Palais de Mahe - a CGH Earth Experience

Palais de Mahé Expensive hotel but not a luxurious experience. When I booked 3 nights at Palais de Mahé I was expecting a top and unique experience. A couple of points have been contributing to my below par level of satisfaction - 3 days without wifi in our room despite asking the reception for addressing the issue. Was working only in the restaurant and lobby. Not acceptable in such a property. 4G was even not working in our room. - Lack of personal touch making a hotel unique and classy. When having a tea next to the pool, there was no biscuit/sweets when even basic places are providing this small add on. No flowers in the room, only one armchair for a double occupancy room. - Breakfast: ok but nothing great for such a supposed to be top range hotel. Very narrow choice of marmelade, average quality bread basket including no French bread (only toasts on request) in a city where French bread is easily available. Croissants were not excellent when u can find very good ones at Bakerstreet, an address itself recommended by the Palais de Mahé's reception as potential a place to have coffee with Danish pastries! - Transfer to Chennai Airport done in a car without Air Conditioning. We have been informed at last minute that AC was not working giving us no opportunity to ask for an another one. Having said that the staff was doing its best to help us and was very friendly. We have been under the impression that this hotel is managed by real estate/interior design specialists BUT not by experienced hospitablity experts.

Stay at PDM was truly relaxing. The hotel blends a heritage ambience with modern comforts. The staff went out of their way to make our stay very comfortable. They were always smiling, helpful and courteous. The location of the hotel is fantastic, only a short stroll from the promenade street and walking distance from most of the nice cafes in the town. Their restaurant, where they serve the breakfast, is open air and sunny. The portions are smallish and instead of a buffet they have an ala carte menu. This is interesting and each of the 5 days we stayed there, the menu was different and stayed interesting for us throughout the day. The food was uniformly tasty and flavorful. The swimming pool in the hotel though small is very clean and well accessible from the 18 rooms in the property. The only downside is probably in certain cases there is preference on form over function- be it toiletries in the bathroom or cushions on the chairs in the room.

Just had 2 nights in the Palais and it was perfect: lovely period building, amazing staff, great food (lovely roof top terrace restaurant) and perfect location: absolutely the best place to stay in Puducherry. Lots of activities organised on demand.

We had a great stay over the New Year celebrations in Pondicherry. Very lively! The hotel was perfect. Very friendly and helpful staff, nice accommodation and lovely food. Thanks for the New Year’s Eve dancing and music and wonderful food and drinks.

Great hotel . Great ambience . Great food and great staff . What more can you want. It’s close. To the beach and right in the middle of the French quarter . Real French feel to this old building. The restaraunt in the tarrace is wonderful and food so tasty

This hotel is so beautiful that people take selfies of themselves outside the front door. It is about 100 yards from the Ocean, and in the middle of the old French city. It is convenient for the shops and the sights. Our room, and the others that we saw, were gorgeous. Large, high ceilinged, with chairs, tables and the most enormous double bed. The room opened onto the colonnade with a view of the lovely pool below. We ate at the top of the hotel, where the breeze from the Indian Ocean kept us cool, and the food was a fusion of French and Indian. A wonderful choice, especially at breakfast. There is a pleasant bar, which does beers, wines, spirits and cocktails. Coming in from the street means walking into a cool and calm interior, past all the selfie-takers, where you find the desk with the unfailingly polite and helpful staff. This was by far the nicest hotel of our 3 week stay in southern India. I would love to stay again, and if I am ever in Pondicherry it will be my first choice. Anyone giving this fewer than 5 stars wants their head examining.