Hotel De L'Orient - Pondicherry - opinions?

karthik_mitta

Have any of you fellow IMers been here? I did look up the hotel listing and there is just one review Hotel De L'Orient.

Will appreciate more details from folks who have been here or similar recommendations from IMers for stay in Pondicherry (similar class accomadation).

Just noticed that the key for a good stay at L'orient is the room you select.. so if you have been there.. the room name and its benifits will be helpful!

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gertie

Very nice, I'd highly recommend it.

The restaurant is superb by the way, so even if you don't stay, make sure you treat yourself to a meal here.

Hotel Le Dupleix is also very good, although the service can be a bit hit and miss.

Shaktipalooza

It is a very nice hotel. One of several in the Neemrana chain.

I thought the restaurant was a little bland but in a very nice setting. Don't remember which room we stayed in but it was on the second floor. We did see a few of the rooms, generally the more you pay the better the room.

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karthik_mitta

Thanks Gertie and Shatkipalooza... any other inputs from IMers?

Nick-H

Stayed there for two nights last week. Ran to Pondy for two days without planning, and that name stuck in my head, maybe from this thread, so we looked for it and stayed there.

Moderate-size colonial courtyard building, about one street away from the sea. I do not know if any of the rooms have a sea view.

Rooms are Rs.2,000 to Rs.5,000 a night. They had three rooms available, and for once in my life I liked the cheapest best!!

One or two people for a night or two don't need space, and I was quite happy with the small Rs2,000 room. Actually, what I liked about it was the fact that, just inside the door, there was a steep staircase leading up to the room. You wouldn't want to wander about and fall down it in the dark. Not everybody's cup of tea --- but I like that sort of thing.

A few steps even further up to the small toilet/shower, too. It has a bar-room-type swing door, so the prissy or the [partners of the] smelly might not like that.

Room name was Gingee. Good value, especially of you like quaint

We ate in the restaurant. Yes, it was OK. I wouldn't rave about it --- but it was nice. I think they buy good produce: I had the best-tasting tomato I've ever had in India. They make reasonable tea, too, although a bit pricey at Rs30/35 (plain/masala). I didn't sample the chai stall just around the corner for comparison.

No off-street parking, if that matters to you, but a quiet street and plenty of space to park outside.

A nesting pair of Red-Vented Bulbuls (I call the Red-Backside Birds) completed our pleasure, and I was able to get a couple of nice baby-bird photos. Mrs N was really delighted to see one of the parents doing its 'I've got a broken wing, come and eat me; leave my baby alone' act. She'd never seen a bird do that before.

The hotel staff take the birds seriously, scaring off the crows that threaten the nest.

I've copied a chunk of this to the hotel review section, where it will probably be more useful in the future.

By the way... the one single, most impressive thing about Pondicherry: It's clean!!!

I never knew India could be that way. They certainly could teach Chennai a lot of lessons.

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karthik_mitta

Thanks Nick! Helps a ton. Great inputs. Just an other question.. did you look at the larger, more expensive rooms.. any reason why it would be nicer (rather value for money?)

vargoje3

Nick, me and you must have visited different cities, when I was living in Pondy for 4 months i thought it got pretty dirty. But then again I am American and it was my first trip to India so I probably was biased. But I do agree that Pondy was cleaner than several other cities I visited.

Nick-H

I was just there for two days, last week, and previously had only spent a day trip there in 2004.

Things may well have changed, or maybe the city had been tidied up for something --- but I saw almost zero litter on the streets.

Coming from a not-terrible-clean part of Chennai, the difference was really striking!

karthik_mitta

Nick.. you ignoring me.. have not answered my question

Nick-H

Missed you post!

They are more expensive because they are bigger, have bigger beds, more furniture, maybe access to a balcony. I didn't see the most expensive, only what they had available on the day.

Our Rs.2000 room was tiny. It suited me, and I thought it was great value for money, even for two, for a night or two.

karthik_mitta

Thank you... merci... danke.

Nick-H

I'll try to post a couple of pics of the room in the next day or three.

Watch this space!

Leslie H

I will be in Pondicherry for 2-3 nights in November. I contacted Hotel L'Orient for a room, and the only ones that they still have available for that timeframe are rooms in the Annex: Goretty and Seringpatnam.

Has anyone ever stayed in the Annex? I haven't gotten a response yet on exactly what that means. So, if anyone has any information on the Annex, in general, or these rooms, specifically, that would be very helpful.