Mister Madras

During one of my solo bike rides from Chennai to Coorg, I took a detour to check out Wayanad and since Coorg is just a few hours by road from there, I decided to use the small town also for a layover. A quick search told me about the limited options this tourist location has and as I was all by myself, I didn’t mind taking a risk by choosing whatever has a decent rating. iCon Residency in Kalpetta had some really good reviews and in no time, I was in Kerala via Bangalore.  iCon Residency is located on National Highway 212. Though the direction on Google Maps is accurate, finding the place was quite a challenge as it’s located past a narrow street. The hotel looks brilliant from the outside in total contrast to the otherwise old town. There’s also a decent parking space. The basic room I opted for is small when compared to average rooms but for a solo traveller, it was cos...

Hotels like Northern Suites remind us that it’s not actually that big a deal for the customers to have a perfect experience. On my way to Coorg by bike from Chennai, I stopped by at Bangalore and as a city with tons of options, I was lucky enough to spot this hidden gem. Located at Brookefields, one of the city’s best areas, I was happy to discover a place which has all the basic amenities a person travelling alone would need. To be honest, it took a lot of searching online as I needed a place that’s light on the wallet yet be comfy as possible. Considering I was all by myself, I didn’t mind being a bit adventurous and that’s how I landed here. Thankfully, they have an open space right opposite the hotel which was more than enough to park my bike. Though I was sceptical about it being an open space, I was glad that it was safe and sound when I got back the next day.  ...

For those who follow me on Instagram, they’d know how much I love Pondicherry, Auroville and of course, the drive to it from Chennai. The town has a lot to offer and is the perfect weekend getaway destination for the Chennai city dwellers. In one such visit a while ago, I got to stay at this hotel called Le Mirage. Thanks to Trip Advisor, I found this place which had some rave reviews and within the push of the accelerator, I was here for a weekend.  Le Mirage is located at the heart of the hustle and bustle of Pondy. This makes it easier for those who want to be in the centre of the city where the majority of the restaurants, bars and most of the must-visit destinations are. On the flip side, as it’s right next to the main road, they don’t have a dedicated two-wheeler or car parking. I was lucky enough to get a parking space right in front of the hotel but when I had to take it later in the eveni...

Apart from being a major tourist destination for the South of India, Madurai is also a bustling city with people running around all day long. So, when a friend and I, who were riding from Chennai needed a pit stop at the city while going to another village nearby for another friend’s wedding, we decided to stay at the outskirts of the city instead of getting into it. No place in Madurai’s outskirts is as famous as Mattuthavani – a place with one of the busiest bus stops in the state. The groom friend of ours, who is from the city, thankfully got us a room at Meenakshi’s Sunshine Hotel.  The hotel is located right behind the city’s famous hospital – Meenakshi Mission Hospital & Research Centre and as you can guess from the name, it’s owned by the same management. The hotel has a separate entrance through a street past the hospital and following Google Maps got us to the location with no issues whatsoever. The place a good parking facili...

As someone who visits Mahabs often, it is only natural that I have tried almost all the good places the town has. A short drive from Chennai, Mahabalipuram is known for his influx of tourists thanks to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram as well as the local crowd from the city for whom it’s a perfect weekend getaway. In one such trip, I got to try the Hotel Mamalla Heritage which is a name you are ought to find in every search for a place in this side of the state.    What I was surprised the instant I got into the hotel was the fact that it has umpteen number of rooms and is bigger than what it looks from the outside. There’s ample car parking space right at the front where the reception is located as well. I assume there’s a lot of variety of rooms available and as I was travelling during the peak season, I opted for their basic one which were one of the few decent options in the whole of Mahabs...

If you’re new to this side of the state, you should know that finding a decent stay at an affordable price is easier said than done when it comes to finding stays at Velankanni. The town is home to one of the most visited Roman Catholic Latin Rite shrines called the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health – a destination that people of all cultures, traditions, languages, nationality and of course, religions, visit. Not to mention the fact that thanks to being a coastal area, the town also gets a fair share of tourists. From whatever I’ve seen, the place attracts a huge chunk of people who spend a fortune to travel from different corners and their priority is to get a place as cheap as possible. To put it bluntly, this makes most of the stays in this town to be extremely pocket-friendly ones thereby making it hard to find a calm and decent place to stay. When searching for one during a recent trip, I stumbled upon Queen’s Inn thanks to Trip Advisor and decided to go ...