Hotel Mainak

I only ended up here because my original hotel cancelled at the last minute and sent me as a substitute. For a travel enthusiast wanting a good price near Port Blair’s main attractions, I wouldn’t choose this place. The location is a big drawback. It’s in a residential area, far from the city center, sea, attractions, and markets, and finding an auto or cab nearby is difficult. The hotel is on a hilltop, so you have to walk about 500 meters uphill to the main road for an auto. Getting around is especially difficult, and I wouldn’t recommend it for elderly travellers or pregnant women. It might work if you have your own vehicle or are travelling with an agency. The rooms are quite basic, and the online photos and descriptions on Google and other websites are exaggerated. The “City View Executive” rooms look onto a narrow lane and the balconies or living rooms of apartments opposite. The higher-category rooms claimed to be “Sea View” are about 5 km from the coast, so all you can see is a tiny blue line far away on the horizon. There were some positives during my one-night stay at the end of December. The staff and service were good, and both meals we had were generous and tasty for the price. We had an early flight and missed the complimentary breakfast, but the hotel helpfully packed sandwiches, juice, chips, biscuits, and bananas for our three-hour flight. The in-house bar has reasonable prices, room service is offered, and the swimming pool was clean and well maintained, though I didn’t see anyone using it. The hotel isn’t bad, but I’d be clear-eyed about its actual standard.