GMS Golden Residency

The first thing I noticed was how direct and sincere the managers were. Mr. Raguvaran and Mrs. Maitreya (the owner) listened to what clients need, explained things clearly, and followed through on what they said. I appreciated their patience and professional manner, and their attention to detail. They'll make arrangements within their means. The housekeeping team works hard, and as other reviewers on the Google reviews platform have said, the rooms are spotless. There's a refrigerator downstairs by reception with lots of cold drinks, handy on a hot afternoon. I found this family run residency in a rather plain service road area with truck and automobile repair shops around it. Despite the industrial feel, it turned out to be a peaceful place to stay. The area is good for sleeping and working, which hasn't been true of plenty of other places I've tried, including some more expensive ones. For experienced, serious travelers with high end equipment and a schedule, it's an excellent option, especially if places near Auroville aren't working out for various reasons, some covered in my other reviews. The infrastructure is damn good: industrial grade power supply machinery and UPS back up the whole building, drinking water is available on every floor, and there is parking, bike rentals, and extra room furnishing when needed, including excellent quality beds and other furnitures/matresses. There's 24/7 cctv camera security, plus basic toiletries on demand and bedding as towels. They even put a large lemon in a glass to ward off negative energy :-) The pricing is competitive. If you need a restaurant, there isn't one on the property, but the service road and main road junction near Jipmer hospital puts restaurants, supermarkets, and pharmacies within a 10 minute walk or 2 min on bike. That includes Cafe Coffee day, KFC, new biryani joints, local food outlets, and tea shops within a stones throw. Pondy main market, Providence mall, Bussy street, and White Town are less than 15 min on bike, since you can skip riding from ECR, making the trip much faster. Minor day to day things might distract you, but they never get out of proportion. If you can do without luxury for its own sake and want a solid base for more important activities, I would absolutely recommend it. I wish them all the best! An exceptional team maintaining a loyal family business tradition, with infrastructure that challenges many other venues.