I am going to hampi too

ladyvetphd

I am planning a short trip to hampi next week too. Am planning to go by the Chalukya express to Hubli and then take the train to Hospet. Let's see what kind of accodmodation I get there. Have heard so much about the ruins, and can't wait to see them.

ladyvetphd

oops! I posted this as anew thread, I wanted to post the msg on the Hampi thread that is currently running!

dan37_123

we stayed in padma guest house, try to get the room upstairs, the view are wonderful.

dan

indiamike

I am not sure which thread it was to merge with but I was in Hampi about a week and a half ago and suggest avoiding it for at least another month or so. Right now is the super peak season and as my hotel manager said "we have to make all of our money in these two months for the whole year". Most places we looked at were way overpriced since many guesthouses were totally full with the influx of people coming over from Goa. I ended up paying 400 rupees for a room that should have been no more than 150 but there was not available. Nice rooms with hot shower were going for 750+.

I would wait a few weeks before going over until it slows down a bit.

ladyvetphd

Indiamike

Thanks for that info. I was trying to get the republic day weekend. Looks like it will be even more crowded, as u seem to suggest, maybe better to wait. After march tho' it will get hot to walk through the ruins!

aadil

Hi ladyvetphd,

I stayed at Padma's Guesthouse too!!! It was a nice inexpensive (Rs250 for a double room) experience and the lady of the house (Ms. Padma) was really helpful and nice. Hampi was a great experience for me and I would love to visit again as the four days that I spent there were not enough to see everything there and I will surely be back for more pretty soon!!!

Check out this thread for more details by lonelyaztec on Hampi and my response too:

Hampi

Another wonderful thread by beach and the link is given here:

Hampi: Everything you want to know.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Aadil.

P.S.: Are you attending the third IM meeting in Mumbai on Saturday 11th February at 7 p.m. at the Tea Centre, Churchgate? Hope you can make it this time.

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ladyvetphd

Hi Aadil

thanks for the info. yes I will check it out.
AS for the mumbai meet, I hope I can make it, but am getting my new flat, so am kind of busy with that You seem to be doing a lot of traveling yourself that's wonderful.

There was a thread running here about what would one do if one had the money! Travel luxuriously I guess would be my answer So what varieties of tea do they serve at the Tea Center? Any ideas

best wishes to you and all the Mumbai Imikers.

ro-anD

hmmm..Have my train tickets and padma Lodge booked for next week. Going by the price you paid Aadil, seems like I'm being had. Rs 800/-for a room.
Seriously having second thoughts after reading Mike's post on how crowded it is
Shall I go? Been in bangalore 7 years and still not been to Hampi.

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The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." ~Daniel J. Boorstin

aadil

Hi there,

Well, I still hope you can make it there to the Tea Center and sample some of the teas there. I am sure you will love it there just for the tea if not for the IM meeting!!! They have the three main varieties of tea that is Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri with all the different types in each variety like the First Flush, Second Flush, Fine Tipped Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, Fine Tipped Golden Broken Orange Pekoe, etc. So does that make sense to you or is it all Greek and Latin to you? I am sure you will enjoy the tea here anyway, forget the name and just have what I say!!! Then there are different types of other teas as well like the Kashmiri Kahwa, ginger tea, cinnamon tea, peach and lime iced tea, and plain old nukkad chai!!! So come there and take your pick fresh from the gardens of the tea estates. I am sure you will enjoy the experience. About the travelling I have not done much in the past few months except for the two trips within India that I made last year with a couple of friends from Iran and Spain, both were really beautiful experiences, well worth the time and money spent which was hardly anything as I was staying in almost all the cheapest places and travelling by the cheapest mode of transport all the time except for a small segment which we did by hired car. If I had all the money in the world then I would not travel luxuriously but rather try to see as many places as far as possible that I would not be able to see if I did not have the money!!! Luxury is a secondary option or maybe not an option at all for me as I don't mind roughing it out as long as I get to see the different places all over the world and get to meet different people from different cultures and share their travel stories as well as experiences in life. Money for me does not really matter a lot as I can do a lot of things even without much money!!! Hope you can make it for the meeting now that I have given you a brief idea of how many different types of tea you can have out there at the Tea Centre!!! And best wishes for your new house too.

