[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

Another option that I can now think of is doing the same route on my way back to Bangalore and cover Belur and Karkala. I can start morning around 6 am from Kollur and target to reach Bangalore by night. Is this doable?

Yep! This would be perfect. If you can start by 6 AM from Kollur, you would have plenty of time to spend at Karkala and also Belur and reach b'lore by 9 PM.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Very much possible. The last 220 kms from Belur all the way till Bangalore would not be a tough one to crack! Early morning start and late night reach means you can easily manage all of these in a day.

Thanks. Are there decent places on the route for food break or is it better to carry it? We are not very fussy about the place as long as it is decent with basic hygiene. Also what about petrol bunks since this is largely a ghat area?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

Thanks. Are there decent places on the route for food break or is it better to carry it? We are not very fussy about the place as long as it is decent with basic hygiene. Also what about petrol bunks since this is largely a ghat area?

• Karkala will have decent options - Just opposite to Private Bus Stand is Gopal Towers that has a Hotel (Suhaag) and a restaurant called Saagar. Good Food, cleaner rest rooms.
  
• Post Karkala, your next bet would be Suprabha Regency at Kalasa Town. This a hotel along with Pure Vegetarian Restaurant. We have stayed here and have interacted with the owner who is quite a gentleman. This is a good option for breaking too. Important:As you reach Kalasa from Kuduremukha side, you will reach a T-Junction where you need to turn right (You can notice the temple then) for Kottigehara/Mudigere. To reach this hotel, you need to turn left (Towards Horanadu) and drive a few hundred meters and this hotel is located on the left hand side.
  
• Then you have Kottigehara but not clean rest rooms. But in the next 5 kms, at Banakal, you have "Fresh Bean Cafe" attached to IOCL station. You won't miss this and this is on your right hand side when driving towards Mudigere
  
• Since you won't enter Mudigere. not much options unless you drive into Mudigere for around 3 kms. There is a Good vegetarian restaurant. If you can ask anyone where is "MC Club" you will be directed here. Exactly opposite to this Hotel is a signage for SBI Bank ATM. So you won't find it difficult. There is a Church diagonally opposite to this Hotel too. I have forgotten the name of this hotel but few months before visited this place to assess the rooms as we had a foreigner staying here who was walking down from Mumbai to Bangalore. I had lunch here and as well visited the rooms and was suprised to notice brand new, clean & spacious rooms. Not to forget the fact that the food served was very good too.
  
• After this, Belur is your next choice. There are petty hotels opposite to the Temple complex - Vishwas and Indian Coffee House but they are good for snacks and coffee/tea but not rest rooms. However, there is Sulabh International right opposite to the Temple and well managed. If not these, you can always visit the following Hotels - Sumkukha Regency, Vishnu Regency, Vishnu Prasad. All these 3 are decent hotels (first 2 very close to the Temple) and the last one after the Bus Stand.
  
• Post Belur, you have plenty of hotels between Hassan and Bangalore anyway in the following Order:

1. Kamat and CCD attached to IOCL at Udyapura
2. Aadya's Grand diagonally opposite to the same Kamat above
3. Mayura at Bellur Cross
4. CCD before Nelligere Toll attached to HPCL
5. Mayur (was Mayura earlier) near Yediyur (after KSTDC Mayura which of course is a totally different place)
6. Adigas before Kunigal Bypass
7. Swati Delicacy ahead of Adigas

[ILTDrive]

Planning on a 3-4 days trip to Mangalore. Please suggest any good hotels to stay with family in Mangalore and if anyone has done a recent trip of similar duration, please post the overview as well.

Thanks!!

[drhoneycake]

Hi guys,

Travelling to Mangaluru on Sunday. Leaving at 4 am from JP Nagar. Have done this route numerous times, but never started so early.

Going by my timings, where would be the best place to have breakfast ??? Since the regular Mayuras, Adigas and Swathi would be closed that early.

Don't prefer CCD. Driving alone.

I need to be in Mangaluru by 11:30 am max.

Have not been on Shiradi since it opened. Anything to look out for??

Thanks.

Regards,
Aniketh



Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by ILTDrive

Planning on a 3-4 days trip to Mangalore. Please suggest any good hotels to stay with family in Mangalore and if anyone has done a recent trip of similar duration, please post the overview as well.

Thanks!!

If you are looking for budget accommodation, 'Ginger' near Kottara Chowki and NH Bypass fits the bill. If you want something in the town, you can check out 'Ganesh Prasad', 'Vasanth Mahal' or 'Deepa Comforts'.

