[raj.barcode]

Fantastic pictures all, Hyatt Hampi is a clean and fabulous place to stay. The state roads would been awesome to drive as well. Looks like a fabulous meet. Superb.!!

[cmiuc]

Thanks for considering part of this trips. It was well organized by Dr.AD & Ravi Thanks to you all for making this trip Memorable . Wonderful time spent with everyone once again . As always I am ready to go for the next trip!

[FORTified]

Only problem with this trip is that we are robbed of the opportunity to ask "When is the next trip?" and we are not complaining.

[robimahanta]

It was a really awesome trip and kudos to AD for organizing it. Some pictures from my side.

Part of the gang


Some of the cars in the hotel parking lot


The XUV gang that took us to tungabhadra dam


View from the lighthouse


Vittala Temple views








Panoramic view of the temple complex


The car that made the drive a really awesome one for me


My favourite image from the trip


Evening views from Hemakutta Hill, Hampi

[androdev]

@robimahanta great pics of Hampi!

For Hampi lovers, here is a great set of photos:
http://nicopix.zenfolio.com/p13995338

[sudhirnam]

Superb photos of Hampi . I had visited there during 10-12 September and my travelogue is pending!

[alphadog]

Great to see Team-Bhpians meeting with families at a great location.
It is also good to see that the XUV is quite a popular car.
I guess other than the niggles that was rampant in the initial batches of the car, the Indian made Mahindra offering has made quite an impact.
I for one love mine and it is quite a monster after tuning the engine.

Hope there will be a team bhp meet in Cochin too, in the near future.

Cheerio!

[sanjaykk]

Originally Posted by androdev

@robimahanta great pics of Hampi!

For Hampi lovers, here is a great set of photos:
http://nicopix.zenfolio.com/p13995338

Are these photos taken using a drone? Or just taken from a higher point (a hill or something)?

Edit: Just saw his about page and it mentions Kite Aerial Photography. Nice!

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Reviving an old thread. My dad's planning an impromptu trip to either Gandikota-Ahobilam or Hampi. Would request fellow bhpians to put some light on the places of interest which are worth visiting in Hampi for a full day.
So, the planned itenary :[list][*] Saturday (24/06/2017) - Start from Hyd in the evening and planning for a night stay at my farm which is near KA border.[*] Sunday (25/06/2017) - Start at around 5am in the morning and proceed towards Hampi which is 191 kms away from my farm. Will be reaching Hampi by 9;30am which includes a break of the morning crunch. Then, sightseeing of a couple of places in Hampi.[*] Monday (26/06/2017) - Complete the sightseeing program by the afternoon and start -off to Hyd.

Suggestions regarding any change in the itenary are welcome. Awaited for a quick reply.

Varun

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

What: Explore the ruins of Hampi, Karnataka and the surroundings
When: Friday, September 16, 2016 to Sunday, September 18, 2016.
Accommodation: Hyatt Place, Hampi (https://hampi.place.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html)

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

Destination Hampi !

The hotel
Attachment 1555880

Hi guys - thank you for the fabulously detailed travelogue. Some friends of mine and I are planning a short winter trip to Hampi and were considering staying at Hotel Hyatt Place. Could you let me know if there are any pros or cons of this hotel, both standalone as well as from the standpoint of doing all the touristy stuff around Hampi.

I have read slightly mixed reviews of the hotel itself and also heard its a bit inconveniently located from Hampi ruins standpoint.

If not Hyatt Place, any other high quality / decently luxurious hotels we could consider? (Evolve Back is just way too expensive).

Thanks!

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Hi guys - thank you for the fabulously detailed travelogue. Some friends of mine and I are planning a short winter trip to Hampi and were considering staying at Hotel Hyatt Place. Could you let me know if there are any pros or cons of this hotel, both standalone as well as from the standpoint of doing all the touristy stuff around Hampi.

I have read slightly mixed reviews of the hotel itself and also heard its a bit inconveniently located from Hampi ruins standpoint.

If not Hyatt Place, any other high quality / decently luxurious hotels we could consider? (Evolve Back is just way too expensive).

Thanks!

Overall, I would recommend Hyatt Place Hampi as the stay option, and would stay there if I were to visit Hampi again (I stayed there in November 2018 again after this drive meet). Evolve Back is definitely a nicer and more upscale place, but as you correctly pointed out, it is way too expensive.

Hyatt Place Hampi was fabulous in 2016, and in my 2018 visit, I felt it had gone down a bit in service quality and interior up-keep (maybe the mixed reviews you mentioned are because of this). But even then, it is still a good place and I would still recommend this.

