[selfdrive]

For a long weekend at the end of April (read 5 days/ 4 nights), I need to plan a destination for a road trip from Pune.
Who - me, wife and 5 year old son
When - end April
Where - considering Amboli/ Hampi, but welcome other suggestions.
Preferences:
No night driving, I will be the only driver and I have not driven for more than 300 kms at a stretch yet
Not Mahabaleshwar or Matheran!
Decent & safe accomodation (not looking for any luxuries): Is something like this available at Hampi?
Beaches not preferred at this time as a separate trip is being planned for this

Are there any other destinations that I can drive to within 6 to 8 hours? My original target was Coorg but I think I will do that as a second road trip as I am not so confident in my ability to drive for such a long distance at the first attempt. I appreciate any and all inputs you can provide

It would be great if there are some other tbhp cars we could join if such a weekend trip is being planned

MODS: please merge as appropriate, I could not find a relevant thread for off season (read non monsoon) road trips!

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

For a long weekend at the end of April (read 5 days/ 4 nights), I need to plan a destination for a road trip from Pune.
Who - me, wife and 5 year old son
When - end April
Where - considering Amboli/ Hampi, but welcome other suggestions.
Preferences:
No night driving, I will be the only driver and I have not driven for more than 300 kms at a stretch yet
Not Mahabaleshwar or Matheran!
Decent & safe accomodation (not looking for any luxuries): Is something like this available at Hampi?
Beaches not preferred at this time as a separate trip is being planned for this

I appreciate any and all inputs you can provide

MODS: please merge as appropriate, I could not find a relevant thread for off season (read non monsoon) road trips!

One of the options on the way to Hampi could be Wildernest Nature Resort

It is slightly pricey, however, and only good for maybe 2 days, 2 nights.

Cheers,
Vikram

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

For a long weekend at the end of April (read 5 days/ 4 nights), I need to plan a destination for a road trip from Pune.
Who - me, wife and 5 year old son
When - end April
Where - considering Amboli/ Hampi, but welcome other suggestions.
Preferences:
No night driving, I will be the only driver and I have not driven for more than 300 kms at a stretch yet
Not Mahabaleshwar or Matheran!
Decent & safe accomodation (not looking for any luxuries): Is something like this available at Hampi?
Beaches not preferred at this time as a separate trip is being planned for this

Are there any other destinations that I can drive to within 6 to 8 hours? My original target was Coorg but I think I will do that as a second road trip as I am not so confident in my ability to drive for such a long distance at the first attempt. I appreciate any and all inputs you can provide

MODS: please merge as appropriate, I could not find a relevant thread for off season (read non monsoon) road trips!

Selfdrive,

Drop Hampi off the list. It will be very hot at this time and Hampi requires quite a bit of walking around and not advisable with small kid in blistering heat. Alternately why dont you do Dandeli alongwith Amboli if you do not want beaches as it is closeby. The jungle is good, you can see hornbills and visit nice spots around. You can stay in Bison River resort. We stayed in its sister resort in Kanha and it was really good. See my travelogue

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...diaries-5.html

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

For a long weekend at the end of April (read 5 days/ 4 nights), I need to plan a destination for a road trip from Pune.
Who - me, wife and 5 year old son
When - end April
Where - considering Amboli/ Hampi, but welcome other suggestions.
Preferences:
No night driving, I will be the only driver and I have not driven for more than 300 kms at a stretch yet
Not Mahabaleshwar or Matheran!
Decent & safe accomodation (not looking for any luxuries): Is something like this available at Hampi?
Beaches not preferred at this time as a separate trip is being planned for this

Are there any other destinations that I can drive to within 6 to 8 hours? My original target was Coorg but I think I will do that as a second road trip as I am not so confident in my ability to drive for such a long distance at the first attempt. I appreciate any and all inputs you can provide

It would be great if there are some other tbhp cars we could join if such a weekend trip is being planned

MODS: please merge as appropriate, I could not find a relevant thread for off season (read non monsoon) road trips!

Hampi would be a bad idea now; it is terribly hot. And with a 5yr old, it'll get even more taxing.

Coorg won't be much fun either; you can go to the Monastery only; Abbe falls would be disappointing.

Why don't you try Dapoli; it is a beach but a nice one.

[mdsaab]

@Selfdrive i am glad that you got your new 2nd car finally. Imagine lucky you got the second one before the first. Here's wishing you many miles of joyful motoring with your Nano.
And extremely glad that you are going for a road trip this soon. Way to go!
as @libranof1987 has mentioned Dapoli is quite a nice place to visit. There are nearby beaches such as Karde which are lovely virgin beaches. Ofcourse Goa is the king. But if beaches are out, then you can consider this for another time.

