Palais de Mahé - Cgh Earth

The hotel is in a great location for many sights which are within walking distance as is the seafront. Our room was by the pool and offered a blend of modern and heritage styles.

We enjoyed the lovely rooftop restaurant and breakfast was a highlight. All the staff were very helpful, a special thank you to Nithya.

The best hotel I stayed in during my recent trip to India. Wonderful atmosphere, in spite of the cyclone, terrific room and excellent restaurant that fed me very well in spite of health problems. Very helpful staff and I could not have stayed anywhere better.

Stayed 2 nights as part of tour. Small and quiet despite located within the French quarter. With 18 rooms, all are quite spacious with all the charm,and pitfalls of an older colonial building.

Hotel staff extremely responsive and courteous. One restaurant on top floor serves all meals; food is ok. WiFi acceptable.

Rooms are clean and housekeeping does a great job keeping standards. Overall facility would be 3 star but service definitely is 4.

Wonderful experience. The staff is outstanding. The restaurant is outstanding. