Where to Stay in Honnavar: Areas, Types of Stay and What to Check

The four areas

Almost every place to stay in Honnavar falls into one of these.

• Riverside, around Tari-Bagel: the old ferry quarter on the Sharavathi. You are within walking distance of the backwater view points and the boat jetties, and a few minutes from the bus stand. Best if boating is the reason you are coming.
• Town centre and the highway: lodges and small hotels near the bus stand and NH-66. Convenient for a one-night stop, with less character and more traffic noise.
• Beach side, around Kasarkod and Apsarakonda: south of the river, close to the Eco Beach. Quiet and green, but you will need a vehicle for the backwaters and for dinner.
• Plantation and farm stays inland: cottages among areca and coconut a few kilometres from town. Peaceful, usually vegetarian, and best if you have your own car.

Homestay, lodge or resort

A homestay in Honnavar generally means a few rooms in or beside a family house, with food cooked by the family and a host who arranges boats and transport. Prices typically run from about ₹1,200 to ₹3,500 a night depending on air-conditioning and room size. Lodges in town are cheaper and simpler. Riverfront and beach properties that market themselves as resorts cost considerably more.

For most visitors a homestay near the river gives the best balance, because the things people come to Honnavar for, the backwaters, the beach and the day trips, are all arranged by the host.

What to ask before you book

A short message on WhatsApp will tell you most of what you need to know.

• Is the room air-conditioned, and is the bathroom attached with hot water?
• How far is the boat jetty, and can you book the boat for me at the government rate of ₹1,500 an hour?
• Are meals available, and can you cook fish or only vegetarian?
• Is there parking, and do you pick up from the station or bus stand?
• Is the price for the room or per person, and what is the check-in time?

Checks that matter more than the photos

A homestay's photos will not tell you who answers when you message, or whether the place is still run the way its page describes. A few questions catch most of this in one WhatsApp message.

• Who replies to your message? At De antique Pauli's, the number you message is the family that has lived in the house since 1960, so a question about a room, a meal or a boat is answered by the person who will meet you at the door, not a booking agent.
• How many Google reviews does the listing have, and how recent is the newest one? Search the business name on Google Maps itself rather than trusting a screenshot on a website. Ours is rated 4.9 on Google.
• If boating is part of the trip, is it run by the homestay or arranged through someone else? Ours leaves from the boarding point on the family's site, about 100 metres from the rooms, at the government-fixed rate of ₹1,500 for a private boat for an hour.
• Is the quoted price for the room or per person, and does it include breakfast? Ask before you pay anything.

How far the riverside puts you from everything

Our homestay is on the riverside in Tari-Bagel. Here is what that means in real, door-to-door distances, so you can weigh it against a beach-side or a plantation stay:

• Sharavathi backwater view points: at the doorstep, about 2 minutes on foot.
• The backwater boat jetty: about 100 metres, a two-minute walk.
• Kasarkod Eco Beach and the Kandla mangrove boardwalk: 4 km, about 12 minutes by road.
• Apsarakonda Falls: 7 km, about 20 minutes.
• Murudeshwar: 28 km, about 40 minutes on NH-66.
• Mirjan Fort, near Kumta: 31 km, about 45 minutes.
• Gokarna: 55 km, about 90 minutes.
• Jog Falls: 60 km, about 105 minutes.

What that means when you compare areas

A beach-side stay near Kasarkod trims a few minutes off the walk to the sand, but adds ten to fifteen minutes to reach the boat jetty and the backwaters. A plantation stay further inland is a longer drive from everything on this list, and suits guests who have their own car and want quiet more than convenience. The town centre near the bus stand sits roughly in between: closer to the highway, a short auto ride from the river.

Across most of Honnavar the gap between areas is a matter of minutes, not hours, because the town itself is small. That is why most visitors choose on the basis of what a place offers, boating at the door, a heritage house, a river view, a beach, rather than worrying that one area will cost them half a day. Pick the area that matches what you came for, and the extra ten minutes either way will not change the trip.

Getting to each area, and around once you are there

Wherever you end up staying, check how far it leaves you from the town's transport hub. The riverside at Tari-Bagel is about fifteen minutes from Honnavar railway station and a few minutes by auto from the bus stand, with pick-up arranged on request. The beach side and the plantation stays sit further from this hub, so ask your host directly whether pick-up is included or whether you will need your own transport for the last stretch.

Once you have picked an area, the day trips are a separate question. At De antique Pauli's, car, auto and bike hire is arranged for guests heading to Murudeshwar, Gokarna or Jog Falls on their own schedule, alongside the boat rides that leave from the family's own jetty. Guests who do drive themselves have parking at the homestay for both cars and bikes. A plantation stay further inland usually expects you to have your own car, since hosts away from town arrange transport less often.

How to reach Honnavar

Where De antique Pauli's fits

Our house is in Tari-Bagel on the riverside. It was built in 1960 of red laterite with arched windows and a tiled roof, and the D'souza family still lives around it. There are AC and non-AC rooms with attached bathrooms from ₹1,500 a night, a family room for four to six, and home-cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

The same family runs the backwater boats, so the jetty is a short walk and sunrise and sunset rides are arranged from the house. We also arrange cars, autos and bikes for the places around Honnavar. If that is the kind of stay you are after, have a look at the rooms. If you want a pool or a beach at the door, one of the other areas above will suit you better.

Honnavar homestay Homestay in Honnavar Rooms in Honnavar Honnavar homestay with boating About the house and family Honnavar as a base near Gokarna Family and group stays Best homestay in Honnavar, compared honestly Honnavar 2 day itinerary Photos of the house and rooms