[bonobashi]

Originally Posted by RuffRyder

if you drive a futher beyond Pondy the beaches get better..
as esteem_lover pointed out St. James Court is my fav place to stay in Pondy which also gets you a private beach (well almost) and if money is no problem you could even try the Grand MGM in Mahabs, which is a wonderful place but heavy on the pockets..

My tuppence, for what it's worth.

Just south of Pondicherry, IIRC, barely within the administrative limits, there's a lovely resort hotel with a great beach and excellent facilities. The food was not a major criterion at the time - I was running away from everyone and just wanted to be alone - but it was good, from whatever I recall (went there in December 2005).

I'll try and dig it out for you in the next couple of days. This was the only resort south of Pondicherry that I tracked down; there are a number, including St. James, to the immediate north, opposite Auroville.

You could of course drive down to Chennai and then follow the ECR; most scenic, barring the entrance to the ECR. OTOH, you could cut across from Trichy, swing left on the coast road from Chidambaram, if you're bored with the usual route. Roads are excellent, and you get Trichy, Tanjore and Chidambaram on the way, also vast swathes of Kumbakonam, if you have the patience to go through ALL those temples (I didn't).

BTW, don't rule out the Neemrana hotel in Tranquebar for good food and seven-star accommodation. It's mainly firangs, but beautiful and isolated, with, alas, a pathetic beach. Worth a day drive down, though, even if you don't stay. Just three hours from Pondicherry, swing off left from Chidambaram.

[dadu]

If you are not bothered about the food and service (difficult with family/kids) and are willing to look at only the room/ location, then this is the right place for you. Mind you the city is a bit far from this place.

Originally Posted by RuffRyder

it has not improved yet...but the times that i have gone there, my focus was not on food, so did not make much of a diff to me..if you know what i mean..

[amitoj]

Try Kailash Beach Resort just south of Pondy. Nice big comfortable rooms, with access to a beach thats totally isolated. The resort is also nice... it has a pool, lots of greenery etc etc. Food is also nice. You'll get some good continental food there. But the rooms there dont have any TV, which for me is a plus.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by RuffRyder

it has not improved yet...but the times that i have gone there, my focus was not on food, so did not make much of a diff to me..if you know what i mean..

Food takes a long time to deliver if there are any parties being held in the resort, otherwise it is not that bad. But some of their dishes are worth waiting for. For e.g chilly pork. slurrrp. yum.

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Try Kailash Beach Resort just south of Pondy. Nice big comfortable rooms, with access to a beach thats totally isolated. The resort is also nice... it has a pool, lots of greenery etc etc. Food is also nice. You'll get some good continental food there. But the rooms there dont have any TV, which for me is a plus.

I've stayed at Kailash and found it to be a wonderful experience. It is an eco resort, with access to a private stretch of beach. You can also walk along the beach to the Chunnambar island. Bear in mind that post the tsunami, the beach has dipped sharply so you need to be very careful. There are no lifeguards at the resort's beach.

Other options in Pondy are the Promenade - Hidesign hotel on the promenade, Villa Helena, Hotel del'Orient and Le Dupleix all in the french quarter.

You have the taj group's budget hotel - Ginger on the periphery of the french quarter on the way to ECR.

If beach access is a must have, then - TheDune, St.JamesCourt, KailashBeachResort come to mind. Auroville also has good accomodation if you know someone there. They have an exclusive beach as well for their guests.

cheers!
Srini

[badboyscad]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

You prolly haven't driven beyond Pondy and hence that comment. Next time venture out and maybe you need to explore ECR and the backwaters in Chunnambar. You will be astonished and yes I speak from experience .

If you are ready to drive a few extra kms, there are some pretty good un-congested beaches in pitchavaram & MGR thittu where you can take a boat ride through the mangroves to small islets.

Tourism - Pitchavaram
The Hindu : Paddle about Pichavaram

[dilips]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I would second that.

@manjubp... Beach in the Pondy town is just rocks, you got to get a little bit out of Pondy to see the real beaches. St. James Court is a nice cosy place to be too.

Dune resort is good.. make sure you get one of those huts facing the beach.. One thing to note - I thought the food was not great for the high rates and is geared towards the foreigners

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by dilips

Dune resort is good.. make sure you get one of those huts facing the beach.. One thing to note - I thought the food was not great for the high rates and is geared towards the foreigners

Food in Pondy *anywhere* is geared towards foreigners!

[muralisk]

I would recommend Marvanthe. It's quite and a peaceful place. Have been there twice and I would like to go there again. Apart from that, I would recommend Karwar and Gokarna.

[balan]

Originally Posted by Jammy70

Hi androdev,

There is a little known beach resort near Calicut called Kappad Beach Resort. I have stayed there in Dec'06 and am revisiting during the Puja break. The distance from B'lore is around 360km and should take around 7-8 hrs. The roads are good and take you through Mysore, Gundulpet and Wayanad.

What I liked about the place is it is a small, clean beach which is not commercialised (at least, it wasn't in Dec'06) and the hotel is fairly nice to spend couple of days.

Cheers,

The place is still good. A nice fast road to drive with bandipur wayanad forest stretch inbetween. Was there during Aug 15th and the usual holiday crowd from bangalore was there. One advise would be to avoid the hotel food and eat outside on the hotels out on the highway as the restaurant is prohibitively costly but tasty. The highway hotels make a good squid fry. One more place to visit when you are in calicut area would be the fishing harbours which are always bustling with activity.

Compared to Kappad resort, NC garden beach resorts is not that great but NC has bigger campus for the kids to run around. I have stayed at both places


If you are willing to drive longer, then Karwar is a definite go with 2 island resorts there.
Any body with idea on turtle bay resort near kundapur?
shortest but good driving route please?

where ever you go, please do take the kids on fishing. You might catch a sea snake like we did. Bandipur Mudumalai Masinagudi Wildlife Photos - Calicut / Karwar Deep Sea Fishing in Trawler
best regards
bala

[dilips]

Jungle Lodges in Devbagh island of Karwar is a really good beach resort that you can go to. I was there couple of years back and dont know if anythin has changed. But, this is a resort with comfortable tents facing the beach, private island, water activitites like para sailing and snorkeling (not advisable since the water itself is not very clear), kids water activities also.. the food is okay, but its a relaxing place.. Only issue is that it gets booked real fast for the weekends

[gogo_gogo]

@! Dadu,

You are right they are worse than pathetic [Not getting right word]

Never ever go there, Even rooms are not good. I have been one time , Bad exp.

[manjubp]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I would second that.

@manjubp... Beach in the Pondy town is just rocks, you got to get a little bit out of Pondy to see the real beaches. St. James Court is a nice cosy place to be too.

This is the reason I picked up Zest @ Big Beach, almost 20Kms south of Pondy. Still you can't compare to Karwar, Malphe or any other decent beach in Kerala.

regards,
-manju

[androdev]

An update: Pondicherry has been voted down in favour of Goa. No one wants to go by car :((( So Goa it is. Going to this place Casa Candolim, Boutique hotels in goa, Boutique hotels in candolim based on tripadvisor reviews. Bit skeptical but I want to try something different from the leela/taj sorts.

[pramod]

Originally Posted by muralisk

I would recommend Marvanthe. It's quite and a peaceful place. Have been there twice and I would like to go there again. Apart from that, I would recommend Karwar and Gokarna.

Hi,
I have been to Marawanthe too, ---> turtle bay Resort.
The food is pathetic to sound a bit soft!
And the Shacks are good . Kindly avoid the so called "AC Rooms" which r away from the beach and has no view of the beach watsoever.