[Happysmiles]

Originally Posted by WheelWake

Hi... I can think Kolhapur I should be able to make it by 11pm or Belgaum by 12.30pm (kinda late). So I was looking for any good budget option for sleepover around these points.

Good place to stay with family is Hotel Sai International on the left side of the highway 20km before Kholapur. Rooms are clean and the food is very good.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by WheelWake

I was hoping for guidance point on any places for sleepover (travelling with family). I can think Kolhapur I should be able to make it by 11pm or Belgaum by 12.30pm (kinda late). So I was looking for any good budget option for sleepover around these points.

The Journey would be tiring between Pune and Kolhapur but then the next 90 kms till Belgaum would be immensely peaceful to say the least. If you can manage your timings well, you can actually stop over at Belgaum for the night.

Sankam is the most preferred Hotel here. A little higher in terms of budget but still a good choice to settle for the night.

Ramdev is another option for you few minutes away from Sankam.

Hubli will take another 75-90 minutes where you have Clarks Inn closer to the bypass. If you need to venture into the city, Anant is another suitable choice.

[rakesh_r]

I am planning to goto my native Palakkad,Kerala on my swift DI.Total Distance comes close 1250KM from Pune.I was planning 3 options-

Option 1
Leave office by 3pm and halt at Kolhapur for the night.Cover the next 1000Km and reach Palakkad by midnight or earlier.

Option2
Leave early morning and stay at Chitradurga or push towards outskirts of Bangalore.Cover the rest 450KM the next day.

Option3
Drive till Salem (1050KM) on day 1 and the rest 200km the next day leisurely.

Which one would be the best option.I will be driving alone.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

I am planning to goto my native Palakkad,Kerala on my swift DI.Total Distance comes close 1250KM from Pune.I was planning 3 options-

More data on the following thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...-kerala-7.html

If you are starting from Pune, then with an early start you should be able to make it to Bangalore on day one. (Its hectic no doubt, but possible with a 10-11 hours of drive).
And for the second day take an easy drive to Palakkad.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by ampere

More data on the following thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...-kerala-7.html

If you are starting from Pune, then with an early start you should be able to make it to Bangalore on day one. (Its hectic no doubt, but possible with a 10-11 hours of drive).
And for the second day take an easy drive to Palakkad.

Many thanks for the suggestion.I intend to start by 3AM from Pune. ANy good hotel you can suggest to stay for the night at Hosur?

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

ANy good hotel you can suggest to stay for the night at Hosur?

Few days back there was a discussion on Bangalore - Chennai route thread regarding same. May be you can refer that. Link

[Happysmiles]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

..ANy good hotel you can suggest to stay for the night at Hosur?

Sarovar Portico few km just after Hosur town flyover. Clean rooms, superb food.

[himarg]

Hi,

I am planning to drive from Pune to Bangalore at this month's end. I am planning to leave Pune latest by 5:00 AM.

Since I will have my parents, wife and 10 month old son in the car, I may have to make some extra breaks than I usually would have, but is it safe to assume that this trip can be done in ~ 14 hours with not too fast driving and a few breaks?

Also, how is the current condition of the Pune-Satara stretch?

Please advise.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by himarg

Hi,

I am planning to drive from Pune to Bangalore at this month's end. I am planning to leave Pune latest by 5:00 AM.
=========
Also, how is the current condition of the Pune-Satara stretch?

Please advise.

Drive at a consistant 80-120kmph and you will do this in 12 hours tops, with ample time for breaks. No need for any fast drive. Even Pune Satara was pretty decent surface when i crossed in August. Key thing is exiting Pune and entering BLR before peak hours, 5 am is a good time that way. Just carry enough stuff for the baby.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by himarg

Hi,

I am planning to drive from Pune to Bangalore at this month's end. I am planning to leave Pune latest by 5:00 AM.

Since I will have my parents, wife and 10 month old son in the car, I may have to make some extra breaks than I usually would have, but is it safe to assume that this trip can be done in ~ 14 hours with not too fast driving and a few breaks?

Also, how is the current condition of the Pune-Satara stretch?

Please advise.

Although it would be difficult to manage departure as planned when you have a toddler, see if you can manage a 4 or 4:30AM start.

This is because, On a weekday Traffic right from Islampur (before Kolhapur Bypass) all the way till Kognoli will be messy after 8am. Loads and loads of 2 wheelers. Since your pace along with a toddler and family may get slower in between for any reasons, a 0400/0430 Hours start will give you enough buffer to pass this section (60 kms) before the local crowd starts spilling on the highway.

Now with Petrol Price almost 3/4 INR cheaper in KA than MH, on Weekends you can spot too many 2 wheelers making a dash to the BPCL COCO outlet soon after the Kognoli Toll to fill up that tank that will last for another week for those Hero Spendors and TVS Star Citys. You would notice this more when driving than me saying this here .

The following points in the order that they appear will help you to stop for any unplanned breaks and based on your pace and progress you make through the journey:

• Parth Food Mall - Soon after you descent from Khambhatki
  
• Annapurna Hotel just before Karad town
  
• Hotel Amar - This will be after crossing Nippani town and just before ascending the Tawandi Ghats. Its on the right hand side just where there is a truck lay bye on the left hand side with a tall lamp post. Easy one not to miss
  
• Sankam Residency close to Belgaum Bypass - Worth getting off NH4 and spending time here in case you need a break as the next one will be at least another 75 minutes away
  
• Kamat Upachar - Belur Industrial estate, 5 kms before Dharwad bypass starts
  
• Kamat Upachar - After Varur, around 16 kms after you exit Hubli-Dharwad Bypass
  
• Cafe Coffee Day - At Shiggaon, around 40 kms after Hubli Bypass (On the right hand side)
  
• Kamat Upachar - At the end of Ranebennur Bypass (On the right hand side)
  
• Apoorva Resorts - After Davanegere Bypass. This will on the right hand side and to reach this when you are driving south is not that straightforward. So follow these directions:
  
  1. Take a Left handed U-Turn onto the service Road here
  2. Drive till here and make a left handed U-Turn from below the Bridge again so that you are on the service road on the other side
  3. Drive around 1.5 Kms to reach the resort this way
  4. When you want to drive back to Bangalore, follow the directions in the opposite manner.
  
