmod option, refuel at Khanapur if necessary. I didn't spot petrol pump till Mollem check post; that's roughly 50-60kms patch.

[Ertigiat]

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

Given the dicey nature of the Anmod route, and the fact that I'll be driving a sedan (Octavia 1.8 TSI), would it make sense to take the route via North Goa (Ajra Amboli) instead of gambling on the Anmod route?

Any views from the Goynkars will be much appreciated, too, regarding the difficulty of commute from Mapusa to Palolem. Thanks a lot

I would rather call Mapusa - Palolem route a gamble instead of Anmod route. The drive from Mapusa to Palolem will be more tiring than Mumbai to Mapusa. I am frequent traveller on Anmod route but I haven't done any trip off late (Last drive was probably Mid January). Barring 8-10 kms of rough patches within Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary most of the road from Khanapur till Anmod check post is very much in good condition. Only suggestion would be not to drive above 60 Kmph (From Khanapur till Anmod check post) and you will be fine. There are several reasons from mentioning the speed,

• The road is narrow and is meant for light vehicles only but locals bribe the checkpost guards and ply heavy vehicles.
• Monkeys accidentally jump on the road and we might end up injuring them.
• You get to enjoy sight of other animals like Peacock, Snake or Bison. (Though sight of animals has become uncommon because of increase in traffic, spotting of Bison is common).
• No point rushing when one can enjoy nature mother.

Most important point, the road (Khanapur to Anmod check post through Hemmadaga) is open only between 6AM to 6PM.

Suggested route Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Khanapur - Hemmadaga - Anmod Check Post - Mollem - Dharbandora - Sanvordem - Quepem - Balli - Palolem

[Drivealot]

Friends, Which is the best route from Pune to Goa? How are the roads?
I am scheduled to drive to Goa this weekend 13th Feb in my Merc E350 and road condition is most important.
From the various discussions I gather that currently there are two good roads which are motorable from Pune to Goa.

Option1
Pune -Kolhapur-Uttur-Ajra-Amboli- Sawantwadi- banda -Mapusa- GOA

Option2
Pune -Kolhapur- Belgaum- Chorla Ghat- Goa. ( not sure if option 2 is good).
I will be delighted to get any input in this regard.
if there are any other options please do let me know.
Thanks in Advance
Cheers
Drivealot