“In a group of people for whom everything is sacred, and for whom what is not sacred may at any moment become so, fabulous stories are told by the handful.”
Jean-Claude Carrière, Dictionnaire amoureux de l’Inde
The village’s first charm hotel
This was the first charm hotel in Mahābalipuram — magnificent in the past, but badly aged for lack of upkeep, like many hotels in India. The rooms are moderately clean (the bathrooms, however, are clean). The location is excellent and very quiet, with a superb garden that runs down to the ocean, close to the Shore Temple, and a lovely shaded, well-kept pool. Some rooms have balconies, but none with an ocean view. The staff is a little slow, and you need some patience for the hot water.
Coordinates and prices
Ottavadai Cross Street, Mahābalipuram 603 104, Tamil Nadu · tel. +91 44 114 430 035 · seabreezehotel@hotmail.com.
Prices: from 4000 Rs (garden view) to 5500 Rs (pool view) depending on the room, + 12.75% tax. An annexe is available at 1500 Rs/day (with pool access).
Services
Free Wi-Fi, parking, gift shop, restaurant (breakfast is passable — you eat better elsewhere), pool. Note: booking by email, like the airport transfer, is not always reliable.