Pondicherry : Give Time a Break !! .. Travelouge

I went to pondicherry last weekend as I really wanted to "give time a break". Its been long time I have been thinking of going to Pondicherry !!

So now that I have some good data & photo's, I will write this blog on Pondicherry. Hopefully this will help others who wish to visit Pondicherry.

• Place
• It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named for the largest, Puducherry.
• Tourist Advantage
• French Architecture to see around city
• Sri Aurobindo Ashram
• Auroville
• Pondicherry Beaches
• Museums
• Temples & Mosques
• Backwater & Garden
• Best time to Visit
• During October to January
• I have personally being there during November, the weather was good. Not very hot. You can expect some showers, but is good.
• Route from Bangalore
• I took the following route to reach Pondi from Bangalore

• I used http://www.mapmyindia.com Maps as reference & some tips from my friends from "Indianhiways" Group from Yahoo Groups.
• Overall the route is good, if you fill up enough Petrol/Diesal at Bangalore, you don't need to stop for Petrol en-route. But it seems the petrol is cheaper in Tamilnadu/Pondicherry :)
• Reliance A1 Plaza after Hosur on left side of Highway is best for having Breakfast. After this point there are not many good(hi-fi) places to east. So you might consider stopping at Tiruvannmalai for Lunch probably.(Hotel Arya & Hotel Arunashala)
• The Kms given above are approx. & depends where you start in Bangalore & where do End in Pondicherry.Most of the Beach resorts are on ECR(Pondi-Chennai Route)

• Accommodation
  
• Pondicherry has 2 kind of accommodation for tourists mainly.
  
• Beach Resorts
• City Hotels
• There are Guest Houses also in Auroville & at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram
• My Recommendation
• My Recommendation is to stay at
• Hotel Surguru, 104, SARDAR VALLABHAI PATEL ROAD. PONDICHERRY 605001. TEL: +91-413-2339022. +91-413-2227290
• Good Hotel with very good service
• Excellent South Indian Food
• Good Location, Near to all Attractions in Pondi.
• St James Court Beach Resort
• Good Resort on ECR Road(10 kms from Pondicherry)
• Food is ok
• Only if you need Beach Resort, this is good.
• But in Ponicherry beaches are not that clean(specially on ECR). Also you cannot venture much into sea as it is dangerous as the slope is steep.
• Travel Tips & Expectations
• Its very important to keep realistic expectations with Pondicherry.
• Can't expect the same service standards as of Bangalore at outskirts of pondicherry
• Small place, good for 2 days only
• Not much directions sometimes to roam yourself
• Keep a Map handy
• My advise is not to spend on Beach Resorts, instead stay at City Hotels, they are better equipped.
• Spending is relative term(every bodies own choice). But I would not recommend anyone spending more than Rs.1200/- Accommodation, Its really not value for money.
• Need to drive carefully on NH66 as you pass through villages, people/cattle cross or they put their grains on road(yes on NH) for sun bath :)
• Overall travel time from Bangalore to Pondicherry is around 5.30 to 6.00 hours depending on your stops in between.
• Very Comfortable Drive as most of the roads are in good condition
• Checkout pics on http://www.flickr.com by searching "pondicherry", "ECR", "Auroville", or "Aurobindo" ..This gives you an idea what you want there!!
• Search for more blogs related to Pondicherry for exp. & reviews !!
  
• Photos
• Flickr

Tags : Pondicherry , Pondicherry route , Best route to pondicherry , Accomodation at Pondicherry