4 Rue Bussy Street Lal Bahadur Shastri Street, Pondicherry 605001 India
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About
#9 of 408 hotels in Pondicherry
Location
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Travellers' Choice
Palais de Mahe (a CGH Earth experience) is situated in the French quarter in Pondicherry, India. The architecture of this beautiful boutique hotel is in keeping with the French colonial style of the region. It has 18 luxurious suites, a lovely courtyard with a swimming pool, a restaurant and bar, and a poolside cafe.
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Property amenities
Valet parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Free breakfast
Bicycle rental
Airport transportation
Spa
Rooftop terrace
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Coffee shop
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Special diet menus
Poolside bar
Rooftop bar
Car hire
Taxi service
Full body massage
Massage
24-hour security
Baggage storage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Newspaper
24-hour front desk
Express check-in / check-out
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Ironing service
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Room features
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Safe
Telephone
Coffee / tea maker
Flatscreen TV
Bath / shower
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Minibar
Hair dryer
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Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Charming
Languages Spoken
English, French, Hindi, Tamil
Location
91Great for walkers
Grade: 91 out of 100
72Restaurantswithin 0.5 km
15Attractionswithin 0.5 km
4 Rue Bussy Street Lal Bahadur Shastri Street, Pondicherry 605001 India
E-mail hotel
Getting there
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See all nearby attractions907Reviews20Q+A100Room tips
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Staying at the Palais de Mahe was a fantastic experience. Great location in Pondi, with wonderful service and high quality food. The staff looked after us incredibly well and made us feel very much at home. The team added a wonderful touch by surprising us with a birthday cake for our birthday celebration. We will definitely be back when in Pondi.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
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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.
Helpful
Hotel's Favourite
I was revisiting Pondicherry after 22 years and I decided to book the hotel Palais de Mahe, as it appeared to meet all my needs. My stay was fabulous! The service was exceptional and exceeded all of my expectations. The hotel itself is beautiful and extremely well maintained. My room was stunning and exquisitely furnished. All amenities are provided and my bed was so comfortable, I enjoyed 5 nights of blissful sleep. There is a wonderful roof top restaurant and bar, along with a ground floor cafe next to the lovely swimming pool. Well located in White Town, the hotel is a short walk to the beach, Bharati Park, (where I enjoyed early morning walks), Aribindou Ashram and all that Pondicherry has to offer. However, the absolute highlight of my stay was the staff and their incredible hospitality!! 7 Star! Every single person. The level of service is amazing.. A huge thanks to the following people for making my stay so special. Dinu, GM, Jaghan and Fakhakhrudin, front desk, Arun-Kumar, head of housekeeping and to the housekeeping team, especially Santosh - thank you so much for the amazing "towel animals" - so creative - I loved the elephants, monkey and crocodile. Food and beverage - Ragahavan, Bhuvanesh, Nithya and Prassa for super friendly, helpful and efficient service. Ayurvedic Spa - Greeshma worked magic on my aches and pains. If I have forgotten anyone by name please pass on my thanks to all the team! I would highly recommend anyone visiting Pondicherry to stay at Palais de Mahe. An experience you do not want to miss!! I can't wait to return. Again a huge thanks to all of the staff for making my stay so very memorable and special.…
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Date of stay: May 2022
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.
Helpful
Response from From the, General Manager at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth
Responded 14 Jun 2022
Dear guest, Thank you very much for the lovely lovely review on Palais de mahe and appreciation of the staff. WE are very happy that you enjoyed your CGH Earth experience and we look forward to hosting you again. Will definitely convey your regards to all our staff. Please do visit our new locations as well. warm regards Dinu Ramakrishnan General manager Palais de mahe 9442127519
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
This is probably the best property in entire Puducherry in terms of location, ambience, staff courtesy and overall experience. If you want to experience true Portugal/French lifestyle, living here is a wise decision. The food was amazing. We loved the breakfast and lunch/dinner that we had. While we tried many cafes around, we concluded that the best food was in this hotel and their roof top restaurant was simply superb. Highly recommended.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: You have a good car parking in the Hotel, enough for 5-6 cars.
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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.
Helpful
+1
We were kept amazed right from the time we stepped in, with the Executive Chef and FO team welcoming us and the General Manager Dinu himself engaging with all of us and curating our two night stay in Puducherry. Exceptional service all the way through.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: Breakfast timings are flexible, but it would be hugely beneficial for the team as well as other...
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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.
