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Highlights :
This is a cultural experience
Itinerary for visiting seaside french heritage town of Pondicherry (also known for its distinct French Heritage)
and temple town / village retreat of Thiruvanamalai, heritage retreat and
temple area of Swamimalai and Heritage / Cuisine experience in Chettinad.
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Expert
Speak - This is a getaway Itinerary where idea is to explore
French heritage and rural tamilnadu while staying in comfortable
getaway resorts. Both destinations are just about 100 kms apart. |
Thiruvanamalai
- An ex-Chennai (195 kms) / Bangalore (215 kms) getaway and otherwise a temple town (known and
visited for its Arunachaleshwar Temple). Guests like to stay at Sparsa
Resort. Resort is built with a concept to give guests a feel of the
rural Tamilnadu. Choose from a range of activities such as bullock cart
rides, learning to milk a cow, Pottery making etc.
Pondicherry
- An ex-Chennai (160 kms) / Bangalore (320 kms) getaway and otherwise a town known for its
French heritage. Enjoy a walk by the promenade / Heritage bylanes of
French quarters / enjoy a quiet evening dinner at one of the several small
restaurants down the Heritage bylanes of French quarters. For a stay
there are several heritage hotels with a distinct character and charm. Maison
Perumal (CGH) is recommended for a
heritage / cuisine experience of another kind.
Swamimalai -
A unique recreation of a Brahmin village in a resort. Anandham
Swamilmalai is unique because it brings to the fore all facets of the
South Indian Village to the fore while providing modern comforts without
compromising the ambience and ethos. This is an ideal getaway for
parents to get their kids to get a first hand feel of a village and rural
ambience.
Alternative to
Anandham is Mantra Veppathur, a
more luxurious and newer resort offering a comprehensive ethnic experience
to guests.
Chettinad -
80 kms from Trichy is a Heritage village in Chettinad region where guests
the village has a number of mansions that were home to Chettiars (rich
business family in South of Tamilnadu) of Tamilnadu and even today are worth
a visit. The region is best known for its distinct cuisine and therefore a
stay here at either Visalam (CGH) or Chettinadu
Mansion is an experience in itself..
Note
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Guests from
Bangalore this is an excellent driving getaway and may require a transit stay at
the end at Yercaud (if one visits Madurai Meenakshi temple enroute).
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Guests from
Chennai this is an excellent driving getaway.
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If idea is to
round off the trip with a colonial era heritage experience then Heritance
at Madurai is recommended as it was a British club in the Raj era and
now restored to its original grandeur with its distinct heritage feel
and colonial era antiques.
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Guest looking
to Extend the experience journey could stay at Kadambavanam,
25 kms from Madurai. The resort offers a peek into Tamil culture and
heritage through craft, cuisine, village visits etc.
Distances
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Chennai -
Thiruvanamalai - 200 kms |
Thiruvanamalai
- Pondicherry - 100 kms |
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Pondicherry -
Swamimalai - 150 kms |
Swamimalai -
Chettinadu - 140 kms |
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Chettinadu -
Madurai - 90 kms |
Chettinadu -
Bangalore - 460 kms |
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Chettinadu -
Chennai - 430 kms |
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Seasonality
- Oct-March is the best time to visit the area.
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