My husband and I will be spending approx. 2 weeks in south india dec/jan. Any suggestions on good itineraries that start in Bangalore? (we are flying from Delhi to Bangalore and spending a couple days with friends) We are interested in some birding and a houseboat tour - otherwise open to suggestions and recommendations. Info on best ways to travel between spots greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

I've been in the area last January. Bangalore is not really much in itself, but offers wonderful possibilities as a starting point for a circuit of a few days. Read up a little bit on the following:
travel by car to Mysore and visit Somnathpur on the way; after Mysore to Hasan where there is a lovely hotel as your basis to visit Halebid and Belur. And then back to Bangalore via Srivanabelagola. This is a very diverse trip, with lots of beautiful sights, culturally and in terms of village life and scenary.
If you have more time to spend, you can also travel North from Bangalore to Hampi, where you can visit the sites in 2-3 days.
A further alternative is to travel on from Bangalore by plane to Chennai/Madras. Forget this metropolis as such and head straight to the ---puram cities, full of wonderful temples. There are nice hotels at the seaside as well.
Just read up a bit about all this and pick your choice. I don't know whether you have already travelled in India before, but just count with the fact that by car you make an average of 30 km ph.
Houseboats? Try the backwaters in Kerala, South of Kochi/Cochin. You'll love it.

If you do decide to go towards Chennai, also try to go to Pondicherry and Auroville. Great beaches and a completly different lifestyle than the rest of India. The backwaters in Kerala are brilliant and if you can splurge, check out some of the house boat options offered by the Taj.
Like previous poster mentioned, there really isnt that much in Bangalore, a lot of pubs and traffic!! Also look into Coorg which is a hill station famous for its scenery and coffee.

thanks for the input on Bangalore - we are staying there specifically to visit with friends and plan to do some side trips to Mysore and Hampi. We are considering flying from Banglore to Trivandram then working our way up to Munnar, Kumarakom Lake Resort, and Cochin for the remainder of the trip. Any thoughts on this coastal itinerary would be great. Thanks again!

Well, as I said before, you will enjoy the backwaters just South of Cochin. I do not really agree on Pondicherry, which I find as a city rather disappointing. There isn't much left of this so-called French flavour which you should find there according to ads etc. The temple area around Mahabalipuram etc is by far more interesting, and so are Trichy and Madurai. If you are looking to travel by car from Madurai to the Kerala coast and the backwaters, Periyar (bird watching and tea plantation area, very lush) are a nice halfway stop, with a nice lodge.