• Kamat Upachar after Sira Bypass on the left hand side
  
• Kamat Upachar at Dabaspet which will around 30 minutes before you enter Bangalore outskirts

Refueling:
Looking at your profile & posts, I assume you drive a Zest Diesel that is for sure going to have a safe range of at least 500 kms. Hence, your ideal fuel stop can be the IOCL Attached to Kamat before Dharwad.

[himarg]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Although it would be difficult to manage departure as planned when you have a toddler, see if you can manage a 4 or 4:30AM start..........

Looking at your profile & posts, I assume you drive a Zest Diesel that is for sure going to have a safe range of at least 500 kms. Hence, your ideal fuel stop can be the IOCL Attached to Kamat before Dharwad.

Thank you so much paragsachania, for the awesomely detailed guidelines. I will try to push 4 - 4:30 AM, but knowing my baby, it might be bit difficult. And yes, I have a Zest Diesel, so 500 KM should be a safe distance.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Drive at a consistant 80-120kmph and you will do this in 12 hours tops, with ample time for breaks. No need for any fast drive. Even Pune Satara was pretty decent surface when i crossed in August. Key thing is exiting Pune and entering BLR before peak hours, 5 am is a good time that way. Just carry enough stuff for the baby.

Thanks Jaggu. It is re assuring to know that the usual travel time does not exceed 12 hours. I am a bit worried about the baby getting cranky after spending a few hours in the car. So far, the maximum he has been in the car is 4 hours, and even then, he was not in a good mood towards the end of the journey.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by himarg

Thanks Jaggu. It is re assuring to know that the usual travel time does not exceed 12 hours. I am a bit worried about the baby getting cranky after spending a few hours in the car. So far, the maximum he has been in the car is 4 hours, and even then, he was not in a good mood towards the end of the journey.

You need to budget more than 12 hours with a toddler. There will be lot of unplanned breaks and unusually longer breaks too!

When my daughter was 3 months, she did her first Bangalore Pune trip in 2010 and that took us 16 hours even when we started at 0430am. Today we do in 11 hours.

There's no way one can keep looking at the watch or the milestone and do this with a kid. So, the progress will always be depending on a lot of things and will happen with the flow.

Don't worry on managing the timings, if required you can halt too and be prepared for that as well. Take it easy.

[ameyawaghmare]

Dear friends, I did a day trip from Pune to Wai on Sunday, 27th of September departing Pune at 4 AM.

I got to experience dense fog around the town of Shirwal and across the Khambatki ghats in the Pune - Bangalore direction. Almost all vehicles were running with hazard lights on. Although a lot of roadwork is already done in the Pune - Satara stretch, the lane markings are not complete across most of the section. This adds up further to your problem and you need to be careful to not hit the divider. I encountered this fog around 5 AM.

Hope this helps to any of you planning to drive down around that time of the day.

[WheelWake]

Originally Posted by himarg

Hi,

I am planning to drive from Pune to Bangalore at this month's end. I am planning to leave Pune latest by 5:00 AM.

Since I will have my parents, wife and 10 month old son in the car, I may have to make some extra breaks than I usually would have, but is it safe to assume that this trip can be done in ~ 14 hours with not too fast driving and a few breaks?

Also, how is the current condition of the Pune-Satara stretch?

Please advise.

Hey sorry for a late reply. I guess the road aspect is very well covered by paragsachania. So I would like to add on other aspects. I do this quite often with my son since he was 6 months old. For now, he is quite pumped for any road trip (he will be turning 3 in sometime). Here is how we do it:

1)Baby Seat is a must - comfy enough to give him enough space for his in between sleeps. Even in city drives, he sits and enjoys the drive.
2)Should be fed at regular intervals, but avoid doing it just before any ghat section (thankfully there isn't much in BLR-MUM route).
3)Plan breaks so that before they turn our world upside down, you get them free to stretch their legs too
4)Worst case scenario - be ready to improvise like rhymes, rhyme vdos
5)Pray to God
6)Keep him informed that we are going for a trip and its fun (it works till it works)
7)Planned On-the-run activities - we keep enough toys for him to play with inside car be it spidies,cars,doodle boards, story books
8)Keep the interest levels high, talk to them whenever they are up, if they get sleepy ensure their tummy is full and music is nice for them get to the sleep easily

Have a Nice Trip!!!

BTW I will be doing BLR-MUM next Saturday, if there is any update on the route please let me know.

I will start late from BLR around 1 to 2.30 pm, so I am hoping to halt either at Kolhapur/Belgaum/Hubli in that order. Last time I did this we reached Kolhapur late and booked at Krishna Inn, and the place was dark (all lights off). Finally they woke up and took us in but were in doubt before. Otherwise the hotels rooms were good enough and breakfast nice. Kolhapur I love for their food and hence I want to halt there after a sumptuous dinner. We have tried Opal twice (loved it).

[subirdas]

In the second week of November, enroute to Pune, I will have to stay for a night in Bangalore. Any suggestions for hotels (suitable for family with kid) near NICE Road would be much appreciated - nothing fancy but clean rooms/washrooms and car parking would be fine.