dirtynoisy
no sheets to cover
cold water,
but a nice place nearby to check in..

I've read a couple of poor reviews for this hotel here. However, I first stayed here in 97 and last in Sept 08. No, it's not paradise but what do you expect for a single for 250 rupees, with TV and attached bathroom? It's far from perfect but it's very good value for money. I've found that in general the rooms are clean but the bathrooms can vary. But that can be remedied by asking for it to be cleaned! But, on the whole, I've found this hotel to be a clean place. It is quite a sterile hotel, with tiles in the rooms, making them feel like bathrooms. And some of the rooms are cramped. The rooms in the new wing are more spacious.

The hotel is designed to aid ventilation in the hot summer months. And to some extent it works. Unlike many other places in India, even during the hottest, most humid periods, the rooms do not get like furnaces. On the negative side, the design of the place may aid ventilation, but this means the noise levels throughout the building can be a problem. Generally, however, during the night it is quiet.

Despite what one or two others might say, the staff are very friendly and the manager and owner have always made this place feel like a home from home when I have stayed. For me, that's the best aspect of this hotel. Great views over Chennai from the rooftop, which they could develop by putting tables and chaiirs up there.

Our flight was scheduled to arrive very late in Chennai, so we decided, for once in India, to book a hotel in advance. We chose the paradise guesthouse after careful reading of various travel guides which described it as a great address.
When we arrived in our room (after checking in with a very rude man), the only reason why we really spent the night there was the late time of our arrival.
The room is very very dirty (and believe me, we've been staying in our budget hotels in India which were in no comparison), blood stains on the beds, cockroaches on the floor, pee and hairs everywhere in the bathroom....
if you want to be able to sleep a little bit during the night, avoid this hotel....
it's really worth spendinf a few extra roupies and staying for example at Chandra Park near Egmore...

Booked this guesthouse by email a month before arriving, but they had no reservation for us. But they did have a room in the new wing for 900rs - fan, a/c, twin beds, clean bathroom, TV that didn't really work well, table and chair. Eventually got one towel off them in the afternoon!! but no toilet paper.
We arrived at 6am, and had chai brought to the room for 30rs, which was nice. But the 24 hour checkin was a problem the next morning when we left at 7am with them trying to get 200rs off us! Even though i had asked the day before if it was going to a problem, they never mentioned they were going to charge us that much. Anyway, they did let us off in the end, but were not particularly nice about it all.
The place does look rough from the outside, and is in a rough looking part of Chennai, but most of the streets look the same whether you are in a 4star hotel or a guesthouse. Its not far from the station, and the rickshaw driver eventually found it.
There are shops selling water and snacks around the place, and some internet shops. A few small restaurants nearby, but you can go off somewhere in a rickshaw. We took a rickshaw around a few places in Chennai, first to a place to eat, then the dirty beach, a shut church, and the very boring/expensive Fort museum, at a very cheap rate in return for going into a few shops so the driver could get a new shirt off them!! We were good at going in and pretending to be interested in buying, but leaving with nothing.
The guesthouse was ok for the one night we stayed in Chennai before moving on to our next town. It was noisy during the day as they were banging/building on the rooftop, but that stopped in the evenings.