[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by rajatmakar

Sightseeing - A little off-beat one, which I liked a lot. Boating on a row boat in the mangrove was awesome.
Pichavaram Mangrove Forest: Located 85 Kms from Pondicherry (Pondy-Cuddalore-Chidambaram-Pichavaram)

Heard that it was a very lonely place & not suitable to go with family. Has anything changed since ? Seemed like a nice place to go to.

[rajatmakar]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Heard that it was a very lonely place & not suitable to go with family. Has anything changed since ? Seemed like a nice place to go to.

I went in Nov 2006 with wife and parents. Left Pondy around 9 am and came back by 3 pm. Once we deviated from the SH, the roads were a bit interior and ran through small fishing villages. But never felt any risk of any kind.

There were hardly any tourists. But the boatmen were friendly and took us for an hour's sail through the mangrove islands on a very cloudyand windy day. I have never seen the mangroves of sunderban. So, cannot compare but this was really a great adventure.

There is also a very small canteen which serves tea and basic south indian food.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by rajatmakar

Good Non veg restuarent - What else but "The Rendezvous" (Rendezvous - Cafe Restaurant)

sheesh !! please don't kill that place by saying it serves non-veg food and calling it a non-veggie restaurant . What on sweet earth has happened to your taste buds ?
Sounds like you ain't a foodie .

[GenuineOptimist]

I'm not going on the long weekend. We are traveling on 7, 8, 9 August. I heard the weather is just fine and doesn't rain badly.

Thanks to everybody for all the suggestions. I called-up St. James and they refused to take bookings because all the rooms are available.. I'm going to ask for discount now.

I've a question on the Chunnambar beach.. How many hours do we need to plan for this and at what time of the day? We are just me and wife with no children, if this helps.

I'm calling up Matrimandir to book. So far here is the plan -> To visit Auroville/Matrimandir, Chunnambar, Pichavaram boating and if possible hit Gingee fort & Mahabalipuram. Are these places enough to fill 3 days?

[rajatmakar]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

sheesh !! please don't kill that place by saying it serves non-veg food and calling it a non-veggie restaurant . What on sweet earth has happened to your taste buds ?
Sounds like you ain't a foodie .

Didn't understand your post really. I remember it as a good restaurant to go with family. Also food was pretty decent (sizzlers etc.) But this was back in 2006. Has things changed now ?

[n_aditya]

Hotel Surguru is also a nice place. The resto serves good food and the rooms are very comfy too.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by GenuineOptimist

I'm calling up Matrimandir to book. So far here is the plan -> To visit Auroville/Matrimandir, Chunnambar, Pichavaram boating and if possible hit Gingee fort & Mahabalipuram. Are these places enough to fill 3 days?

Gingee fort is on a totally different route. It would make sense to club Gingee with tiruvanamalai. I would suggest stick to ECR itself. You can definitely add Mahabs in the itinery.

[GenuineOptimist]

I'm going from Bangalore.

So Gingee fort is on the way. How laborious is the climb to the fort, does anyone know? How many steps are there?

Can I visit Pichavaram Mangrove forests in the late afternoon? Is the boating there safe enough?

I'm thinking of visiting Gingee and Pichavaram enroute to Pondi. There appears to be two alternatives..
a) Bangalore-Tiruvannamalai-Tirukoyilur-Panruti-Chidambaram-Pichavaram-Pondichery.
Or
b) Bangalore-Tiruvannamalai-Gingee-Vilupuram-Panruti-Chidambaram-Pichavaram-Pondichery.
Any idea of the road conditions to pichavaram through these alternate routes.. which one is recommended?
Or
c) Or should I chuck both the above and just visit Pondi, set up a base and visit Pichavaram as a day trip? In case (c) I've to travel back and forth and this doubles the driving effort isn't it?

[rajatmakar]

Originally Posted by GenuineOptimist

So Gingee fort is on the way. How laborious is the climb to the fort, does anyone know? How many steps are there?

Can I visit Pichavaram Mangrove forests in the late afternoon? Is the boating there safe enough?

I'm thinking of visiting Gingee and Pichavaram enroute to Pondi. There appears to be two alternatives..

I climbed the fort which comels on LHS while returning to B'lore from Pondy. The climb is not very tedious. The experience and view from top is definitely worth the effort.

As said before, better to do this in the first half of the day. Infact, I would suggest Option "C" and starting from Pondy after an early breakfast.

[esteem_lover]

Chunambar is 2-3 kms from pondy on the cuddalore road. Plan for a 3-6 pm visit there. The boats that ferry you there stop service by 6.00 pm. If you are keen, try booking a tree house there & stay the night. I have never tried that, so cannot say anything about it.
cheers

[abs182]

Need help is locating a good hotel with good food for 4 nights in Pondicherry in Feb 2022.
We're a couple with two under 10 kids. Idea is to enjoy the city/relax and enjoy the food.
Restaurant recommendations would also be highly appreciated.

Want to be around the promenade so that the kids can enjoy thoroughly.

Thanks in advance!

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by abs182

Need help is locating a good hotel with good food for 4 nights in Pondicherry in Feb 2022.
We're a couple with two under 10 kids. Idea is to enjoy the city/relax and enjoy the food.
Restaurant recommendations would also be highly appreciated.

Want to be around the promenade so that the kids can enjoy thoroughly.

Thanks in advance!

Please check the https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...e-queries.html (Bangalore - Pondicherry : Route Queries) thread.

This is more recent and has discussions on the restaurants and hotels as well.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post5149317 (Bangalore - Pondicherry : Route Queries)