Originally Posted by drhoneycake

Travelling to Mangaluru on Sunday. Leaving at 4 am from JP Nagar. Have done this route numerous times, but never started so early.

Going by my timings, where would be the best place to have breakfast ??? Since the regular Mayuras, Adigas and Swathi would be closed that early.

Your best bet would be 'Adithya' at uppinangady, which would be on the right just before the town. Good food and clean rest rooms.

If you leave by 4 AM from JP Nagar(BTW, am at JP Nagar ), you can easily make it to uppinangady around 8 AM.

[hangover]

Originally Posted by ILTDrive

Planning on a 3-4 days trip to Mangalore. Please suggest any good hotels to stay with family in Mangalore and if anyone has done a recent trip of similar duration, please post the overview as well.

Thanks!!

Since its for 3-4 days it's better to stay in the town center. Abhimaan is clean. Rooms are a bit small. But well maintained. Take the suites. It's only 3-4 k. They have a very good restaurant. And rooms come with breakfast. A coupon can be encashed in a basement restaurant.

Next option is Moti mahal. Rooms cost about 2 - 3k, almost the same size as abhimaan but the hotel has more open areas, an ok pool and a gym.

Then pooja palace or hotel Dwaraka may be considered.

If money is no object then Gold finch hotel is very good. You can walk down to hotel woodlands everyday for authentic Mlr. dosa's while sitting on solid 50 year old furniture.

For a slice of history stay at hotel Rajkamal in Hampankatta (Mlr. Central area). It was started by Rampanna. Mlr guys will know who he is. You may search for an article on him on daijiworld website.

In case you want very low cost rooms stay at hotel Roopa (old name Sapna). You won't get rooms cheaper than that. It was 700 last time I stayed.

Food - you must visit ideal ice cream parlor. There is nothing like it in the whole world. The secret recipe or mix is still made by the owners mother. If you have kids, you'll have to drag them out!!

For authentic food go to hotel fish land and hotel Kwality.

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by drhoneycake

Hi guys,
Going by my timings, where would be the best place to have breakfast ??? Since the regular Mayuras, Adigas and Swathi would be closed that early.
Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

If you are intended to leave Bangalore by 4am then I think you can have your breakfast in Sakaleshpur. There are quite a few good hotels in the town, on multiple occasions I had been to hotel Mythri which is present towards your left once you cross Sakaleshpur KSRTC bus stand. Decent veg hotel with clean rest rooms and I would recommend this.

Originally Posted by JMaruru

If you leave by 4 AM from JP Nagar(BTW, am at JP Nagar ), you can easily make it to uppinangady around 8 AM.

4hrs to Uppinangady??. What are you driving man

[hangover]

Originally Posted by drhoneycake

I need to be in Mangaluru by 11:30 am max.

Have not been on Shiradi since it opened.

I'd suggest you leave at 3 am. If it rains it's going to be difficult going.

Shiradi is fine now a bad stretch about a couple of km at the beginning and end is the worst you'll face.

Why don't you try going via Magadi.

It's JP Nagar> dodda aaladha mara> magadi. At magadi on the main road a very good South Indian place opens by 6 am. Sorry I don't recall its name. It's next to a bakery. While going it's on the right side.

Go past magadi and you'll come to a small circle about 4 feet in diameter. Turn right. You'll reach kunigal in half an hour. Enter town. Quite a few restaurants open by 7 am.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

4hrs to Uppinangady??. What are you driving man

He he! Swift VDi, my humble ride! Well, it is around 300Kms and average of 75KMs is doable considering the early hours!

[hangover]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

He he! Swift VDi, my humble ride! Well, it is around 300Kms and average of 75KMs is doable considering the early hours!

Very much doable if you have a red beacon on top! And a pilot car!

Except the part of getting out of town. If you stick to the normal nelamangala route you'll be shocked at the volume of traffic from Yeshwantpur to Nelamangala the early hours notwithstanding.

You know, if I was in your place and absolutely had to reach before 11.30 am, I'd skip food all together. Each food or tea break adds 20-30 minutes to the overall time as you will know from personal experiences.

Just carry the exact amounts for each toll booth in the right order. At a couple of places it's an odd number of Rs. 41/-

And just drive non stop. At most, one or two 5 minute stops to water the plants.

On Sunday's you may find an Audi A4 or A6 going the same way. Sometimes the odd S class too. Try making faces at those drivers and keep going.

Am a bit curious now. What is that crucial event happening at 11.30 am on Sunday? Is it a wedding? Or never mind. It maybe personal.

[Samurai]

Toll rates are usually revised every September. Have the rates changed this month, has anyone traveled this month?

