We visited Traquebar as a good stopover near Velankanni ..We had no idea of the location and the facility of this place,but were greatly suprised by the fact that this is one of the earliest european settlements(Dutch) in india.They have really left their mark in the form of its unique architecture (but now being restored after the tsunami damages).

I found the stangeness of staying in a place comfortably,with the best views of the beach,in a place i never knew that existed in the map and absolutely not spoilt by tourism.

The hotel was restored from an old dutch building and run by Nemrana group and i found very charming and very relaxing.There was this unique achitecture of a Moorish Fort of dutch pedigree adjacent to this hotel and very old temple in ruins on the beach facing this hotel. Me and my family had a great time walking on the beach with not a tourist in sightand supposed to be the 2nd most ozone rich area in the world as the sign board says ...The food too was great

Tranquebar is a real gem for those of us who would love to get away from it all.

This is one amazing place. Tranquebar is a 400+ year old Danish settlement with an old fort et al on the Coramandel Coast. And this hotel was a British Governor's Bungalow that has been painstakingly restored. I love these heritage structures. They have their warts and charms too.. And what a location. Get one of those rooms that face the sea. The water is less than 25 metres from your verandah.

The service is warm, friendly and efficient. When I called them for an early checkout - the first words from the person at the other end of the phone line was - 'We will arrange something for you". I do understand the challenges facing the staff. Needless to say most places run with the minimum number of hands. So, the staff going the extra mile is wonderful to see.

The food on the menu is a little limited in choice. But, some of the dishes are just great. We loved the Grilled Chicken and Fish. The Prawn in Saffron Sauce was lovely. Crisfy fried Chicken is yummy. The soups - especially the chicken and seafood were great. The real disappointing part of the menu is the dessert section which is very limited. We had to satisfy ourselves with Creme Caramel every day.

The best part of the Traquebar experience is the social experiment happening there. Multiple partners - INTACH, Neemrana, Upasana from Auroville, SJDT are working together to make Tranquebar a heritage tourism spot at the same time making sure that the local populace get something in return. In a few years, may be even as short as a year, there will be some part of the town looking better the French Quarter of Pondichery.

Did you really have to travel that far to experience what the hotel provides? That will the question you come away with. The highlights are that the Bungalow is the only property worth living in around a 10Km radius from where it is and that it is right on the beach. It is a complete cut off from your regular life and in the absence of all other distractions you will relax.

Let me list out the negatives first.
1. Though it is right on the sea, if you wake up early to watch the sunrise, you will be greeted with the sight of local fishermen attending natures call on the beach. This will instantly rule out any desire you might have of walking along the shoreline.
2. There is nothing, absolutely nothing to see in Tranquebar. The fort right opposite the hotel is in a very bad shape and I suggest you do not visit the so called 'museum' it houses for if that memory sticks to you, you will come back a sad person. The museum is pathetic to put it mildly.
3. The rooms are priced at over a 100 USD (the cost of an entry level 5 star hotel in India) so one could expect to see a little more luxury than what you will discover when you reach there. The rooms there are named after icons related to the history of Tranquebar. We stayed at a room called "Christianus Septimus". Basics like a refrigerator was missing and they have no room service. The shower in my room was not serviced so the shower sprayed everywhere but down.
4. The morning breakfast will the worst you ever had with a mere basic spread. For lunch and dinner, almost everything on the menu tastes the same. They have no hard liquor there so one must carry one's own.
5. There is a church right next door that blares atrocious music for quite a long time in the mornings. So much for peace

The positives:
1. I loved the service. The staff were extremely hospitable so much so that I left a generous tip. I have a baby and one particular staff member Indhran went out of his way to ensure we were taken care of and helped us in getting the milk warmed etc.
2. The mood is extremely laid back at the Bungalow. You will be forced to relax. The relentless sea breeze is extremely soothing

As you can see there is not much to expect. I will not go out of my way to get back there but should I be in the vicinity of Tranquebar, I would not mind staying there again.

Stayed here while it was raining, and it was a memorable experience.

The hotel is on the beach, so you can hear the sound of the waves, as the name of the city implies, in your room. As we stayed on the ground floor room, it did not overlook the sea, but the sound of it made the stay memorable enough.

The room was dark but magnificient. There was also no TV, which was a blessing. The quietness made for a a more haunting experience. The room opened out to the pool area, which was lovely.

The menu was fixed and was available only during scheduled times. The food was good though. Staff were friendly, though the waiters seemed to want us to finish off our meals quickly.