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421 Beach chic in
Pondicherry, india
If you're looking for a different sort of beach
break then try the stylish Dune Hotel, 15km
from Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu. Each of its
41 rooms, spread so far among the trees on its
beachfront estate that every guest is given a
complimentary bike to get around, is radically
different from the next. Many have been
decorated with artworks by the hotel's various
resident artists.
You can stay in the “Nawabi House”, its four-
poster bed surrounded by panelled wooden
screens, which make it feel as though you're
sleeping in a jewellery box. Or the two-storey
“Tower”, furnished like a New York loft with a
jacuzzi that looks out onto the Bay of Bengal.
Another has a rooftop garden, while the thatched
“Baywatch” house feels more suited to Robinson
Crusoe than Pamela Anderson. The resort's
impact on the environment is minimal, with the
rooms mostly built with reclaimed materials
- and whether you've a hot tub or an outdoor
shower, your water is heated with solar panels.
There's also plenty to do should you get tired of
the beach or infinity pool. Families can visit the
on-site organic farm that supplies the restaurant
(serving French Creole-Indian fusion cuisine)
and kids can milk the cows or play with a pair of
noisy ducks called Sonny and Cher. There's also a
catering school in the grounds training up young
people who lost their parents in the 2004 tsunami.
Or you can visit the quaint cobbled streets and
seaside villas of the French Quarter in nearby
Pondicherry, an elegant reminder that India's
colonial past wasn't just about the Raj. Whatever
you do and whichever room you sleep in, the Dune
Hotel hints that India's beach scene is no longer
just about Kerala and Goa.
Need to know The nearest train station (Villupuram)
is a 1hr taxi or rickshaw ride away, with connections
from Chennai and Bengaluru. For more on
accommodation, dining and reservations see W www.
thedunehotel.com; T +91 (0) 413 265 5751.
(Clockwise from top) Scenes at the Dune Hotel: the pool and sea; the Tower
House; Lounge at the Family House; Bath at the Gramam House
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