Helpful
+1
I stayed here one night but wished it had been longer! The property is situated in the heart of the French Quarter of Pondichéry one street back from the seafront. The hotel is a period property, with many original features, beautiful high ceilings and huge rooms facing the courtyard and pool. The staff were extremely friendly with details of the main attractions of the town. I arrived mid-morning and after settling in I enjoyed a cool beer at the hotel bar and had lunch in the restaurant which served local cuisine with a french twist. I did some site seeing and returned to the hotel late afternoon and I enjoyed a swim in the beautiful hotel pool. There were sun lounges each end and. Plenty towels available too. I had thought about eating out but after a long day (I had travelled down from Chennai), I decided to eat at the hotel. I had an excellent meal and enjoyed a half bottle of French white wine, which was handy as a solo traveller. Chef discussed the specials with me and I had a super seafood meal. Breakfast was served a la crate with choice of continental and Indian cuisine all very good, I had the best coffee so far in India! Thank you to the wonderful staff and management.…
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Just enjoy the sanctuary like feel of the place!
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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.
Helpful
had the best time here! impressive ambience and impeccable hospitality! a special shout-out to our friends Dharini, Raghavan and Nithya and other staffs for being such lovely hosts and for taking care of us ♥️
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
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.
Helpful
My wife and I, from London, had a fabulous 4 days at Palais de Mahe in April. The hotel is wonderful - great architecture (colonial style, high ceilings, spacious rooms), perfectly decorated, excellently located (2 mins from the promenade), wonderful public spaces (bar, restaurant), great pool and outstanding staff. Cleanliness and hygiene were second to none. Over the years, we have stayed in many different hotels in India - both national and international. CGH Earth comes out on top - in their people and their authentic attention to detail. I have only submitted 3 other reviews on TripAdvisor over the years - but feel compelled now to do so for Palais de Mahe on the basis of the quality of service we received and the people who provided this. I wasn't sure if there was a way of providing feedback directly to CGH on the service we received, so am doing this via TripAdisor - however, it hopefully also gives a wider audience a view of what to expect at this hotel. At the Palais de Mahe, the people who work there look after the guests really well and this should be recognised and celebrated. Of all the places we stayed at in our tour of southern India, the staff at Palais de Mahe came out on top - genuinely friendly, interesting and interested, keen to engage and help. Of particular note were: - Amiljath - front office manager: ran a well functioning team, keen to offer advice and help, v friendly, v professional. - Uma - always engaging, welcoming and attentive - each time we returned back to the hotel...our keys were provided without asking as soon as we talked through the door - Chef Kathir - ran a great set of cooks. Flexed his team to open the restaurant early, so we could have breakfast before an early departure - he couldn't have been more helpful - Johnson - ran a great team in the restaurant - everyone knew what they were doing, provided attentive service without being intrusive - Prasad - such a lovely chap - he had been at the Palais de Mahe when we last visited in 2014 and had also been friendly and thoroughly engaging back then too. Nothing was too much for him to do - for example, ensuring we had our regular table booked each evening, explaining the local customs and traditions, providing advice on Pondicherry. - Sudheer and Sudheer - both cooks in the restaurant. Prepared great food, but moreover, were happy to discuss over breakfast what food we would like in the evening (that wasn't on the menu, but that had regional specialities that would be good to explore) and then to prepare and have this ready for us in the evening. - Anthony - went off-menu, and prepared wonderful rasam for me each day. Was so friendly about doing this. - Nithya - so friendly in the bar and the restaurant. Made the best sweet lime sodas and a credit to the team. - Dharini - another excellent person in the restaurant - friendly, attentive, helpful and another credit to the team. - Ragaven - managed our drinks and evening cocktails (amongst other responsibilities). Took wonderful care in popping open the Sula Brut in the evenings - the moment the cork popped became a poignant moment for him and us. A really lovely, friendly person. - Mr Moorthi - drove us from Madurai to Pondicherry and then onto Chennai. Friendly, professional and courteous - I would happily use his services again. - Chidambaram - who works in CGH sales - attentive to my emails, prompt in response. Exceeded my expectations in adjusting elements of our car journey at short notice, arranging a guide in Thanjavur, a stop off in Chettinad (where people were expecting us). Couldn't have been more helpful and a credit to the company. I didn't get everyone's names who helped us - for example, the people who looked after our room and kept it spotless, deserve credit too. So, all in all, a wonderful stay in a truly wonderful hotel. We last stayed at Palais de Mahe in 2014 when our children were younger. At the time, it was our favourite hotel in India (and we've stayed at some swanky palaces). I was therefore a little worried that returning to it years later would not match my nostalgic recollections of the great time we had had there. However, the hotel has been kept pristine, the staff are just as friendly and we had a wonderful time there. I cannot recommend Palais de Mahe enough. #CGHEarth #MeAndeCGHEarth #PalaisdeMahe…
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Helpful
Response from Vineeth John, General Manager at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth
Responded 14 May 2023
