Chettinadu Mansion

What People are saying

A peep into Past Glory

sramnath54on 17/08/2017 11:45

Unique location close to Karaikudi. A peep into the Chettinad culture. A warm and friendly welcome to share the past glory and a museum with a collection of quaint pieces of artifacts in their daily life including a very interesting account keeping ledger. Very comfortable stay made even more memorable by a set of courteous and friendly staff . Great tasty home cooked authentic Chettinad food and a number of places to explore. Well maintained.

Authentic experience in Chettinadu

apaxe1on 16/08/2017 10:46

Wonderful setting, old Chettiar-style palace converted in luxury hotel. Amazingly decorated lobby. Internal beautiful garden
Well decorated spacious and comfortable rooms.
Friendly and professional staff.
Private pool but separated from the hotel (5 minute walk).
Nice breakfast with tasty and authentic food, served in silver plate bowls.

Wonderful lunch at a lovely mansion

alliharperon 21/04/2017 02:33

On our way from Thanjavur to Madurai our family stopped for lunch at Chettinadu Mansion in Kanadukathan, a village in which British traders built beautiful mansions. Built in 1902, this mansion is palatial with its multiple columns and arches across the front with its grand entry.

Inside there are large white and dark wood, the green and white tiled floors, and the comfortable easy chairs you just sink into.

My family was given the choice of a multi-course meal that would take three hours or a light lunch. We opted for the latter.

While our lunch was being prepared, we were ushered into a museum off to the side that gave a history of the Chettiars of the Chola empire and some memorabilia. Then we watched a video about the house, which is 100 years old, while our light lunch was being prepared.

Our lunch was wonderful a dish called korma - cooked potatoes, peas, and carrots in a coconut milk sauce with a little Indian heat. It was served with naan. All four of us ate every bite. It was delicious.

I highly recommend a visit to this mansion.

Heritage quirky rather hotel luxury

ChrisandJudy1000on 20/04/2017 10:17

The grand entrance promised a luxurious hotel. The hotel itself, though only partially restored, is quite grand but our room was disappointing.

The hotel occupies a small part of what was once a luxurious family home. Now leased to a hotelier, the lightly restored sections are historically and architecturally interesting. The room configurations have not been changed, so they are fairly small with the storage and bathroom areas more like an annex that is accessed via a short set of steps. The walls and ceilings are decoratively painted, but the general fit-out and furnishings are quite basic. The windows that would look out onto the internal courtyard have solid wooden shutters but no glass. To use the A/C (essential in the 40 degree heat we struck), the shutters had to be closed, meaning no view or natural light. The bed was comfortable. There was no fridge or TV in our room. There were two chairs outside the room on the shared balcony surrounding the courtyard. There is a small private balcony on the exterior side of the building, but it was too hot to use except in the early morning.

The bathroom was no frills basic. It was fairly clean, but a mouthwash glass was dirty and there was a layer of dust on the sills and window frames. The soap and shampoo were provided via dispensers attached to the shower wall. The basin had a cold tap only and no space to put toiletries. The A/C did not extend to the bathroom, so it was very hot. Overall, using the bathroom was not a very pleasant experience.

We ate a candle-lit dinner served in the attractive internal courtyard. The menu offered either a full traditional Chettinad meal or a limited number of more basic main courses (no entrees or deserts). We selected a chicken curry which was good without being anything extraordinary. Service was friendly and enthusiastic. Prices very reasonable.

There is a swimming pool some 200 m down the road. Not sure if it is a private or shared pool - we did not take the walk.

WiFi internet was provided and worked well. English language at reception and in the restaurant is fine, but harder if you need to talk to other staff.

Overall, staying at the Chettinadu Mansions was more of a cultural/historical experience than an exercise in hotel comfort. That may be by design, but I think that some upgrading of the room facilities would have enhanced the experience without detracting from the cultural / historical value.

Spectacular Chettinadu

408alion 15/04/2017 10:53

What a hidden gem. We were greeted in a big wedding hall with black Italian marble pillars. Our room was something else. Great decoration and vet comfortable. The pool was a short walk away. On the way we saw monkeys, cows and mansions from yesteryear. We arrived back to have dinner in the main courtyard. Amazing. Incredible hosts. Thoroughly recommend stating if you are looking for somewhere different to stay.