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#1 of 10 hotels in Karaikudi
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Bangala is a heritage hotel in Karaikudi, the heart of Chettinad. Now in its 12th year, it is renowned for its local cuisine and warm hospitality. All rooms are air conditioned and with attached bathrooms. Amenities include a swimming pool, gym, massage center , library, cycling, etc. Chettinad is a small area accessible from Madurai, Trichy, Tanjore and Rameswaram. It is the homeland of a Nattukottai Chettiar community, a community that made huge fortunes in south east Asia during colonial rule. These fortunes were used to build amazing mansions over the past 200 years, that evolved in style and scale, and needs to be seen to be appreciated. It is a little known destination but should not be missed.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Languages Spoken
Hindi
Location
Devakottai Road Senjai, Karaikudi, Karaikudi Taluk 630001 India
Basically upon entering the building you walk back into a time warp, with the old colonial club feel.
Our room in this heritage hotel, was simple/basic but clean and comfortable. There was no fridge or safe and the water heater had to be left 15 minutes between each use, but the bathroom had adequate facilties and there were plenty of clean towels provided. No TV in the room, there was a communal one on the verandah, but we were not there to watch TV. Wifi was patchy and we had to sit on the verandah to access it.
Outside was a large verandah, with comfortable chairs, where we sat and had a drink in the evenings overlooking the garden and restaurant.
The pool was excellent, large and clean with ample sunbeds around it. We had a lovely afternoon with it to ourselves, bliss.
Food is traditional Chettinad Fayre and at lunchtimes is served on a banana leaf. The meals are fixed, but there are several courses so there will always be something that you can eat. Mrs Meyappan, the owner was present most of the time eating alongside guests and overseeing matters. Staff were lovely and the manager efficient.
There is a small gift shop next to the entrance where you can purchase the cookery book that Mrs Meyappan contributed to, a nice souvenier to take home.
Would recommend a few nights stay here.
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Date of stay: December 2019
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you are a South Indian Food Lover and looking for a place to relax, this is one of the best place i have ever seen.
I was looking for a comfortable hotel to spend a night while returning back from Velankanni to Thoothukudi. I was really surprised to see such a awesome property in Karaikudi. This is the first time visiting Karaikudi and the Bangala made us a memorable trip in our life. I am a regular traveller and liked this place very very much.
Very much Comfortable and very safe place to stay after this COVID pandemic. They dont allow driver to stay inside and i liked that idea being safe.
Check in was perfect and they accommodated my mother (78 yrs) in a very comfortable accessible room near the entrance.
The rooms were luxurious, spacious, neat and clean. You can really enjoy the Local Karaikudi chttinad tradition in the rooms and all over the Bangala. I went with my family plus inlaws who are yelderly persons. Every one liked this place very much and felt like staying in our own home.
Food. Wow. You will go back to this hotel very often, it you would have tasted this food. Very much local, very much Karaikudi Chettinadu. There is no Ala Carte. It is a set menu and what a verities of food they served. Every dish is unique and tasty.
The people who served us, really good and experienced the hospitality.
It is a luxurious property but worth staying here. I have decided to revisit again soon....
I could not find any negative points to share.
Thanks to Mr. Albert the Manager who had taken care very well and made as a memorable trip
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Date of stay: October 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A restored family house with rooms in a relatively new wing and others in the garden by the large terrace and swimming pool. We stayed in the latter for two nights and it was a lovely place to relax after visiting the merchants houses which are a feature of the area. Large rooms with simple but adequate furniture. Large outside seating area both with shade and full sun round the spotless swimming pool set in lovely gardens. There was a set menu in the evening of traditional food which was delicious and served by courteous staff who explained the ingredients. No alcohol for sale but guests seem to be able to bring their own. A really good place to stay and the category would be somewhere between a homestay and a hotel but provides real style.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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Room Tip:Â Rooms round the pool are lovely and glad we stayed here rather in main building
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
In our long tour around S. India we stayed in many smaller and heritage hotels. This was one of our 3 absolute favourites. The atmosphere was like being a spoilt house guest. The family are closely involved in the everyday running, making guests feel instantly at home. Everything is beautifully presented but without fuss or pretension and without pestering for approval (this happened a lot in company run places), adding to the sense of peace and relaxation. The many historic photos were fascinating and the well tended gardens lovely. The food is simply wonderful and authentic, with multi-dish set menus giving variety and allowing lots of fresh local food and seasonal dishes. The lunch-time traditional wedding feast served on a banana leaf is a must to try. It is also close enough to the town for easy strolls to soak up the local atmosphere, which is far less touristy than most places we went. They were concerned guests might be disturbed by early temple sounds or traffic and troubled by insects so provided earplugs and insect repellant but we really didn't need them. However, that is typical of the care and attention to detail here. To sum up - we loved it and would be delighted to return.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Disappointing restaurant. Hearing rave reviews we were eager to try the food. It was a all you can eat sit down service. The food was served on a banana leaf and well presented. The service was professional and good. The taste was disappointing for Chettinad fare and was different from this type of food that we have eaten at various restaurants. Perhaps this was for the western palate. More irksome...the non vegetarian part was a chicken and fish dish. They keep plying you with the 8 plus vegetarian dishes and hold off on the non veg till the very end. By this time you are too full. So if you have come here for the non veg meal ask the servers to hold off on the veg fare. Plus it is very pricey for just 2 non veg dishes in a non vegetarian all you can eat meal.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife, our 6-year-old daughter and I had a lovely 4-night stay at this amazing heritage property earlier this month (February 2021) and enjoyed it immensely. We just did not want to leave the place and are determined to go back again soon. The staff (more like family) are warm, hospitable and helpful. General Manager, George, Annapurni Aachi and the kitchen staff take great care of you and cater to every requirement. If you are visiting, make sure you take Annapurni Aachi as your local guide as she knows every nook and corner of Karaikudi.