Dear guest, Thank you for visiting us again and sharing this valuable feedback. We appreciate your loyalty and continued trust in our service. Our team here is committed to providing high-quality customer service, and we’re delighted to hear that we made a good impression on you and we will make sure this valuable feedback reaches all the staffs to give them the recognition they deserve. Looking forward to your next stay at Palais de mahe. Recommending you to visit our other beautiful locations also. Regards Dinu Ramakrishnan General Manager 9442127519 (dinu@cghearth.com) Palais de Mahe
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
I went to palais de mahe last week with my elderly parents, and I want to thank everyone there — especially Mr Amaljit, Mr Raghavan, Mr Rakesh, Ms Uma, Ms Greeshma, Ms Fatima, Mr Unni, Mr Antony, and Mr Farookh for helping us settle in and enjoy our stay in Pondi. I suffered a small wound because of a heat boil, which was taken care of by the Ayurveda staff there with crushed neem leaves and turmeric. Our chef accomodated most of our requests by including dishes my father is fond of. Loved the smoothie here and the walnut cake! Enjoyed all the curries and breads. The traditional dessert with honeyed banana is delicious! Our daily walks near the beach were possible thanks to the hotel’s proximity to the promenade. Aurobindo ashram, and lovely shops like Anokhi are all very near this beautiful hotel with high ceilings and spacious rooms. A special mention for the kind Mr Amaljit who has a soft spot for stray dogs that come looking for shelter from the sun in Pondi. :-) Thank you, Palais de Mahe! Keep rocking! …
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
Location
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.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Vineeth John, General Manager at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth
Responded 14 May 2023
Dear guest, Thank you very much for the lovely review on Palais de mahe and appreciation of the staffs, Our team here is committed to providing high-quality customer service, and we’re delighted to hear that we made a good impression on you. Looking forward to your next stay at Palais de mahe. Palais de mahe is one of the latest additions to CGH earth hotels and recommending you to visit our other beautiful locations also. Regards Dinu Ramakrishnan General Manager 9442127519 (dinu@cghearth.com) Palais de Mahe
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Welcomed with a cold sarsaparilla drink and checked into room quickly by efficient friendly staff. The room was large and very comfortable and we had a private veranda. The restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner was extremely good especially dinners at night. The only item to mention is they need to sweep the floor and clean the glass windows. Otherwise stay at this hotel you will be very happy.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: very safe area to walk around and friendly people and good shopping
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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.
Helpful
Response from Vineeth John, General Manager at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth
Responded 17 May 2023
Dear guest, Thanks for taking your time to write a review, I am very glad that you had an overall good experience at Palais de Mahe We very much feel encouraged and pleased of your gratitude Noted your concern about the cleanliness in the public areas, Necessary actions will be taken. Looking forward to your next stay Palais de mahe is one of the latest additions to CGH earth experience hotels and kindly do visit our other destinations also. Regards Dinu Ramakrishnan General Manager 9442127519 (dinu@cghearth.com) Palais de Mahe
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We were here for a weekend night and, to be honest, we were not too impressed. Firstly, the price tag doesn’t justify the experience we were offered. The rooms were a bit dreary and the lobby was quite depressing. There was nothing exciting about this property in terms of the decor or the ambience. And, it isn’t exactly a heritage property as it’s just a newer building designed to have a heritage feel. The above being said, the service was brilliant and the staffers were friendly, prompt and attentive. Thé breakfast was good too. On thé whole, it was a pretty underwhelming stay for the price.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Helpful
Response from Vineeth John, General Manager at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth
Responded 14 May 2023
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We appreciate your comments and regret to hear that you were disappointed with the value of our service. We aim to provide all of our guests with a high-quality experience, and we hope to see you again in the near future Regards Dinu Ramakrishnan General Manager 9442127519 (dinu@cghearth.com) Palais de Mahe
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PRICE RANGE
$246 - $335 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
IndiaUnion Territory of PondicherryPondicherry
NUMBER OF ROOMS
18
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Frequently Asked Questions about Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth
Which popular attractions are close to Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Nearby attractions include The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (0.2 km), Immaculate Conception Cathedral (0.4 km), and The Ganesh Garden (0.4 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a rooftop bar, free wifi, and free breakfast.
Which room amenities are available at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What food & drink options are available at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Guests can enjoy a rooftop bar, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant during their stay.
Is parking available at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Yes, valet parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Conveniently located restaurants include Zuka Choco-la, LA VILLA, and Villa Shanti.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth have airport transportation?
Yes, Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, French, Hindi, and Tamil.
Are there any historical sites close to Palais de Mahe - Cgh Earth?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Vedapureeswarar Temple, Puducherry (0.2 km), Arikamedu Archaeological Site (3.3 km), and Church Of Our Lady Of Good Health (3.6 km).