4 Rue Bussy Lal Bahadur Sastry Street Palais De Mahe #, Pondicherry, India | (618) 248-8274
Excellent central Pondicherry location, a block from the Promenade
Large, elegant rooms with carved wooden furniture and air-conditioning
Lovely courtyard lap pool with a few lounge chairs
Mahe de Malabar restaurant serves international and Indian offerings
Ayurvedic massages offered in massage room
Internet station plus cabinet full of books for guests to borrow
Free loaner bikes available from the front desk
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Swimming pool is smallish
Palais de Mahe is an elegant three-and-a-half-pearl boutique property housed in a gorgeous old mansion in the heart of Pondicherry's charming French Quarter. The 18 rooms here are large, elegant, and air-conditioned, and all have classic wood furniture -- some even have four-poster beds. Amenities are few, but decent for a smaller hotel, and include a beautiful courtyard swimming pool, a restaurant with excellent Indian and international cuisine, and free hotel-wide Wi-Fi. Ayurvedic massages and treatments and free bikes to borrow are also available. Overall, it's a great choice for couples looking for a reasonably priced boutique stay in the heart of the city, but travelers with kids and those wanting direct beach access might find Le Pondy -- a 15-minute drive south of town -- a more suitable option.
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Scene
Elegant boutique hotel in a gorgeous, three-story French mansion
Housed in a historic French mansion, Palais de Mahe is a lovely, intimate boutique hotel catering primarily to leisure travelers, mainly couples. From the outside, this elegant property fits in beautifully with its French Quarter surroundings, with egg yolk-yellow exteriors, white trim, and oak balconies and doors. Inside, the lobby is equally charming, with gray-and-white checkerboard marble floors, dark-wood furniture with soft mustard-hued upholstery, and high-arched ceilings. An elevator leads up to the rooms on the middle and top floors, all of which are accessed via semi-open hallways that look down on the snug courtyard pool.
Location
Central Pondicherry location, walking distance from Aurobindo Ashram and a block from the Promenade
Palais de Mahe is located right in the heart of Pondicherry's charming French Quarter, a block away from the lovely seafront promenade, and a 15-minute walk from the Aurobindo Ashram. Getting to the main long-distance bus station takes about the same amount of time on foot (or about five minutes by car or auto-rickshaw). Auroville, an international experimental community and major tourist attraction, takes 35 minutes to reach by car. It's just under a two-hour drive to reach the ancient sea-facing temple ruins at Mahabalipuram. It's about a three-hour drive to the state capital of Chennai (formerly Madras) where the closest major airport is located. The local Pondicherry Airport, which -- at the time of research -- only had one commercial flight service (to/from Hyderabad), is a 20-minute drive away.
Rooms
Large, elegant rooms with classic wood decor and modern amenities
The 18 air-conditioned rooms here are elegant and spacious, with classic vintage decor including intricately carved wooden desks, wardrobes, and bed frames (some four-poster style), polished stone floors, and high ceilings, plus separate living areas with similar decor. Modern amenities include safes, wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, minibars, and kettles. Bathrooms are also large and classic, with deep marble-framed soaking tubs, wooden towel racks, and large walk-in showers. Robes and toiletries are provided.
Features
Restaurant with Indian and continental fare, massage room, free bikes to borrow, and a large book exchange
This small hotel doesn't have a ton of features, though there is a lovely -- if smallish -- lap pool in the courtyard. There's also an on-site massage room with a wooden massage table for Ayurvedic massages and treatments. There's no gym, but free loaner bikes are available. Mahe de Malabar offers both Indian and continental cuisine, including an la carte breakfast service in the mornings and sandwiches, curries, meats, and seafoods for lunch and dinner. Other features include free Wi-Fi, along with a small business center (really just a computer and a cabinet full of books for guests to borrow).
