Goa or Gokarna with children

Hello,

I only have a few beach days in end - December, comming from Hampi and flying out of Goa. I have two toddlers with me, so I want to avoid very long drives.

If we do decide to go to Gokarna instead of Goa:

-How long of a taxi drive is it from Hubli to Gokarna?
We don't want to take the bus, so we would rent a taxi from Hubli (and take the train from Hampi) or possibly rent a taxi directly from Hospet. How much do you think that would be?

-How long does it take to get from Gokarna to Goa Airport?

Thanks!

Gokarna is the new Goa.

Gokarna to goa airport should take around 3 hours.

Gokarna is heaven! heaps of families bring their kids, i stayed 2 months last year and am staying 3 months this year! Highly reccommend not staying in Kudle or om beach, town beach is lovely, you just have to get past the fishing village and its pristine beach, lots of nice restaurants and easy access to the village(really lovely people) the veg thali at amith gardens is the cleanest tastiest and best value food I've eaten...ever.

Word

I am thinking of the same thing in Dec from 21-26.

Can you recommend a place in Town Beach is it? Also any contact info would be great.

Cheers

Nattusbs

i stayed at shiva ganga guest house last year and it was great, it is maybe 30 minutes walk north of the main village. as you walk up the beach there is guest house after guest house. sunset is nice, great restaurant, internet and nice people. in xmas week it gets pretty busy, but you will find something, and its all pretty basic accomodation. cheap and best
if you see an aussie wandering around with a moustache and a guitar...that'll be me, come say hi.

Which is the major airport or rail station to Gorkarna?

I will be coming from Ujjain and presently have train reservation from there to Mumbai (Dec 20th night train) and then to Goa (Dec 21st night train). I can pre-pone the whole trip by a few days depending on train reservation availability.

I could do:

Ujjain-Gokarna-Goa (the first part through Pune?)

Ujjain-Mumbai-Gokarna-Goa

I have a flight booked from Goa-Hyderabad for Dec 24th.

Cheers

Nattusbs

The nearest airport is at Dabolim in Goa.

Konkan railway passes through Gokarna. Kumta(35km)and Ankola(20 km)are the nearest major railway stations. Matsyagandha express(Mangalore-Mumbai via Madgaon) has a stopover at Gokarna station. Train station is about 8 kilometers away from gokarna town.

@word where is town beach? Are you referring to the main gokarna beach opposite the temple?. I loved half moon and paradise beaches(and a couple of others, don't remember the names), though i stayed at kudle beach.

@prince 09, yes i mean main gokarna beach, the lonely planet gives it hardly a mention, i suspect they didn't get past the fishing village when they described it as dirty and unsuitable for swimming. that beach runs 8 or more kms north.

I liked visiting the other beaches (walked to paradise beach a few times and caught a boat back to town in the afternoon) but they seemed really removed from India, like a resort kind of vibe. Maybe that'd be good for only a few days, or if you were mainly interested in charas.

nattsubs, my recommendation would be, when you arrive in gokarna, take a rickshaw to amith garden, the drivers will know it, stay there if you like(highly suggest trying the food), or walk north away from town and find a room at one of the other guest houses on the beach. the further you go, the cleaner the beach.

Sophfel, there were a lot of families with kids staying at bagwhan cafe and at sunset. the local drivers will know both of these places well. both have good food.

Thanks prince09 & Word.

My problem is that I am a stickler for "advanced reservation" - at my age, I am more comfortable knowing where I would be staying ahead of time - hence the request for recommendations & contact info.

Even if it is only for the 1st night, that is fine, since it will give me some time to get my bearings to look for alternatives in case the 1st one is not up to the mark.

Cheers

Nattusbs

i'll be in gokarna from 1st november to the end of january. I'll try to get some contact numbers for you nattsubs. Rooms with TV's and Aircon are rare in Gokarna and not in very nice locations, but if you are happy with simple, there is plenty of places. let me know what kind of room you need and I'll do my best to get you some contacts when i arrive.

You dont need aircon in Gokarna at xmas time. the weather is just right!

Thanks Word, that would be great.

Once you have 10 posts & meet other IM requirements we can PM each other.

Cheers

nattusbs

gokarna was nice and cool in July when i was there. perhaps due to the rain but i would imagine December being way cooler.

3 months in gokarna... that would be a treat. I didnt feel like leaving after 3 days, Word, how are you able to leave at the end?

We trekked over the mountains and rocks between OM, half moon and paradise in the rain in rubber slippers and shorts while we were there. Foolish and very dangerous but the view from the beaches was fun. No guest houses or shacks were open past om beach. Not a single soul in sight. paradise looked like an abandoned paradise...

there is an other IM member from chennai that spends quiet a bit of time in gokarna every year in a bid to stay away from monsoons in chennai. when will i ever be able to just get away

haha jag the only way i managed to leave gokarna was to promise myself that i'd return! only a week until i'm on my way back.

Hello,

I have some time to spend at the beach in end December.
I plan to stay in Hampi until Dec. 26 or 28 and then to fly back to Delhi on Dec. 31st.
I have train reservations for Hampi to Goa for Dec. 26 and Dec. 28 however I am still in doubt wether Gokarna would be a nicer place for us.
What do you think?

Is it worth the extra hassle of going there?
My kids are 1 and 2 1/2 years old by the way.

Thanks!

I would say it isn,t worth the hassle for a few days, i have been to Gokarna and liked it but not any more than i like south Goa. with the kids i would head to south Goa as i also will be doing with my little kids.