Me and wifey hadn't gone on a long drive for almost a month. One or the other task always played spoilsport and ruined our weekend plans. I always had a preference for a 3-day trip, where as wifey preferred a 2-day weekend trip always. As always, I had to compromise and we decided on a 2-day trip. We shortlisted a few places for the weekend trip:
- Mysore
- Wayanad
- Coorg
- Ooty
- Bandipur
- Masinagudi
- Pondicherry
- Chikmagalur
Finally both of us decided to go and visit Mysore since the other places mentioned above requires at least a minimum of three days to enjoy the nature in its full glory. Wifey agreed on Mysore since it can be easily reached within three hours and since Dussehra is nearing, lighting arrangements would have begun already.
Route options Route 1: Bangalore - Bidadi - Ramanagara - Channapatna - Maddur - Mandya - Srirangapatna - Mysore (Approximate 165 kms)
Route 2: Bangalore - Kanakapura - Malavalli - Bannur - Mysore (Approximate 175 kms)
Route 3: Bangalore - Nelamangala - Kunigal - Nelligere - Melukote - Pandavapura - Srirangapatna - Mysore (Approximate 190 kms)
Forward journey: Started Saturday morning: 10:00 AM. Reached 1:30 PM. Kanakapura Road.
Return journey: Started Sunday evening 7 PM. Reached home 11 PM.
My Ritz VXI returned an impressive mileage of 16.35 KMPL, a decent number for a petrol engine.
Luckily for me, wifey doesn't get much into all the route details and planning stuff. I wanted to explore as many routes as possible, and hence chose Route2 for the forward journey via Kanakapura. While returning, we came via Route1. Of these two routes, I found Route1, the Bangalore-Mysore highway the best. The roads are in excellent condition and one can easily travel at a consistent speed of 80-100 KMPH.
The initial plan was to get up on Saturday morning at 6AM and start by 7AM sharp. But as always, we got up after 8AM and finally started at about 10AM. We took the outer ring road from Hebbal toward Rajarajeshwari Nagar, and then joined the Kanakapura road via the expressway. It took us almost an hour to reach the Kanakapura road near Art of Living from Hebbal. The traffic was at its peak. From Art of Living center, it was a smooth drive. The road is in excellent condition up to Malavalli. One has to go through Malavalli city to reach Bannur, and the road is average. The road from Bannur to Mysore is not so wide and one has to be alert since there are a lot of lorries and tractors on this route.
Hotel details:
We stayed at "Ruchi the Prince" for just a night. I shortlisted a few decent accommodation options, but in the end decided to go for "Ruchi the prince". It is a simple no-frills hotel, and the amenities are good enough. I booked a non-AC room since the weather is Mysore is pleasant, and the damage on the pocket was around 1800 bucks including tax and other charges. We used room-service for our lunch, dinner, beverages, and breakfast. The room service charges came to 2000 bucks. It's a good value for money hotel. The hotel has decent garden area, which is really well maintained. We even saw some swans and turkeys in the garden area roaming around freely. Tables are arranged on the lawn for lunch and dinner, and they even arrange for candle-light dinners.
I had initially planned for Ginger Hotel, but then saw some negative reviews about the small room space. I would recommend "Ruchi the Prince" to anyone going to Mysore in the future, and looking for a decent accommodation. The locality is good, and the hotel is hygienic.
PS: Don't miss to order Idli and Vada for breakfast. It's absolutely delicious.
Check out the snaps of the birds maintained in the hotel garden:
![Weekend Getaway: Mysore-ruchi_2.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/1148105d1691641857t-weekend-getaway-mysore-ruchi_2.jpg)