[sbraj]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Are there any good eateries south of Salem till Dindigul? How about on the road from Dindigul to Kumily?

Karur has few of them, see here. Beyond Dindigul, 28KM before Madurai, there is a Ghar Dhaba.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Superfast drive all the way. I myself drove in this stretch last month. Several others have also done so later than that.

HVK Sir,
Any potholes, near Krishnagiri? A fellow BHPian mentioned earlier of one big pothole on the Salem-BLR side of NH7.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Are there any good eateries south of Salem till Dindigul? How about on the road from Dindigul to Kumily?

Aristo Drive In Restaurant attached to a BPCL petrol pump 2 kms after the south-end entry point to Karur (where signage points to Trichy 80 kms) on NH7 itself Good food, clean wash rooms and also hotel rooms. 1 km beyond, there is also Hotel Apoorva (not visited, no review).

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by sbraj

Any potholes, near Krishnagiri? A fellow BHPian mentioned earlier of one big pothole on the Salem-BLR side of NH7.

No idea, I have travelled only in the south-bound direction recently. Driving south, no problems anywhere.

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by sbraj

Karur has few of them, see here. Beyond Dindigul, 28KM before Madurai, there is a Ghar Dhaba.


....

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Aristo Drive In Restaurant attached to a BPCL petrol pump 2 kms after the south-end entry point to Karur (where signage points to Trichy 80 kms) on NH7 itself Good food, clean wash rooms and also hotel rooms. 1 km beyond, there is also Hotel Apoorva (not visited, no review).

Thanks for the input. I plan to start pretty early, at about 4AM or so from Bangalore and hence not anticipating anything available till we pass Salem.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Thanks for the input. I plan to start pretty early, at about 4AM or so from Bangalore and hence not anticipating anything available till we pass Salem.

I typically start at 2AM from Bangalore and stop for breakfast at Madurai or Ghar Dhaba before Madurai.

4AM start is tricky in the sense that you would be passing the Thoppur A2B at around 6AM and it may not be open. The bypass junction near Salem has a restaurant that opens at 7AM, but it is a below average one. I have not seen any other restaurants on the Salem bypass. Are there any?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sbraj

I typically start at 2AM from Bangalore and stop for breakfast at Madurai or Ghar Dhaba before Madurai.

4AM start is tricky in the sense that you would be passing the Thoppur A2B at around 6AM and it may not be open. The bypass junction near Salem has a restaurant that opens at 7AM, but it is a below average one. I have not seen any other restaurants on the Salem bypass. Are there any?

Now at Salem we have the GRT open on the highway before the 5 roads turning from the highway.!

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by ampere

Now at Salem we have the GRT open on the highway before the 5 roads turning from the highway.!

While going from Bangalore to Salem, is this on the left side or right side? Any landmarks? How many KMs before the junction is this hotel?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sbraj

While going from Bangalore to Salem, is this on the left side or right side? Any landmarks? How many KMs before the junction is this hotel?

I have not visited it my self. Check with Amit Wadhwa who mentioned about it in the Kumarakom->Bangalore thread. As far as I know, its on the left, just before you turn to the 5 roads junction. (This is while coming from Bangalore to Salem).

GRT Grand

[hvkumar]

When you are coming from Bangalore side on NH7, GRT Grand Park is on the left side a km or so before the road forks towards Salem city (and the 5 Roads junction). Very conveniently located, like a sentinel at entry point of Salem, you cannot miss it. Just before reaching it, you will see a M&M dealership to the right side of the NH7.

[verditer]

Originally Posted by phantom76

Did anyone drive on this stretch post-monsoon? I hope the highway is good, I have a BLR to NGL drive coming next week.

Did a Hosur-Nagercoil round trip during first week of December - road is supersmooth (no monsoon specific damage) all through except for following points:

1. Thoppur ghat - when going south, BEWARE of speedbreakers and watch out for several of these bumpy humps. And when coming north, no speedbreakers but the road itself is very uneven and have to be careful.

2. Samayanallur(after Vadipatti, just before Madurai) - bridge work was still not complete, so a 1/2 km stretch of very broken pathetic no-road scenario.. Both direction traffic has to go through this.

3. When going south, somewhere before or after Virudunagar, there is a stretch that is not completed next to a railway overbridge or something. This is only for southbound lane.

4. Going south, at Kavalkinaru, dont take the flyover if going to Nagercoil (there are signs), go below the flyover, under it to the right side and then to regular route to Nagercoil; however roads are very broken at some stretches in this part. Beware.
Nagercoil itself is in pretty bad shape right now.

When I went from Hosur to Nagercoil, I took the Rayakotta route and ended up cursing myself.. Was driving at night and first time in this route, roads were broken here and there and curvy, and progress was slow.. Joined NH7 somewhere near Dharmapuri. But I dont recommend this route,, better pay the toll and take proper NH7 for a smoother ride, only pain point is weekend (friday evening and sunday evening) traffic and bunch of idiots from Bangalore who drive on NH7 as though they are driving inside Bangalore. Phew! Hate their maneuvers.

Otherwise, a wonderful smooth trip is assured and Nagercoil is only some 9hrs away.

[phantom76]

@verditer
Thanks a lot. I have driven on this stretch several times, last being in October. Haven't driven post-monsoon, so was a bit worried.

Yes, the Kavalginaru to Nagercoil stretch is the most horrible for several years now. They just keep patching this road and don't do any proper repairs. It sometimes takes even 45 mts to cover this stretch. :-(

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by verditer

only pain point is weekend (friday evening and sunday evening) traffic and bunch of idiots from Bangalore who drive on NH7 as though they are driving inside Bangalore. Phew! Hate their maneuvers.

Completely agree. During those timings, it is a mad rush, absolutely no lane discipline and makes one wonder whether they have taken a ticket to hell.

[ajay_msingh]

Hi All,

I wish to drive down to Nagercoil/ Kanyakumari on Dec 27, 2010 from Bangalore. At what time should I leave Bangalore as to proceed to have breakfast/early lunch at Madurai. Any good hotels on the highway to suit family needs.

How far is Kovalam from KK and any good restaurants to plan for a days trip around the place.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ajay_msingh

Hi All,

I wish to drive down to Nagercoil/ Kanyakumari on Dec 27, 2010 from Bangalore. At what time should I leave Bangalore as to proceed to have breakfast/early lunch at Madurai. Any good hotels on the highway to suit family needs.

How far is Kovalam from KK and any good restaurants to plan for a days trip around the place.

Take 6 hours of driving to hit Madurai. So if you are on the highway by 4:30, should be in Madurai 10:30 or 11.
If you like elaborate buffet BF, you can break at GRT Salem just before the 5 roads signal diversion. You can never miss it.
(Ideal break after a 200Km run)

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by ajay_msingh

I wish to drive down to Nagercoil/ Kanyakumari on Dec 27, 2010 from Bangalore. At what time should I leave Bangalore as to proceed to have breakfast/early lunch at Madurai.

A 2AM start from Bangalore usually gets me to Madurai at 8am (with breaks of roughly 30 minutes). A 4AM start, with breaks of 1+ hours, got me to Madurai at 10:30AM. Traffic patterns vary depending upon the time of drive.

Needless to say, early start helps you avoid the Salem traffic.

Originally Posted by ajay_msingh

Any good hotels on the highway to suit family needs.

Please checks the posts in this thread and the Trivandrum-Bangalore thread for hotels.

Originally Posted by ajay_msingh

How far is Kovalam from KK and any good restaurants to plan for a days trip around the place.

Kovalam is roughly 90KM from Kanyakumari.