[mpksuhas]

Great pics and a crisp travelogue.
Have a plan on visiting Pondicherry after rains, could you please let know hotel rate. Also, do they have any provision of parking if arriving in own car?

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by Ddrive

Excellent pictures.
Liked so much the picture of the side-walk vendor woman.

Thanks. Even I was happy after clicking this pic.

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Great pics and a crisp travelogue.
Have a plan on visiting Pondicherry after rains, could you please let know hotel rate. Also, do they have any provision of parking if arriving in own car?

Actually, what time do you plan to go there? Mind you, our rainy season and Pondicherry rainy season DO NOT coincide. The monsoon begins in Pondicherry only in August end- September and goes on till December. So either you should go now, before end of July or next year. I will PM you the hotel details.

[WindRide]

Originally Posted by Ddrive

Excellent pictures.
Liked so much the picture of the side-walk vendor woman.

+1. The vendor woman is very pretty. She compliments the fantastic picture very well.

Ajay - did you consider renting a self-drive car from chennai?

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by WindRide

+1. The vendor woman is very pretty. She compliments the fantastic picture very well.

Ajay - did you consider renting a self-drive car from chennai?

Thanks! No, we did not consider self-driving from Chennai. The reason was that we were going to TN state for the first time ever and I was travelling with family and little kid. So wanted everything comfortable and smooth. But its not a bad option at all.

However, I really liked the idea of renting a bike in Pondy to roam around. Much cheaper and easy accessibility to all nooks and corners of the town.

[dass]

Excellent travelogue, brought back some fond memories of our visit last year.

Quick question, did you not visit the paradise beach? I believe that is the best beach on Pondy and the Auroville beach that I visited afterwards, left me a little disappointed. The hotel looks awesome.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by dass

Excellent travelogue, brought back some fond memories of our visit last year.

Quick question, did you not visit the paradise beach? I believe that is the best beach on Pondy and the Auroville beach that I visited afterwards, left me a little disappointed. The hotel looks awesome.

Thanks. Our hotel manager suggested us to stay away from Paradise beach, as it was a Sunday and the local people throng the beach in thousands. So no fun going to a crowded beach. And yes, the hotel is fantastic.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

Our rainy season and Pondicherry rainy season DO NOT coincide. The monsoon begins in Pondicherry only in August end - September and goes on till December. So either you should go now, before end of July or next year. I will PM you the hotel details.

Dear Ajay Satpute - "namaskaar"! Hello to you. I read your travelogue and I absolutely loved it. Pondicherry is a great place to drive to (from Pune), not too long distance, nice roads and a now you have indicated a good place to stay away from the crowds.

I would like to drive down in my 1964 model Fiat 1100 Super Select. Initial study reveals that Pondicherry is 300 kms from Bangalore so the drive should be quite straightforward, 1 day from Pune to Bangalore and one day from Bangalore to Pondicherry. I guess winter will be the best time to do this, maybe end January. I don't take out my car in the monsoon season at all and you have mentioned that it rains upto December there.

I am extremely particular about where I park my car as it is a fully restored classic car now. Therefore, my query is same as mpksuhas's query. Did the hotel where you stayed have secure parking? Kindly let me know. Thanks in advance for the same.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Ajay Satpute - "namaskaar"! Hello to you. I read your travelogue and I absolutely loved it.

I would like to drive down in my 1964 model Fiat 1100 Super Select. Initial study reveals that Pondicherry is 300 kms from Bangalore so the drive should be quite straightforward, 1 day from Pune to Bangalore and one day from Bangalore to Pondicherry. I guess winter will be the best time to do this, maybe end January. I don't take out my car in the monsoon season at all and you have mentioned that it rains upto December there.

Did the hotel where you stayed have secure parking? Kindly let me know. Thanks in advance for the same.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Sir, Thanks a lot for the kind words.

The hotel does have covered parking which can take upto 3-4 cars at a time. The hotel has about 18 rooms in all and if all of them are occupied, the chances of getting a covered parking might be slim. However, you can talk to the management and convey your concern. I am DAMN sure they will listen to you and will respond in most proficient manner. The person to speak to is Mr. Fabin.

[romyeo4u]

Excellent Photologue of the trip, I've been to Pondy quite a few times. It always gives time a break indeed. You should have visited Paradise Beach on a weekday assuming you were in Pondy, it's a beautiful beach, only downside is there's only 1 shack, better carry eatables.

[venkatt1800]

Ajay, a superbly written travelogue on Pondy and I have bookmarked this promptly. The Promenade in the night looks gorgeous in your pictures. One can enjoy the whole night in such surroundings(a 24 x 7 Le Cafe won't hurt) Thanks for all the comprehensive info. on the Taxi service from Chennai and the bike rental services in Pondy. A visit in late August/September is definitely in the plans now. Palais de Mahe looks way beyond my budget. Are there any cheaper options I can find near the Promenade-2K per night max-in the White Colony?

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by romyeo4u

Excellent Photologue of the trip, I've been to Pondy quite a few times. It always gives time a break indeed. You should have visited Paradise Beach on a weekday assuming you were in Pondy, it's a beautiful beach, only downside is there's only 1 shack, better carry eatables.

Thanks. Yes, we could have planned the beach on a weekday. Anyways, next time.

Originally Posted by venkatt1800

Ajay, a superbly written travelogue on Pondy and I have bookmarked this promptly. The Promenade in the night looks gorgeous in your pictures. One can enjoy the whole night in such surroundings(a 24 x 7 Le Cafe won't hurt) Thanks for all the comprehensive info. on the Taxi service from Chennai and the bike rental services in Pondy. A visit in late August/September is definitely in the plans now. Palais de Mahe looks way beyond my budget. Are there any cheaper options I can find near the Promenade-2K per night max-in the White Colony?

Thanks for the kind words. Here's a search query for you on Tripadvisor. http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotels-g65...ry-Hotels.html

Hope you find a place of your choice.

Enjoy !

[aneezan]

Excellent travelogue ajay. The photos are fantastic(+1 to the lady vendor by the roadside).
Pondicherry is always a nice place to visit. During my college days in Chennai, we used to take the ECR on bikes. The heat was high, but the fun was higher. The last time we went was about 6 months back, from Bangalore, by car. The sights of the promenade, Ghandiji's statue all brought back memories. I happened to flick back at the photos we took as well.
On another note, don't know if you had the chance to visit Auroville itself. Worth it.

[condor]

@Ajay, lovely pics. Will keep this thread as a reference when I go back to Pondy.

Off Topic - pls treat your PAN card with more care.

ajay_satpute : So I gave 1000 Rs cash to the assistant and my PAN card.