hi there, just saw your post and thought i'd drop you a line. hampi is a great trip from goa, about 8hrs on train and then stay in hospet (about 10k away ,i think or hampi itself. you have to go according to the train timetables, which limits you to 3 nights if i'm correct, you can do an organized trip from goa or sort it yourself. a guide for a day is a good idea as you don't really have time to explore the whole site. we spent a week in gokarn last year, you can taxi for about £25 (3-4hrs) or catch a local train £1ish (same time) but much more fun!! hotel gorkarna is where most stay it's a bit shanty but even the best rooms are only £8 per night. theres not really much to do in gokarn, but it's a lovely place to explore in my opinion. feel free to post again or pm me. the rough guide to goa is worth getting hold of as it covers both places.
hope this helps. tony p

Thanks for the info I'll be doing some research and then an executive decision will be made ie my wife will decide which she would prefer!
Neil

Netleyneil the rough guide has a cracking piece about Gokarn in it and it really fired me up. Haven't done it yet (probably never will if its left to OH who just likes lazing on the beach ) Did make enquiries and for a taxi to take us and the driver to stay with us for 2 nights (we pay for his accommodation of course) we were quoted around £100 2 years ago which I felt was a bargain
hope thats useful Lyn x.

Thanks Lyn
Still undecided as to where to go. We went to Kovalam this year and to be honest I'd had enough of the beach after a couple of weeks and our friends weren't that keen on a trip so it was back to the books. We spent a couple of months travelling many moons ago but now can only get weeks at a time but we miss seeing more of the place.
Been to Goa many times since and do love it but we fancy a few days "travelling" and a train journey would be great. I think I'm more drawn to Hampi as it seems to be a bit more busy and I like the hustle and bustle of life in India so don't know if Gokarn(a) would be a little too quiet.
Our guide books are well out of date so I think a trip to the bookshop is in order.
Cheers
Neil

Karwar is just over the border from Goa and about 60kms nearer than Gokarn. It has a station and a huge market, unfortunatley I cant remember which day it's on as we got off the train in the evening when we were on route from Mangalore to Devbagh Isleand and the taxi drove through this enourmous market Devbagh Isleand might also be worth considering if you are down that way, it's Goverment run and great fot a chill out couple of days Alan

Spent nearly 4 months in India between Nov and March 07, and had stayed in every type of accomodation available.I'm not fussy,I'll sleep anywhere and don't mind paying 100 ruppees per night and not complain.I loved every part of India apart from Gokarna and can't really put my finger on it. It could be the fact that we loved Palolem so much that nothing compared to it and Gokarna was the first place after Palolem.We stayed at Hotel Namaste where you could see the white sewrage pipe from the hotel enter the sea.Perhaps it was my inquisitive nature of trying to find out what happened to the toilet paper after you had put it through the chiseled out hole in the wall in the communal toilets-the answer was that the toilet paper just remained there in a heap against the wall for at least 4 months by the size of the mountain of discarded toilet paper behind the wall.We felt uneasy there.Perhaps it was the signs that warned you not to walk in certain areas after dark for fear of being attacked.I talked to many people after who enjoyed Gokarna but the 8 of us could not wait to get out of there.It became a running joke there that when we ordered alcohol,the waiters would say yes but it will take 20 mins.It was as if they had to go and fetch it from some central place.We were there in Dec during the full moon,hardly any other people there and there's hardly any lights there-so take a torch .Theres other compound like accomodation to stay there.
On a lighter note Hampi was fantastic!!4 hours by bus to Hubli and then 4 hours by train to Hospet and then taxi to Hampi.We stayed for 2 nights on the temple side of the river and then 2 nights on the other side(100 rupees)-more relaxed there.There was a festival on ,when we there and the place was packed-everybody slept in the temple.We had a guide around the town itself and also had indian culinary lessons from the guides wife.Also cycled around the other palaces and temples and cycled and then climbed up to where Hanuman was apparently born.The scenery is fantastic.From there we went to Bangalore-mysore -Vakkala- Fort cochin- allepusah-Mangalore_palolem-Calangute-Arambol-Mumbai.Everywhere else was fantastic!!!!!!
Hope I haven't put you off!as I said the many people who had been there I talked to later enjoyed the place