Saffron Vilva

After we arrived, there was nobody at the hotel. I called the number and was told no rooms were available, and they couldn't say when the occupied rooms would be vacant. They said it was a long weekend and rooms were given on a first-come basis. So what was the point of a confirmed booking? I had booked through agoda, where payment was supposed to be made at the property. The property kept sending messages through agoda asking me to pay half to a gpay number. I called using the number provided, and they confirmed I could pay at check-in and shouldn't send anything to that number. It was a long weekend and most hotels were full, so this was a very bad experience. Don't book here for a long weekend.

I've never written a hotel review while I was still staying there, but I had to say something about this one. Best stay I've had! It's easy to get to the bus stop, the place is properly clean, and the staff are so kind. I'd rather stay here than go exploring Pondy. Whenever I'm back in Pondy, I'll choose this place again. ❤️

Even though our booking was confirmed, they wouldn't let us into their villa and told us to go to another hotel. They didn't respond until we pushed them for an answer, and then sent us more than 12 km away on a rainy day. The hotel they named, Hotel Suba Lakshmi, wasn't even in Pondicherry. They sent us into Tamil Nadu, around 10 km from Auroville. You can google it. They didn't take the rain into account at all, and were arrogant and unresponsive. One of the worst hotel stays I've had.

The location is quite far from the city, about a 40-minute round trip from white town at peak time, though it was pleasant if you want to be away from the crowds. The rooms were very clean and well kept, and I liked the house's simple architecture. The manager didn't provide soap, toiletries, or even a hand towel, which seemed odd. Still, it was a nice stay overall. I'd rate the rooms 5, services 3, and location 3.