[PVS]

This weekend, the 6th and 7th of July, I decided to head out to Laknavaram in Warangal District, for a short break, and a drive too! A friend of my wife had read an article in one of the Telugu Vernaculars (Sakshi) about accommodation being opened up at this place, by APTDC, the state's tourism department.

I checked at APTDC's online web site, but booking for this accommodation had not opened up yet, and booking has to be done at the Central Reservation Office, at Basheerbagh. Since there are only 7 rooms in the unit, and with a weekend, there was every possibility of the rooms getting sold out, so we decided to book on Tuesday itself, and booked two rooms (Our family of 2 adults + 2 kids), and my wife's friend. The total cost came out to Rs 2800/- for 2 rooms.

Laknavaram is about 220 odd kms from Hyderabad, and this is the route:http://goo.gl/maps/ks2i2

We started by around 07:15 am and were there by around 11:30, taking breaks in between for breakfast and tea. The roads en-route was decent - the 4 laned roads go till Bhongir, and you have to pay Rs 75/- toll. After crossing Aler, there is a bridge, that is dicey, and you would have to be careful here. The highway beyond Warangal is in a good shape too, however, you have to be on your guard when driving on a 2-laned highway. From the highway that leads to Eturunagaram, at a place called Chaluvai, there is a road heading right (as you come from Warangal side), and if you head down 7 Kms on this road, it will lead you to the lake. This road is bad, and you will take some time to negotiate it.

The area is picturesque and is serene, provided you don’t have boisterous groups of youngsters partying hard with music playing out loud from their minivans. And, when we went here, there wasn’t much of water in the lake, so boating was out of question. This place is just to spend some moments of solitude, away from the city.
Of course, you have Cable TV in the room, and that’s it. You would be better advised taking an Airtel connection, if you want to communicate, because that’s the only provider that seems to have signal connectivity there. My Vodafone couldn’t get any signals there, and neither does BSNL, as per the manager of the unit there.
Coming to the rooms, the accommodation is new (opened barely a month back), but as with other APTDC units, maintenance is iffy, and you would have to call the staff to fix things – it’s good that they respond. We had booked two rooms – room 106 had a flush that was not working – it was fixed subsequently. We didn’t get towels, soap and Shampoo, in the room, and had to again ask the staff to provide, which they did. Room 107 had a TV that was not working – again, the staff was called and they replaced it with a fresh TV. The rooms have lake facing windows, so that’s a good sight – waking up to a lake in front of you in the morning.

The rooms are air-conditioned – this is very welcome, given the humidity there. The hotel has a restaurant, and the catering staff comes to your room to take you order, or you could also order it, and then head up to the restaurant (again with lake facing views) to have it at leisure.

We had a quick nap, and after coffee, headed out to the lake nearby for a quick stroll – we sat near the edge of the lake, while the kids played around for some time.

After some moments of solitude, looking at the lake, we headed up to the restaurant to have food, which was pedestrian at best. You don’t have many choices, and the food was nothing great to write about. It did give us upset tummies, the next day morning! BTW, the total food bill for all of us came to Rs 875/-

The next day, we got up at leisure, went for a quick stroll on the bridge, came back freshened up, had breakfast, and were out by 10:00 am. By 03:15 pm, we were at home, after stopping for lunch at hotel Riviera, on the 4-laned highway.

Just to sum it up: IMP Points:

1. Bookings cannot be done online yet. You would need to book them at the CRO, Basheerbagh. Only 7 rooms available, so you have to book early, if going on a weekend. Two more cottages, are being built on the other side of the lake, and they are accessible only by boat. Will be ready in another month.
2. Boating availability is subject to water level of the lake.
3. Have an Airtel connection, as that seems to be the only provider that works there - no landline as well!
4. - There is nothing to do around here - kids can get bored here - just sit around and enjoy the nature!
5. - Maintenance is iffy, and you will find that something is usually missing in the room - however the staff is helpful and will solve your problem.
6. - Lots of people from the nearby areas come to this place. An entrance ticket of Rs 10/- will soon be levied on visitors.

Pics from the place and the drive below: as below:

[vnabhi]

Thanks for the TL, PVS. Looks like one more place that can be easily visited from Hyderabad.

But from the pictures you've posted, it does not look all that great. Is the lake and boating the only activity over there?

And is the place beyond Warangal?

[PVS]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Thanks for the TL, PVS. Looks like one more place that can be easily visited from Hyderabad.

But from the pictures you've posted, it does not look all that great. Is the lake and boating the only activity over there?

And is the place beyond Warangal?

Thanks Venu. Yes, apart from the lake and the boating (only if sufficient water is available), there is nothing else to be done there. Its good only if you want to spend moments of solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It's USP lies in its remoteness.
And yes, this is about 75 odd kms beyond Warangal - it lies on the Eturunagaram route.. So you could visit this place and even the Ramappa temple, which is also close-by.

[shifu]

Hi guys,

Laknavaram and Ramappa temple seem to be a good weekend get away from Hyd. Anybody who has been there recently? How is the condition of the Haritha resort there? Planning to stay there with family, hence want to be careful.

Thanks in advance!

[iwanderer]

Originally Posted by shifu

Hi guys,

Laknavaram and Ramappa temple seem to be a good weekend get away from Hyd. Anybody who has been there recently? How is the condition of the Haritha resort there? Planning to stay there with family, hence want to be careful.

Thanks in advance!

Laknavaram and Ramappa are good places to visit from August to December and Haritha resorts located at Laknavaram is pretty decent to stay. I believe they are also going to open few cottages which can be accessed through boat only. I had been to Laknavaram while visiting Bhodatha Water falls which were full this Monsoon season.