Cheers,
Aadil.

aadil

Yes, you are being had!!! HAHAHA!!! But I guess that is the only time they make money out there in two months I was told so that's why the prices are so high!!! I paid only Rs90 for the rickshaw to take us around all the monuments on one day from morning to afternoon for which bargaining started from Rs300!!! But then that was the lean season in June when it is pretty hot and not too many tourists are around in Hampi. If you want a cheaper option then stay in Hospet and travel every day to Hampi as that may be cheaper. Or else I would suggest going a bit later on in April or May when it starts to get a bit hotter for the tourists to bring down the prices. I went in June and it was not all that bad!!! Not bad for the prices I paid either!!! Hope you enjoy your trip whenever you make it to Hampi!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

che castro

I was in Hampi last week and I stayed on the north side of the river. It is a bit of a pain to have to catch the boat across every time (especially when there was a festival on one day and there were about 200 people and you had to wait 2hours to cross about 30m of river!). It was the Hema hostel where you can rent a hut with shared bath or a self contained bungalow w/attached bath. Cost 150rs for two beds in one hut shared bath. This hostel it had one of the nicest views from its restaurant overlooking the banana trees and hampi bazaar in the distance. A lot of the hostels on the north side show DVD movies at night. There seemed to be a lot of Israelis at that hostel (it is run by an Israeli man and his Indian wife) as well as in Hampi generally. I had a good time at this place, staff were nice and it was clean and organised.

davyd

Yes, everything in Hampi was the way overpriced but local people and tourists were very friendly and easy going. If not to take too close to heart Hampi prices especially during Shankranti Hampi is the wonderful magic place with beautiful friendly people. Foreign tourists are very easy to talk with in Varkala and Mamallapuram also but not in Goa. About locals in Hampi - I can compare Hampi only with Coorg (Kodagu) and tibetans in Bylakuppe.

Aparajith

Hi,
I would be travelling to Hampi by March end (Ugadi weekend 4 days). Should I book some guest house (say Padma Guesthouse) or just land up there (Hampi) and try to find a place to stay ?

I will be travelling alone ( so it is single occupancy). Please let me know if I need to call in advance and block a booking. I do not want to stay in Hospet (not sure of Bhuvaneswari in Kamalpura, Hampi - would it be too pricy ?)

Also if you guys have any guest house and thier phone numbers that you would recommend apart from the one in the Hotel listing section of Hampi in the IM.

By the if any IMer would be around let me know (BTW my main plan is photography and my "normal" friends get really impatient when travelling with me as I spenda lot of time in one place to get a nice shot ).
Cheers,
Aparajith

aadil

The Padma Guest House is the best one in Hampi near the Bazaar area opposite the bus stand and it would be best to book it before you go there as it may not be available if full so wait till you can get a booking and then go. Or else you can book the cheapest rooms at the Mayura Bhuvaneshwari at Kamalapura for about Rs400 or so, although it will be a bit out of the way and nothing else nearby open at night but it is a nice place too if you want some peace and quiet!!! Stay for a minimum of two to three days if you want to get some nice pictures. Hire a rickshaw for the first day and see all the sites in brief with the next two days with a hired cycle or just walk as I did a couple of days!!! It is not so difficult or long to get around even on foot from the Vitthala Temple to the Bazaar area by the river bank route but only do it in the daytime and not in the evening as it could be risky then. Great place to be in and enjoy all the beautiful views from all over the hills as well as temples, I am sure you will get some lovely pictures to show us all on your return from there.

Cheers,
Aadil.

TimMakins

An alternative (my preferred one) is to stay in Hospet, where there are a nice range of hotels, and get the bus in and out of Hampi as and when you wish. There are plenty.

Tim in Ireland.

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