Colonial Heritage in Pondicherry: "great location, mediocre service" Top 5 Page for this destination India Hotel Tip by MichaelFalk1969

My judgement on the Colonial Heritage - Villa is mixed. The location is excellent and only a short way from the major sights of Pondicherry, in a quiet street of the historic quarter. The villa itself is beautiful and decorated with plenty of Tamil artwork, and the rooms are very nice, too, with pretty stained-glass windows (although the mosquito net was useless due to huge holes in it - I got bitten many times). The breakfast was OK for the perfectly reasonable price of around 2.000 Rs. per night, but with just the tiniest slice of butter and a little drop of marmalade. So Colonial Heritage could have been a great experience if the staff had not been the most disinterested and bored I met during a two-month India journey. The only thing they bothered with was handing me the keys and reminding me of the registration form I had to fill in, and then I was basically left alone. Even in cheaper places I stayed in South India, normally there would be a staff member offering a cup of tea, handing out a free map, giving some advice on what to see and do. Another typical example of their lack of motiovation: a staff member points out that a taxi I had ordered is on the way. I wait in plain view of the staff for the taxi. Only after 15 minutes wait I asked if the taxi will arrive soon, the one member of the staff that spoke halfway understandable English said "it has already arrived and is waiting". Also, I overheard staff members bickering amongst each other over "a stupid guest" during breakfast, so every tourist at the breakfast tables could listen to them argueing. Sum-up: Great location, but the unfriendliest service I encountered in South India.

Comparison: less expensive than average
Price: US$20-40
Theme: Bed and Breakfast