The place has a lot of character and is highly recommended for those who enjoy the local flavour in the decor and food. Talking of food, this was easily the best food we have eaten anywhere outside home. We stayed an extra day only to squeeze in one more lunch. If you are a foodie, you cannot miss this place. We also picked up the iconic book "The Bangala Table", personally autographed by Mrs. Meenakshi Meyyappan, the caring, articulate and passionate owner of the Bangala.
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Date of stay: February 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â all the rooms are great and not too far from the reception and the amenities.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel itself is great - beautiful rooms/furniture, a good pool, a nice communal area for meals etc. Much better value than a lot of over-priced heritage hotels. The food was excellent, especially the lunchtime thali. The highlight for me was the staff. They were extremely helpful whenever we asked for anything (everything from a sick member of our group needing some soup to help buying a local antique). They also arranged for us to look around one of the nearby mansions and provided a map for a local walk around town. Would definitely recommend.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had 2 BIG problems during my stay at the Bangala, which is why I would never return and I would never recommend to anyone else
1) Terrible Service from George the Manager and Staff
The service is very impersonal and hierarchal. It is very clear that they do not treat all customers the same. If you are a "VIP" or a "foreigner", you are given preferential treatment in the form of better rooms, better seating at the restaurant, faster service, and more polite customer care. If you are a normal local Indian, you are barely acknowledged. However, interestingly, they are still happy to charge both the same price.
And this all starts with the manager, George. He is rude, unhelpful, biased, and money-oriented. When I arrived with my family, he didn't even acknowledge us. He didn't say hello, he didn't smile at us - we were just ignored. However, about 15 minutes after, a French group came into the hotel, and he immediately jumped out of his seat to greet them with a huge smile, escort them into the hotel, seat them at the restaurant, and make sure they had everything they needed. I saw this happening more than 5 times during my 2 day stay at the hotel
2) They Loaded My Suitcase (with extremely valuable items) Into the Wrong Car!
When I was checking out, multiple service men asked if they could take my suitcase. I clearly said "No", as I like to hold on to my luggage myself (I only had one suitcase) as a form of comfort / safety. I was repeatedly asked to hand my luggage over. After the 8th person asked me, I reluctantly relented.
When I get to my car, I don't see the suitcase inside. I find out that the serviceman put my suitcase in some other random car which was just about to leave! I literally sprinted to stop the car and get my suitcase out! This was a huge error, because I was traveling for a wedding, so I had expensive jewelry in my suitcase.
When I asked George how this could happen, I didn't even get an apology. He just stared blankly at me and mumbled something.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Did not expect such an experience in the small dusty town of Karaikudi ! Very clean rooms with all amenities... and at least the room adjacent to the lobby, where we stayed was really spacious ! The Chettinad cuisine served at the restaurant was top notch and a real culinary experience . The service at the restaurant , the cleanliness all over the hotel and the overall hospitality will give you no room to complain. We had a wonderful time and thanks in particular to the General Manager of the hotel, George Yacob , whose inputs about the property and about the town of Karaikudi helped make the stay very homely and most memorable . Karaikudi itself has its own charm with a very nice antique market and wonderful Chettinad mansions . It is a beatiful drive from Chennai via Trichy which should take you less than 7 hours ....a great getaway for a long weekend of 3 days!
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Date of stay: August 2021
Rooms
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Service
Room Tip:Â We stayed in the spacious room adjacent to the lobby which was very good , spacious and quiet!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
An absolutely fantastic property with out of the world food, great staff and perfect ambience. Lunch and dinner was fantastic. Staff was always ready to help and courteous. I loved the cleanliness of the property. One morning I watched them cleaning the hotel balconies and was impressed on how they went through everything including paintings on the wall and sofa cushions. Ambience is lovely , nice pool and big spacious clean rooms. I definitely will keep staying here as often as I can.
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
San Francisco, California2,936 contributions219 helpful votes
We drove from Bangalore to Madurai..reached Madurai for a late lunch..went and saw the Naiker Palace in the evening at 5:00pm and then the Meenakshi temple at night and spent one nite in Madurai. We left the next morning very early Rameshswaram and spent 2 hours at the temple, then to Dhanushkodi...and then drove to Karaikudi.We spent 2 nites at the Bangla in Kariakudi and wished we had another night. The Bangla is a must if you like Chettiar food/culture. there are several temples within 30 mins of Karaikudi. After Karaikudi we drove to Thanjavur ,saw two temples Breeshwara and the one at Darusaram..both must sees. then drove to Tarangambadi at the Bungalow on the Beach. wish we had one or two more days to visit Pondi after our visit to Chidambaran. So I would say give yourself 6 or7 days...we did just 4 nites..and could have used 2 more.
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