A few options that i could think of.
Bhimashankar
Aurangabad as in Noopster's latest travelogue ~ one can stay at the Taj @ only 4k per night. AWESOME!
If Mahabaleshwar is out of question then why not Panchgani LOL!
it's really tough if you don't want to go to the beaches or the hills.
Amboli is a nice option and you could visit the nearby vengurla as well.
If it were me i would head off to Goa right now, it isn't too hot, don't worry about getting fried. Lot's of places going at a steal right now.
I am going to be following this thread closely as i want to get some idea's from what others recommend.
Drive Safe!

[libranof1987]

Oh, is it the Nano you are planning this trip in?

Bhimashankar would be a day's trip; so you'll still have the weekend to spare.

Karde was what I was referring to. We'd gone there ages ago (~ 2001 I guess); there was not a soul on the beach!

In and around Aurangabad, you'll have Ajanta, Ellora, Daulatabad; all caves/forts = walking; so you'll have to think from that perspective.

Guess we are spoiling you for choice

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

One of the options on the way to Hampi could be Wildernest Nature Resort

Thanks Vikram, the resort looks interesting but I guess I will have to drop Hampi for now considering how hot it will be!

Originally Posted by Fauji

Selfdrive,
Drop Hampi off the list. It will be very hot at this time and Hampi requires quite a bit of walking around and not advisable with small kid in blistering heat. Alternately why dont you do Dandeli alongwith Amboli if you do not want beaches as it is closeby. The jungle is good, you can see hornbills and visit nice spots around. You can stay in Bison River resort. We stayed in its sister resort in Kanha and it was really good. See my travelogue
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...diaries-5.html

Thanks Fauji sir, I will definitely consider this! Hampi will be dropped like a hot potato. I am very tempted to venture into Karnataka for the food if nothing else. The jungle definitely sounds interesting so will look at how Bison jungle resort is

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Hampi would be a bad idea now; it is terribly hot. And with a 5yr old, it'll get even more taxing.
Coorg won't be much fun either; you can go to the Monastery only; Abbe falls would be disappointing.
Why don't you try Dapoli; it is a beach but a nice one.

libranof1987 - I agree; Hampi stands cancelled. I dont know what I was thinking - perhaps that there would be adequate cover around, but I am reminded of how open it looked on one of the travelogues here. I plan to take some time off during the second half of this year especially to drive down the coast, so dont want to do something I will repeat later.

Originally Posted by mdsaab

@Selfdrive i am glad that you got your new 2nd car finally. Imagine lucky you got the second one before the first. Here's wishing you many miles of joyful motoring with your Nano.
And extremely glad that you are going for a road trip this soon.
A few options that i could think of.
Bhimashankar
Aurangabad as in Noopster's latest travelogue ~ one can stay at the Taj @ only 4k per night. AWESOME!
If Mahabaleshwar is out of question then why not Panchgani LOL!
it's really tough if you don't want to go to the beaches or the hills.
Amboli is a nice option and you could visit the nearby vengurla as well.
If it were me i would head off to Goa right now, it isn't too hot, don't worry about getting fried. Lot's of places going at a steal right now.
I am going to be following this thread closely as i want to get some idea's from what others recommend.
Drive Safe!

No no, it wont be the Nano this time. In fact I already took her to Panchgani last weekend (April 10th) so I am answering multiple questions here Boy, is she a hoot to drive or what!! Unfortunately, not so comfortable for a long drive. I guess Panchgani is the farthest I would venture in the Nano for now. I only wanted to take her there to stretch her legs. And she now rocks in the city too.
This road trip is going to be in my first car which I hope to get this week. I have booked a pre owned Honda Jazz (budget was reduced due to some priorities so couldnt go for the new one!). I will replace the ? marks in my signature as soon as I have her home.
I would definitely lve to go to the hills, but anywhere except Mahabi/ Matheran. Are there any good hill stations outside of NH4 territory within 6 hours reach from Pune?

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Oh, is it the Nano you are planning this trip in?
Bhimashankar would be a day's trip; so you'll still have the weekend to spare.
Karde was what I was referring to. We'd gone there ages ago (~ 2001 I guess); there was not a soul on the beach!
In and around Aurangabad, you'll have Ajanta, Ellora, Daulatabad; all caves/forts = walking; so you'll have to think from that perspective.
Guess we are spoiling you for choice

Aurangabad is an outside choice, we have some extended family we could visit there too. If I dont find a good hilly/ jungle place to go I will definitely consider it.
The problem is there are so many places that are fabulous in the rains, but as difficult to find something in summer. Unfortunately all or most of our bank holidays are in April/ May
I guess I am now leaning more towards Amboli. I considered Saputara as well, but a friend said it isnt so good this time of year. Any more recommendations?!

