Visit to Chennai

cuttingcrew · 17th July 2009, 09:47

Hi All,

I am planning to visit Chennai. I will start at Sat 1:00 pm from Bangalore (Marathahalli) and want to back by 9 pm Sun . I dont intend to visit Mahabalipuram (drive thru ECR wont entice me). I want to stick to GQ (NH4) as much as possible as I want a relaxed drive. I want to be back by the same route. I have a few questions
1. I need some suggestion about good hotels (~3K). They need to near the beach (marina beach, or Adyar region or some that you may suggest). I want the drive from NH4 to be minimum. How much time will it take from Bangalore.
2. I need the driving direction to the hotel from NH4.
3. I used to stay at chennai some 12 yrs back. I would like to visit nungambakkam (sp?), T Nagar, Thiruvanmayur, Anna Nagar etc. I need some help on driving direction.
4. Need estimate on the driving times too.

Thanks,

esteem_lover · 17th July 2009, 10:49

1. There are quite a few good hotels on cathedral road/radhakrishnan salai which have close proximity to the beach (5-10 mins). The closest being Hotel President. It is a stone's throw away from the marina & citi centre mall.

Tempelhof · 17th July 2009, 11:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuttingcrew

Hi All,

I am planning to visit Chennai.

Take a look at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...e-old-new.html

and

to get some general idea see http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...h-chennai.html

funda2max · 17th July 2009, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuttingcrew

Hi All,

I am planning to visit Chennai. I will start at Sat 1:00 pm from Bangalore (Marathahalli) and want to back by 9 pm Sun . I dont intend to visit Mahabalipuram (drive thru ECR wont entice me). I want to stick to GQ (NH4) as much as possible as I want a relaxed drive.

NH4 is the best available route. But, be very careful about trespassers in the wrong lane, two wheelers entering from the highway median, and some times Sand grabber lorries, tractors at high speeds. I have seen some horrific accidents in NH4 near village sides. Be cautious, drive within your limits.

cuttingcrew · 17th July 2009, 13:47

Just to refine my hotel search,
Is there good beach resort in chennai? I may be willing to extend by buget. But not to the extent of Taj :-).
How is VGP Golden beach resort?

Thanks,

esteem_lover · 17th July 2009, 13:50

There are plenty of beach resorts along the ECR. VGP is ok, not that great. Try GRT Temple Bay if you can expand your budget a bit. MGM is also good.

cuttingcrew · 17th July 2009, 13:58

Thanks EL. But these are more towards Mahabalipurum, right? I would prefer the ones nearer to Chennai.

esteem_lover · 17th July 2009, 14:04

GRT is almost halfway down (10-12km), but MGM is much closer to chennai, about 4 km from thiruvanmiyur

cuttingcrew · 17th July 2009, 15:45

Thanks EL. There are 2 properties of MGM, MGM beach resort and MGM eastwood. Any idea which is better. Eastwood is cheaper. I might go for any one of them.

Also, how do I reach there(VGP Beach, Muttkkudu Beach) from NH4? Some driving direction will be of great help.

amanmalhotra · 17th July 2009, 19:41

Cuttingcrew, I presume you mean NH7, and not NH4. NH4 is the old Madras Road, and is 2 lane for most part and will not be a relaxed drive. NH7 is the Krishnagiri route. It is NH7 till Krishnagiri, then NH46 till Ranipet and then finally merges with NH4.
I did Bangalore Chennai road trip on a Scorpio a few months back.
Started from Bangalore at 11.30 AM, reached Chennai around 6 PM. Took a break for 1 hour for lunch and another 30 minutes or so for a tea.
The real issue was that we hit peak hour traffic in Chennai and the road near Maduravoyal was being widened so there was a jam there.

cuttingcrew · 17th July 2009, 20:13

Thanks Aman. I plan to take the route you mentioned. I was refering to NH4 as I am more concerned about the Chennai end. So it is easily doabale in 6hrs.

Mission_Safari · 17th July 2009, 20:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuttingcrew

Also, how do I reach there(VGP Beach, Muttkkudu Beach) from NH4? Some driving direction will be of great help.

Take the Tambaram byepass from Maduravoyal and then once you are on the GST road take the left near Vandalur. This road will lead you to Kelambakkam and eventually on to the ECR near Kovalam. (closer to Muttukadu). This is if you are planning to enter Chennai during peak hours. If you are entering into the city during off-peak hours then follow this route Poonamalee-Porur-Kathipara-Little mount-Raj Bhavan-Madhya Kailas-Thiruvanmiyur-VGP.

gopinathann · 17th July 2009, 20:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuttingcrew

Thanks EL. There are 2 properties of MGM, MGM beach resort and MGM eastwood. Any idea which is better. Eastwood is cheaper. I might go for any one of them.

Also, how do I reach there(VGP Beach, Muttkkudu Beach) from NH4? Some driving direction will be of great help.

MGM Eastwood is decent and cheaper however it is far from the beach (road opposite side). If you want seaview take MGM Resort.
MGM Eastwood number: 09840519644
Use maps.google.com to get driving directions. Load them to GPS device if you have otherwise take a print out.

cuttingcrew · 17th July 2009, 22:16

Thanks a lot MS and Gopi. It helps a lot.

