Hotel or guesthouse recommendations in Pondicherry

Swades guest-house, really nice, with a pleasant terrace. We stayed there in 2019

If you're staying in Pondicherry for a while, there's also "Le Rêve Bleu," run by a French woman. She rents out rooms in this lovely house and lives a little further away, so you can use the dining room, kitchen, etc. That way, you don’t have to go out to eat for every meal.

That said, we went there a long time ago—worth checking if it’s still the same!

There you go...

but no longer exists

The "Rêve Bleu" has been closed for several years now! Everything has changed in Pondicherry!

What a shame!!! We have such great memories of it...

Yes, it's a shame all these great places are disappearing... More and more hotels (not the same prices or the same friendliness)

If you're staying in Pondicherry for a while, there's also "Le Rêve Bleu," run by a French woman. She rents out rooms in this lovely house and lives a little further away, so you can use the dining room, kitchen, etc. That way, you don’t have to go to restaurants for every meal. That said, we went there a long time ago—no idea if it’s still the same... Anyway, that’s all...

Hi Anne, it seems you’re not aware that Pondicherry has changed *a lot* over the past 6 to 8 years. It’s nothing like what you must have known... It’s no longer a destination worth visiting at all... Take a look at the asker’s profile... as well...

True, I haven’t been back to Pondicherry since 2019—I didn’t realize it had changed so much. The COVID crisis must’ve really shaken things up...

Indeed, I haven’t been back to Pondicherry since 2019—I didn’t realize it had changed so much. COVID must’ve really shaken things up...

People blame COVID for a lot of the changes we’re seeing in many areas these days. I don’t think COVID had anything to do with the changes in Pondicherry. We need to look elsewhere for the reasons... Maybe Xiongmao, who lived in Pondicherry for a long time, could shed some light on this?

So what happened in Pondicherry, then?

The rise of domestic tourism?

The rise of domestic tourism?

among other things!!

The rise of domestic tourism?

Among other things!!

Among other things? You seemed to be telling me in private that it was the MAIN reason...😉

"among other things" = a number of Indian citizens from the North are turning to tourism. On weekends, Pondy is overrun by people coming from Bangalore and Chennai in big sedans! Traffic becomes very difficult and parking impossible. There are no parking lots to handle this phenomenon, and Pondicherrians are lamenting the situation... No government foresight! "among other things" = Covid, which saw the departure of many expats and associations.... Pondicherry is becoming the Nice or Saint-Tropez for wealthy Indians! But the infrastructure needs to keep up!

"entre autres" = many Indian citizens from the North are turning to tourism. On weekends, Pondy is overrun by people coming from Bangalore and Chennai in big sedans! Traffic becomes very difficult, and parking is impossible. There are no parking lots to handle this phenomenon, and Pondicherrians are unhappy about the situation... No government foresight! "entre autres" = Covid, which saw the departure of many expats and associations.... Pondicherry is becoming the Nice or St. Tropez for wealthy Indians! That is, if the infrastructure can keep up!

Hi Colette, I understand you, and thanks for confirming here what you’d already explained to me. To cheer you up—is it really cheering you up?—Pondicherry isn’t the only place going through this change. Personally, I see this trend slowly but surely reaching some small towns—and beaches—in Kerala, including the area where I live six months out of the year. Especially on "my" beach, which is still wild but not for much longer... Just recently, we were denied access to a small island known for its unique ecosystem and wildlife on a Saturday because it’s now closed on weekends due to the high number of visitors.

Hello there, Any hotel or guesthouse you’d recommend in Pondicherry? Arriving on October 5th for up to 15 days.

Hi, I can arrange a private house for you, a 20-minute walk from the sea. Two air-conditioned bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom on the first floor, a terrace, another air-conditioned bedroom with a bathroom, a kitchen, and a large living room on the ground floor. Let me know if you’d like more details. What’s your budget? Thanks.

No ads for your guesthouse!!!! Anyway, the thread starter never came back. And as I suspected from the start, it was a hoax. https://voyageforum.com/membres/guerlain1965 Unless it was you who started this discussion just to drop your ad later while playing innocent?

I think these aren’t hoaxes but, as you also suggest, fake requests used as an excuse to share a driver’s or agency’s contact info. You go to the trouble of writing a detailed reply, while the person who asked just drops a bogus question and never comes back. Then, as if by magic, someone shows up to share an address in what’s clearly disguised advertising.

There was something similar recently with a weird request for a Rajasthan circuit and tour operator—VF (yes, the man himself 😄) even chimed in to promote an agency. Meanwhile, my long, detailed answer went completely unnoticed, since that clearly wasn’t what they were after 😅

Is this the new VF vibe?

Yikes! You’ve gotta be careful!

Ouch! You’ve gotta be careful!

I’ve been saying this for a while, but no one believes me... Between fake profiles and fake messages...

Hey Pagal

There was a similar one recently about a weird request for a circuit and tour operator in Rajasthan where VF (yes, him himself 😄) came to promote an agency. However, my long, detailed response was left unanswered—obviously, that wasn’t what was expected 😅 Is this the new VF vibe?

Unfortunately, yes, this is the new VF vibe A recent post where I criticized the practices of an agency endorsed by VF was deleted. Meanwhile, the ad for the agency stayed up. As Xiongmao said, we’ve got to stay sharp!

Hey Pagal

There was a similar one recently about a weird request for a Rajasthan circuit and tour operator, where VF (yes, him himself 😄) came to promote an agency. However, my long, detailed response went unnoticed because, obviously, that wasn’t what was expected 😅 Is this the new VF vibe?

A recent post where I criticized the practices of an agency endorsed by VF was deleted. Meanwhile, the ad for the agency stayed up.

Oh!

Hello,

Hello/Good evening Any hotel or guesthouse you’d recommend in Pondicherry? Arriving on October 5th for up to 15 days

Hi, I can get you a private house, a 20-minute walk from the sea. Two air-conditioned bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom on the first floor, a terrace, one air-conditioned bedroom with a bathroom, a kitchen, and a large living room on the ground floor. Let me know if you’d like more details. What’s your budget? Thanks

No ads for your guesthouse!!!! Anyway, the thread starter never came back. And as I suspected from the start, it was a hoax. https://voyageforum.com/membres/guerlain1965 Unless it was you who started this discussion, just to drop your ad later while playing innocent?

I think you’re absolutely right. What’s more, the description of the accommodation reminds me of those some unscrupulous expats for professional reasons don’t hesitate to illegally rent out or sublet—even though the cost of said accommodation, usually comfortable, is fully covered (including additional fees) by the foreign company that sent them abroad.