[roamingrao]

Selfdrive bhai,

Welcome back to India ! For now, nano congrats and soon to follow - Jazzy congrats !

You could look at hill station resorts near Kolhapur / Belgaum. The facilities may not be modern but worth exploring. One such place i remember reading here by member Sahir Kittur - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...belgaum-2.html

There may be many others, will try and see if i could gather some more.

Happy driving !

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Aurangabad is an outside choice, we have some extended family we could visit there too. If I dont find a good hilly/ jungle place to go I will definitely consider it.
The problem is there are so many places that are fabulous in the rains, but as difficult to find something in summer. Unfortunately all or most of our bank holidays are in April/ May
I guess I am now leaning more towards Amboli. I considered Saputara as well, but a friend said it isnt so good this time of year. Any more recommendations?!

Aurangabad will be as hot as Hampi during this time. Since you are planning a trip to Amboli, another option apart from Dandeli is this nice place called The Hermitage near Belgaum? You can go for nature walks, bird watchng etc

Here is the link

The Hermitage Guest House, An Eco-Lodge in the Western Ghats

[amitwlele]

First of all congrats selfdrive on your second car or the first car or is it the second car?

I can vouch for Dandeli for nature lovers. Calm and serene place. I have stayed there for nine months while on a project. You must be wondering what project i was doing in Dandeli. Just for fyi there is a big paper mill in Dandeli and we were implementing a ERP there.

You can check out this website (www.dandelimasti.com) which has some details. This was given to me by a freind in Dandeli. I can also give you his contact numbers if you are interested.

But i am not sure if this would be off-season. For that matter are there any destinations close to Pune off season during summers?

[mdsaab]

Wow is that news or what. Congratulations on the jazz, a fine choice i must say.
Am thinking of more hill stations nearby that you can visit.
Till then i remember a friend saying that kolhapur had a nice small hill station, if someone can confirm. Will try and speak to him later and get some details.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Selfdrive bhai, Welcome back to India ! For now, nano congrats and soon to follow - Jazzy congrats !
Happy driving !

Thanks sir! All the days of dreaming about the next car and waiting are finally over - I hope to contribute to some travelogues soon

Originally Posted by Fauji

Aurangabad will be as hot as Hampi during this time. Since you are planning a trip to Amboli, another option apart from Dandeli is this nice place called The Hermitage near Belgaum? The Hermitage Guest House, An Eco-Lodge in the Western Ghats

thanks again Fauji sir, I checked this one and the Bison river resort. I liked both! If we are going that far, might as well drop in to Goa for a day

Originally Posted by amitwlele

First of all congrats selfdrive on your second car or the first car or is it the second car?
Just for fyi there is a big paper mill in Dandeli and we were implementing a ERP there.

You can check out this website (www.dandelimasti.com) which has some details. This was given to me by a freind in Dandeli. I can also give you his contact numbers if you are interested.

But i am not sure if this would be off-season. For that matter are there any destinations close to Pune off season during summers?

thanks amitwlele; dont ask which one is first or second - especially during our next tapri meet unless you want different answers
thanks for the website, looks really cool. I do hope that the river isnt dry by now. By offseason I meant non monsoon time. Monsoon is when this part of Maharashtra really comes alive and there are so many places to visit. Not so sure we have too many options in summer especially if one is particular about not being roasted on a beach somewhere!

Originally Posted by mdsaab

Wow is that news or what. Congratulations on the jazz, a fine choice i must say.

thanks mdsaab, I guess I bumped into the deal quite fortunately. And I do like to believe that if I hadnt moved fast, it would have been gone too. Perhaps I should start asking which one would be preferred during the next tapri meet - the Nano or the Jazz?

[mdsaab]

Both of your cars are exclusive beauties.
You dont get to see either everyday. So both are going to be stars of the tapri meets.
Which one you plan to spoil us with at the next meet is anyones guess.
Looking forward to meeting your rides and ofcourse you too.
If i can rub it in again GO GoA!

[selfdrive]

Goa is tempting as usual, but I already shot myself in the foot when I said no beaches for this trip

After various deliberations about the location, we have finally decided to go to Nashik. Almost finalised Amboli, but this will now be on the backburner till we see some rains.

We have friends there so we expect them to accompany us to Panchavati & Trimbakeshwar.
I appreciate any tips on places to see in/ around Nashik as we will be there for at least 3 days. Does anyone have any details for either Jawhar or Nandur Madhmeshwar bird sanctuary?

[mmxylorider]

You might want to explore Guhagar, beach again, but much better than Diveagar IMO.

Problem with the Konkan beaches is the lack of any activity for majority of the day unless you are in a resort. Beaches are good for the morning and late afternoons. It would be quite hot during daytime.