The pros of this place are:
1. At the very least, the rooms are clean and comfortable (though not luxurious), and the rooms and the hotel have all the basic amenities one would need.
2. They have ample, safe and clean parking for a large number of cars (important to us because we always drive there in our own cars).
3. The access roads are generally good.
4. The food is usually very good.
5. The swimming pool is nice too (if that matters to you).
6. The hotel is reasonably priced. I always found some good deals on their own website. They had some "heritage packages" (or something like that; I don't remember the name of the package exactly) that included food, stay, and some a tour of the ruins in their own vehicle, which was a great deal.
7. Last but not the least, the Vidyanagar Township that the hotel is in, is a very good place to visit by itself. You can take a peaceful walk in the beautiful city of Vidyanagar Township - there is a nice lake and gardens around (seen in our photos in this thread). You can take the hotel bicycles and ride around there. The lush green township is like an oasis in the middle of the generally hot and dry area.
8. There is one "Kaladham Museum" in the Vidyanagar Township, right next to the hotel. This is one of the must visit places around Hampi. Go there in the evening. You can see the museum and also enjoy to nice surroundings. You will miss this museum if you stay in any other hotel in Hampi (since you won't come out all the way just for this museum). So staying in this hotel is the best way to see this museum and the surrounding area.

Cons of the hotel:
1. It is about 30km away from the monuments and the ruins of Hampi. It will take about an hours drive to reach the ruins area. However, the hotel offers packages which include transportation and tour of the ruins. I think this is the best option. You will not have to worry about finding parking sports at each location, and figuring out where to go etc. You can park your cars in the hotel and let them drive you around in their vehicles. If you take this option, then the far away factor does not matter at all. BTW, note that the road from the hotel to the main Hampi area is good and straightforward, so even if you drive your own cars, it is not a major problem.
2. However, if you want to go to some ruins or locations for sunrise or sunset in early morning or late evening respectively, then this location is not ideal.
3. The overall experience is good, but not luxurious. If you are looking for luxurious resort experience, then Evolve Back is your best bet.

The pros outweigh the cons, and therefore, I would still recommend this place.

By the way, on the other hand, if you are looking for a more adventurous stay experience (and not necessarily a luxurious one), then Jungle Lodges and Resorts' Sloth Bear Resort is one option. I have never stayed there myself (but I have stayed in several other JLR resorts, which are all usually located in wild and jungle places and the whole experience is designed to be an adventure rather than luxury), and hence I can't comment on how the stay is.

[Axe77]

Small sneak preview into our ride from Pune to Hampi.

[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Small sneak preview into our ride from Pune to Hampi.

That's quite a teaser. When are you sharing more?

I've been planning a bike trip from Mumbai to Hampi with my better half for quite sometime now. If it's not an issue with you - can you share the route you took? (Assuming you started from Pune?) And if you ended up staying at Hyatt or some other place? Reccos are always welcome!

Thanks in advance!

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by TheVaas

That's quite a teaser. When are you sharing more?

I've been planning a bike trip from Mumbai to Hampi with my better half for quite sometime now. If it's not an issue with you - can you share the route you took? (Assuming you started from Pune?) And if you ended up staying at Hyatt or some other place? Reccos are always welcome!

Thanks in advance!

Haha - I ultimately didn't end up taking that many pics with my friend and wife both working their phone cams.

Route was: Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Belgaum, Hubli, Gadag, Koppal, Hyatt Place Hampi. Same for return.

We left at 4:4 am from Pune (outskirts ahead of Balewadi (Kia showroom opp Bitwise building. Reached Kolhapur around 7:15 I think. Breakfast there. Had an hour's unscheduled stop for a dead battery issue (needed jump start). Reached hotel by 5 pm ultimately.

The way back we took the same route but left around 6 and stopped for a leisurely brekker break, lunch break, and another long coffee stop a couple of hours after lunch. I reached Pune Balewadi by around 5 pm this time and headed straight on to Bombay from there.

I would strongly recommend leaving very early whenever you leave. Maybe even 4 am - so you can miss the traffic jams around Vashi, Panvel, Khopoli etc given we can't use Expressway. Also, the roads coming into Hampi / Vijayanagar are really desolate and deserted for a couple of hundred kms with very little food amenities as well so plan for that too accordingly. I would rather ride in dark hours around familiar territory than at a destination that I don't know as well. Post Hubli, definitely plan meals because places are few and far between.