Need to know
Rooms
15.
Check–Out
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.
More details
Rates include Continental breakfast.
Also
Each morning, the staff prepare a kolam, or brightly coloured rice-flour illustration on the floor of the common area. Guests can join in the mesmerising artistry.
At the hotel
Library, parking, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: free bottled water, desk, safe, individually controlled air-conditioning.
Our favourite rooms
Each room is spacious, with art deco furniture, original Italian tiles and framed vintage photos of the region on the walls. Light sleepers should request a room overlooking the gardens, but those who like to watch the local goings-on should request 204, the largest room, which has a balcony overlooking the town.
Poolside
Tucked into a private courtyard with a grassy perimeter, the unheated outdoor pool is family-friendly and ideal for cooling off. A shaded veranda at one end doubles as a casual café.
Packing tips
Save plenty of room to bring back the local spices – including anise, peppercorns and kalpasi – that helped make Chettinad famous.
Also
The public spaces are wheelchair-accessible.
Children
All ages are welcome. Though there are no dedicated services, the large rooms have space for additional beds, and staff adore little ones.
Sustainability efforts
The hotel goes to extra lengths to ensure it’s as green as can be, relying on solar-powered water heaters, harvesting rainwater, recycling wastewater in its gardens and using an oxygenated treatment process to filter the pool in lieu of chlorine.