India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (182 page)

13 Lal Bahadur Shastri (Bussy St.), French Quarter 605 001.
0413/222-6789
or 0413/420-0377. Fax 0413/222-7087. [email protected]. 4 units. Rs 2,200 standard double; Rs 2,800 deluxe. No credit cards. In room: A/C, TV (in deluxe).

Auroville

If you’d like to stay in Auroville (the only way to get to know this fascinating community, and worth it if you wish to meet with the crafters and artists living here), there are more than 30 guesthouses spread throughout the community, rated between A (basic, with shared bathroom) through to C (en-suite with fan or A/C) and D (studios or apartments or cottages with own kitchen or kitchenette)—for the full list along with informal photographs, take a look at
www.aurovilleguesthouses.org
. Depending on when you go, and the size of your accommodation, you’re looking at around Rs 400 to Rs 1,400 per person with the upper reaches charged during high season (usually July–Aug and Dec–Mar).

Depending on your interest, we recommend the following:
Afsanah
, a cool, classy, Zen-style guest house with six double rooms and three “Japanese” cottages on the grounds, and an unpretentious focus on pottery, meditation, and horseback riding (
2622048
or
9345400700;
[email protected]). Those looking for a healing beach retreat would do well to book into one of the 13 double rooms at the aptly named
Quiet Healing Centre,
located within sight and sound of the ocean, and offering various therapies, classes and workshops to enhance well-being (
2622329
or 2622646; [email protected]).

If you’re looking for a thoroughly authentic Auroville experience, and prepared for the minimum 1-week stay,
Verite Guest House
is all about communal living, including shared (vegetarian) meals, organic gardening, sustainable technology and daily group meditation (
2622045;
[email protected]). A double room with attached bathroom will cost Rs 960 to Rs1,100 per person per night; a “capsule,” a thatch and bamboo hut suspended off the ground on a granite pillar, with common bathroom facilities, will cost Rs 395 to Rs 450 per person per night.

Perhaps the best introduction to Auroville, certainly if you just want to be in the center of things (such as walking distance to the Visitor Centre restaurant and matramandir), is the efficient
Centre Guest House,
oldest and largest (20 double rooms) in Auroville (
2622155;
[email protected]). Single rates are between Rs 400 and Rs 1,000; double occupancy rates range from Rs 800 to Rs 1,600; this includes three meals, laundry, bicycle, and guest contribution to Auroville.

Outskirts of Pondicherry

There are two good beach resorts within easy striking distance, so if you prefer to do nothing but relax around a pool, meditate, practice yoga, and enjoy fabulous Ayurvedic massages and food, with the option of popping into Pondi for short shopping trips, Dune Village (below) is not only our first recommendation, but hands down one of the best beach resorts in all of India.
Kailash Beach Resort
(
04132/619-700;
www.kailashbeachhotel.in
; from Rs 3,500 double), a 37-unit retreat situated about 20 minutes south of Pondi, and run by the well-traveled Raj, an ex-publisher, and his French wife, Elisabete, is another possibility. It’s billed as a beach resort, but there are no sea views (the beach is a short stroll away), and you’re more likely to find yourself by the massive 33m (108-ft.) pool than braving the pounding surf (in fact, the sea along the entire Coromandel coast is usually too rough to swim in, so don’t do this alone). The sprawling pink buildings are apparently inspired by Sikkim architecture, with plenty of carved doorways and deep terraces with comfortable seating; rooms are cool and comfortable though positively bland when compared to the Dune Village.

The Dune Village
If you’re looking for a real holiday away from it all, either as a family or couple, with just occasional shopping forays into Pondi, and days spent by the pool after healing Ayurvedic treatments, make Dune Village your home for at least 3 nights. Food is of the best you’ll get in South India, and the Ayurvedic treatments the best we’ve had in Tamil Nadu, but it’s the design ethos that captivates. We loved this ever-evolving “village”—an apt descriptor given its collection of totally individual cottages set amid sprawling grounds—from the outset, but under the expert hands-on guidance of director Sunil Varghese, service and cuisine have evolved, and Dune is now a superslick destination, regularly featured in glossy magazines. Appealing to anyone with an artistic and/or ecological bent, who’ll delight in the highly creative expressions of the people and artists involved in the making of the village, from eco-designed traditional thatched single-room units on stilts right on the beach, to luxury walled L-shaped villas with private plunge pools.
Tip:
Dune Village, a great party venue, is often host to live music concerts from December to February; make sure you book in advance for one of these.