Arrive Mumbai on 06/10 with a 6 y.o. and a baby. Want to head South

Dorian · Jun 29th, 2008, 23:18

Firstly, hello everyone. I am new to these forums and have never previously travelled to India. In October I am going for just under 3 weeks, arriving early in the morning on the 6th and leaving on the afternoon of the 25th. I will be accompanied by my fiancee and our two boys, one aged 6, the other 10 months. I have travelled a lot on my own in Central and South America, but have never been to Asia. My fiancee has never left Europe.

Apologies in advance for my vagueness, but at this point I am not sure exactly what we want to do or where we want to go. We definitely do not want to stay in Mumbai for more than a night (we have a friend to stay with there), and subsequently we are thinking we would probably want to head South, although if anyone could recommend beaches that could be good for children in Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh we would consider heading in that direction.

Ideally, our holiday would comprise around 10 days at the beach. We would also like to see some wildlife, and I have a romantic notion of taking tea on the verandah at a hill station somewhere. Transport wise, I definitely don't want to fly internally, and would like to take trains whenever possible. steven_ber's entertaining account of taking a train with a baby in tow has not put me off that idea.

Our initial thought was to go to Kerala. The two things putting me off that idea are the amount of travel involved - we would definitely have to do it in stages - and the fact that the guide book I have suggests that October is still very wet there. Therefore, for the beach component of our holiday Goa or Karnataka might be a better idea, although I would welcome other suggestions. There is a bit of a conflict between my desire to avoid very touristy areas and the fact we will have children with us. I definitely do not want to stay in any concrete monstrosities, but concede that beach huts with young children might be pushing it. Any advice in this respect would be very welcome.

Our baby is a fairly chilled out traveller, although the heat may change this. The 6 year old is very happy drawing and reading for hours on end, so is not a big concern in terms of keeping him entertained on long journeys, especially given that the scenery will be so novel for him (and indeed, all of us). Despite this, we want our itinerary to be reasonably relaxed,

Any ideas would be very welcome. Budget wise, we could stretch to $100 a day for all of us, but would prefer to keep things around the $80 mark.

Thanks

capt_mahajan · Jun 29th, 2008, 23:42

Roughly, I would suggest

Mumbai
Goa
Hampi
Kerala including Munnar and Periyar.

Acutally, this may get a little rushed, and then you may want to drop Hampi, which would be a pity.

Indian facilities for the baby will be on par with the less developed Central American countries, generally speaking.

Dorian · Jun 29th, 2008, 23:52

Thanks for the tip Captain. I definitely want to go inland at some point, so would be more likely to miss out on one of the beach destinations rather than Hampi. One question, what would be the best way to break up the journey between Hospet and Kerala?

capt_mahajan · Jun 30th, 2008, 00:01

Far from a train expert, wondering how long a train journey that is

If you do need a break, Bangalore? Not really en route.

And then Mysore/Ooty or Coorg becomes an alternative to kerala, or at least a temptation.

Do check out www.erail.in for train journeys/travelling times. If Kerala and if the train journey is manageable, maybe better to do it straight. Bangalore is not that great at all...

Can get tiring with kids, though.

wsminkapila · Jun 30th, 2008, 00:43

Proud of You Captain Mahajan... very well answered...

Dorian: I'm sure you have a gist of what you would like to do in your holiday in India.

Mumbai -- Goa (Overnight Train) approx. 600 Km.
Goa -- Hampi (Overnight Train) approx. 350 Km.
Hampi -- Munnar [Kerala](Overnight Train) approx. 680 Km.
Munnar -- Periyar (Taxi - I assume - Please dont quote that)

You may also take up the Houseboat there at Kerala for a day probably and you'd get the romantic notion as what you're expecting out of your holiday.

So, pack your bags and get going. The website is good enough to give you the rest of the train information as mentioned in the previous post.

Happy Travelling.

Cheers !!!

enlluernar · Jul 2nd, 2008, 23:19

Just to precise that there arent overnight trains from Goa to Hospet (Hampi). There is a day train 3 days per week. If you prefer to travel overnight there are buses every night.

