Originally Posted by RP_812
(Post 1413897)
Looks more like a Hill Station than the road to Goa. |
Originally Posted by saildrive
(Post 1413958)
mathranik: your travelogue has come at just the right time; am planning a drive down to goa on 22nd aug and i look forward to your pics to get ready for what is in store for us whilst we drive down :) would love to know more details - 1) time taken for your ride - to and fro Surat to Goa was through Panvel, as mentioned, and it took me around 15 hours for the drive, including two breaks. The way back was through Pune, and was a faster drive - around 13 hours. 2) road conditions Except for a very few bad patches, the roads all through are very well maintained, and a charm to drive on. Speeds in the range of 80-110 kmph would be the order of the day. 3) were you driving alone anything to be cautious about I was just with my girlfriend, and there was absolutely nothing to be cautious about. Just be careful on the Chiplun ghat at night, if you plan to drive overnight. The trucks and buses approaching are ignorant about the oncoming traffic. Other than that, all is good. Restaurants every few kms, fuel stations, etc. 4) renting a car for a trip - that too self driven - thats 'sone pe suhaga' Call it luck, that it worked out so smoothly. A lot of them had discouraged me saying it was very tough getting a self driven rental car. 5) where did you stay? how much did you pay and number of days? We stayed at Lemon Tree Amarante Resort on Candolim Beach. Its a four-star deluxe resort with almost all 5-star facilities including a spa and indoor games, with a beautiful pool - not to forget the sunken bar! The drinks were on-the-house every evening 6 to 8 . It cost me around 4,500 a night for a garden room. 6) which places did you visit ? Almost All of Goa!! All the regular beaches like Vagator, Anjuna, Calangute, Baga, Colva, etc. Then there were some beaches in North Goa not thronged by tourists - they actually seem to be taken over by the Russians! Morjim, Arambol to name a couple. Then other than the regular Aguada and Chapora fort, we also went to Teracol fort (the car in the ferry picture). Old Goa was given half a day with Panjim and Dona Paula. We couldnt go to Doodh Sagar as it was closed for the monsoons. The best part of the stay at Goa was the Anjunem Dam/Keri Waterfalls. Its around a 40 km drive, and further till Karnataka Border. One of the evenings/Night was spent on Casino Royale. Thats the biggest floating Casino of Goa, and a really nice place to be :) 7) rains - heavy / medium / low or sunshine / traffic etc Luckily, rains were light, especially compared to the ones we've been having in Gujarat! Traffic within Goa is decent, just be careful with the mopeds/scooters - they are everywhere! The lanes arent too wide, but no one seems to be in a rush. That's the best part - the laidback traffic. Car Rental : how come you decided to drive in a ikon? can you share more info about your rental car guys so we can take their services if possible? It wasnt a conscious decision to take up Ikon - rather it was the only choice in mid-size segment. Other than that, we were getting a Santro, which I wouldnt have ever gone for. But the car kept me happy, although I wasnt too happy with the driving position after being used to my Innova. Nonetheless, a nice car. Autoriders Mumbai - Contact person: Mr. Chaudhry 09769514119 mumbai@autoriders.net Great Luck for your Leh trip - hope your travelogue will be as picturesque as this one :) Thank you ! am waiting to find out the exciting stuff listed above and some more hic., |
Originally Posted by sammyboy
(Post 1413437)
Lovely pics bro. Is it the "Lemon Tree" Goa in the 2nd pic? |
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