Stay and Food at Hampi

Why am I writing about Stay and Food at Hampi? Well… I have been visiting Hampi almost from my school days, but I really don’t have very good memories of accommodation/food near Hampi. Well this has come a long way now, in providing moderate to excellent accommodation to travelers. Hotel Malligi @ Hospet used to be always the first and last choice, during my earlier trips after schooldays, but I started experimenting with good number of home stays which have spurred up behind village panchayat office. These home stays offer decent and economical accommodation for a travel freak!

Stay:
Having experienced home stay during my last visit, this time we decided to stick with it and we were quite satisfied after our stay. Our stay was at Santosh Guest house, run by Mr Jeevan which is right behind the government school. A few telephone conversations ensured that the room was available during peak X’mas holiday season. Recommended by “Lovely Planet”  as the visiting card says, Santosh Guest house provides basic accommodation with amenities with the cost ranging from 500 to 600 Rs. There is also well furnished and quite decent A/C accommodation as well.
Contact Numbers for reaching Mr. Jeevan @Santosh Guest House: 08394 241460/325956



Food:
Mango Groove is one of the good choices, but I guess it’s not the same place, as it was 5 years ago. It is a much crowded place and it’s quite difficult to enjoy a peaceful lunch on the banks of Tungabhadra. But it’s a place to watch out for! There are quite a few “Lonely planet” recommended places on the main bazaar street of Hampi opposite Virupaksha temple.
Roof Top Restaurant above Santosh Guest House
I must admit that the root top restaurant above the guest house was really the find of the trip. This gang of butlers from Himachal were serving drooling multi cuisine vegetarian delicacies day after day. Located on the terrace of the home stay, this place is neat and ambience is quite nice. Even though they take a while to serve the food, but I guess the taste of the food is worth the wait. During dinner, the decorative lights add more to the ambience.