Jun 29th, 2008, 23:18	#1
Dorian Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: London, England Posts: 2	Arrive Mumbai on 06/10 with a 6 y.o. and a baby. Want to head South Firstly, hello everyone. I am new to these forums and have never previously travelled to India. In October I am going for just under 3 weeks, arriving early in the morning on the 6th and leaving on the afternoon of the 25th. I will be accompanied by my fiancee and our two boys, one aged 6, the other 10 months. I have travelled a lot on my own in Central and South America, but have never been to Asia. My fiancee has never left Europe. Apologies in advance for my vagueness, but at this point I am not sure exactly what we want to do or where we want to go. We definitely do not want to stay in Mumbai for more than a night (we have a friend to stay with there), and subsequently we are thinking we would probably want to head South, although if anyone could recommend beaches that could be good for children in Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh we would consider heading in that direction. Ideally, our holiday would comprise around 10 days at the beach. We would also like to see some wildlife, and I have a romantic notion of taking tea on the verandah at a hill station somewhere. Transport wise, I definitely don't want to fly internally, and would like to take trains whenever possible. steven_ber's entertaining account of taking a train with a baby in tow has not put me off that idea. Our initial thought was to go to Kerala. The two things putting me off that idea are the amount of travel involved - we would definitely have to do it in stages - and the fact that the guide book I have suggests that October is still very wet there. Therefore, for the beach component of our holiday Goa or Karnataka might be a better idea, although I would welcome other suggestions. There is a bit of a conflict between my desire to avoid very touristy areas and the fact we will have children with us. I definitely do not want to stay in any concrete monstrosities, but concede that beach huts with young children might be pushing it. Any advice in this respect would be very welcome. Our baby is a fairly chilled out traveller, although the heat may change this. The 6 year old is very happy drawing and reading for hours on end, so is not a big concern in terms of keeping him entertained on long journeys, especially given that the scenery will be so novel for him (and indeed, all of us). Despite this, we want our itinerary to be reasonably relaxed, Any ideas would be very welcome. Budget wise, we could stretch to $100 a day for all of us, but would prefer to keep things around the $80 mark. Thanks

Jun 30th, 2008, 00:43	#5
wsminkapila * ॐ * Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: India Posts: 119	Proud of You Captain Mahajan... very well answered... Dorian: I'm sure you have a gist of what you would like to do in your holiday in India. Mumbai -- Goa (Overnight Train) approx. 600 Km. Goa -- Hampi (Overnight Train) approx. 350 Km. Hampi -- Munnar [Kerala](Overnight Train) approx. 680 Km. Munnar -- Periyar (Taxi - I assume - Please dont quote that) You may also take up the Houseboat there at Kerala for a day probably and you'd get the romantic notion as what you're expecting out of your holiday. So, pack your bags and get going. The website is good enough to give you the rest of the train information as mentioned in the previous post. Happy Travelling. Cheers !!! __________________ Boosting up da Spirits....

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Jun 29th, 2008, 23:42	#2
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 9,716	Roughly, I would suggest Mumbai Goa Hampi Kerala including Munnar and Periyar. Acutally, this may get a little rushed, and then you may want to drop Hampi, which would be a pity. Indian facilities for the baby will be on par with the less developed Central American countries, generally speaking.

Jun 29th, 2008, 23:52	#3
Dorian Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: London, England Posts: 2	Thanks for the tip Captain. I definitely want to go inland at some point, so would be more likely to miss out on one of the beach destinations rather than Hampi. One question, what would be the best way to break up the journey between Hospet and Kerala?

Jun 30th, 2008, 00:01	#4
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 9,716	Far from a train expert, wondering how long a train journey that is If you do need a break, Bangalore? Not really en route. And then Mysore/Ooty or Coorg becomes an alternative to kerala, or at least a temptation. Do check out www.erail.in for train journeys/travelling times. If Kerala and if the train journey is manageable, maybe better to do it straight. Bangalore is not that great at all... Can get tiring with kids, though.

Jul 2nd, 2008, 23:19	#6
enlluernar Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: catalonia Posts: 8	Just to precise that there arent overnight trains from Goa to Hospet (Hampi). There is a day train 3 days per week. If you prefer to travel overnight there are buses every night.

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