Any other suggestion on hotels? Also I would like to do a short city tour (3/4 hrs). Any suggestion is welcomed. I have to do Marina beach, a must for my wife.

Archish · 22nd July 2009, 13:54

Dont do Marina man. May be just a drive on the Marina Beach road will do. To enjoy the sand and water go to Besant Nagar Beach (Elliots Beach). Marina is for tourists, besant nagar is where locals come. I have live all my life in Chennai and have driven on the Marina Beach road a millon times, believe it or not i have never set my foot on the sands of Marina.

I have another suggestion for stay. There is only Esthell Hotel in adyar. Its a less the a year old hotel 3 star i guess. Rooms are really neat and since its a new hotel everything is spic and span. U will be able to make to mahabs from here in about 45 mins and u are about 5 mins from Besant Nagar beach and best of all u will be still inside the city.

17th July 2009, 09:47	#1
cuttingcrew BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: Once	Visit to Chennai Hi All, I am planning to visit Chennai. I will start at Sat 1:00 pm from Bangalore (Marathahalli) and want to back by 9 pm Sun . I dont intend to visit Mahabalipuram (drive thru ECR wont entice me). I want to stick to GQ (NH4) as much as possible as I want a relaxed drive. I want to be back by the same route. I have a few questions 1. I need some suggestion about good hotels (~3K). They need to near the beach (marina beach, or Adyar region or some that you may suggest). I want the drive from NH4 to be minimum. How much time will it take from Bangalore. 2. I need the driving direction to the hotel from NH4. 3. I used to stay at chennai some 12 yrs back. I would like to visit nungambakkam (sp?), T Nagar, Thiruvanmayur, Anna Nagar etc. I need some help on driving direction. 4. Need estimate on the driving times too. Thanks,
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 10:49	#2
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	1. There are quite a few good hotels on cathedral road/radhakrishnan salai which have close proximity to the beach (5-10 mins). The closest being Hotel President. It is a stone's throw away from the marina & citi centre mall.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 13:47	#5
cuttingcrew BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: Once	Just to refine my hotel search, Is there good beach resort in chennai? I may be willing to extend by buget. But not to the extent of Taj :-). How is VGP Golden beach resort? Thanks,
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 13:50	#6
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	There are plenty of beach resorts along the ECR. VGP is ok, not that great. Try GRT Temple Bay if you can expand your budget a bit. MGM is also good.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 13:58	#7
cuttingcrew BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: Once	Thanks EL. But these are more towards Mahabalipurum, right? I would prefer the ones nearer to Chennai.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 14:04	#8
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	GRT is almost halfway down (10-12km), but MGM is much closer to chennai, about 4 km from thiruvanmiyur Last edited by esteem_lover : 17th July 2009 at 14:06.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 15:45	#9
cuttingcrew BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: Once	Thanks EL. There are 2 properties of MGM, MGM beach resort and MGM eastwood. Any idea which is better. Eastwood is cheaper. I might go for any one of them. Also, how do I reach there(VGP Beach, Muttkkudu Beach) from NH4? Some driving direction will be of great help. Last edited by cuttingcrew : 17th July 2009 at 15:47.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 19:41	#10
amanmalhotra BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 60 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Cuttingcrew, I presume you mean NH7, and not NH4. NH4 is the old Madras Road, and is 2 lane for most part and will not be a relaxed drive. NH7 is the Krishnagiri route. It is NH7 till Krishnagiri, then NH46 till Ranipet and then finally merges with NH4. I did Bangalore Chennai road trip on a Scorpio a few months back. Started from Bangalore at 11.30 AM, reached Chennai around 6 PM. Took a break for 1 hour for lunch and another 30 minutes or so for a tea. The real issue was that we hit peak hour traffic in Chennai and the road near Maduravoyal was being widened so there was a jam there.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 20:13	#11
cuttingcrew BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: Once	Thanks Aman. I plan to take the route you mentioned. I was refering to NH4 as I am more concerned about the Chennai end. So it is easily doabale in 6hrs.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 22:16	#14
cuttingcrew BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98 Thanked: Once	Thanks a lot MS and Gopi. It helps a lot. Any other suggestion on hotels? Also I would like to do a short city tour (3/4 hrs). Any suggestion is welcomed. I have to do Marina beach, a must for my wife.
	() Thanks

22nd July 2009, 13:54	#15
Archish BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 319 Thanked: 108 Times	Dont do Marina man. May be just a drive on the Marina Beach road will do. To enjoy the sand and water go to Besant Nagar Beach (Elliots Beach). Marina is for tourists, besant nagar is where locals come. I have live all my life in Chennai and have driven on the Marina Beach road a millon times, believe it or not i have never set my foot on the sands of Marina. I have another suggestion for stay. There is only Esthell Hotel in adyar. Its a less the a year old hotel 3 star i guess. Rooms are really neat and since its a new hotel everything is spic and span. U will be able to make to mahabs from here in about 45 mins and u are about 5 mins from Besant Nagar beach and best of all u will be still inside the city.
	() Thanks