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

If you leave by 4 AM from JP Nagar(BTW, am at JP Nagar ), you can easily make it to uppinangady around 8 AM.

Wow! that is crazy fast. I would've done this before, but that speed bug has left me a long time ago. I don't do more than 110 kmph no matter how empty the roads. I'm still not married and I intend to be back home in 1 piece.

BTW my ride is a 2014 Fluidic Verna CRDi

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

If you are intended to leave Bangalore by 4am then I think you can have your breakfast in Sakaleshpur. There are quite a few good hotels in the town, on multiple occasions I had been to hotel Mythri which is present towards your left once you cross Sakaleshpur KSRTC bus stand. Decent veg hotel with clean rest rooms and I would recommend this.

That seems like a good idea. Assuming I take 2h 30mins to get to sakleshpur, would the hotels be open ???

Originally Posted by hangover

I'd suggest you leave at 3 am. If it rains it's going to be difficult going.

Shiradi is fine now a bad stretch about a couple of km at the beginning and end is the worst you'll face.

Why don't you try going via Magadi.

It's JP Nagar> dodda aaladha mara> magadi. At magadi on the main road a very good South Indian place opens by 6 am. Sorry I don't recall its name. It's next to a bakery. While going it's on the right side.

Go past magadi and you'll come to a small circle about 4 feet in diameter. Turn right. You'll reach kunigal in half an hour. Enter town. Quite a few restaurants open by 7 am.

I would love to leave by 3 am, but I'm very lazy to do so. Most of my long drives I tend to start at 4 am. I have taken the Magadi route a couple of times. What I've noticed is that :-
1) Route is slower
2) quite a bit of toll money is saved
3) More scenic (but definitely not at 4 am, encountered severe fog last winter)
4) Passes through deserted towns (Had a breakdown once, terrible experience)
5) Unmarked speed breakers

I prefer to do JP Nagar (Brigade Palmsprings) > BG Road NICE Entry > NICE Road > Tumkur Road Exit > Nelamangala > Hassan route. Toll bites hard on this stretch, but for the good roads and decent speeds I can maintain, I think this one is better.

Originally Posted by hangover

Except the part of getting out of town. If you stick to the normal nelamangala route you'll be shocked at the volume of traffic from Yeshwantpur to Nelamangala the early hours notwithstanding.

You know, if I was in your place and absolutely had to reach before 11.30 am, I'd skip food all together. Each food or tea break adds 20-30 minutes to the overall time as you will know from personal experiences.

Just carry the exact amounts for each toll booth in the right order. At a couple of places it's an odd number of Rs. 41/-

And just drive non stop. At most, one or two 5 minute stops to water the plants.

On Sunday's you may find an Audi A4 or A6 going the same way. Sometimes the odd S class too. Try making faces at those drivers and keep going.

Am a bit curious now. What is that crucial event happening at 11.30 am on Sunday? Is it a wedding? Or never mind. It maybe personal.

I drive via NICE Road, so I skip all the Yeshvanthpur city traffic. I exit onto NH4 directly at BIEC.

I can't skip food, no matter what

I always carry the right amount for the tolls always. I have them stocked in my car's box under the armrest.

Yes, I always drive nonstop except to water the plants

Nothing personal at all. There is a dental conference at TMA Pai convention centre from 10th to the 13th. I have my presentation at about 12:15 pm on the 13th. Busy with work, so can't attend the other days.

Driving back the same day.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Toll rates are usually revised every September. Have the rates changed this month, has anyone traveled this month?

Hi Samurai,

Went to Sakleshpur last weekend, no change in rates.

BG Road to Tumkur Road NICE - Rs.120/- (Rip-off )
Bengaluru-Nelamangala - Rs.20/-
Doddakarenahalli - Rs.41/- (Return was 61 earlier, last weekend it was 62/-)
Karbylu (Bellur Cross) - Rs.41/- (Return was 61 earlier, now 62/-)
Kirasave - Rs.35/-
Shantigrama - Rs.30/-

Thanks everybody.

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by drhoneycake

That seems like a good idea. Assuming I take 2h 30mins to get to sakleshpur, would the hotels be open ???

You won`t find any hotels open before 6.30 am anywhere till Sakaleshpur and in that case your only option is to go to Hotel Aditya in Uppinangady. All hotels in and around Sakaleshpur will only serve you post 7.
I don`t know about others but 2h 30 mins seems to be fast for me as I used to take 1 hr more to reach Sakaleshpur.
Anyways drive safe

[hangover]

You'll get the most current toll rates for the whole nation on the national highways authority site. Don't visit it if you have a compulsive nature. It's filled with a ton of enjoyable reading stuff for drivers.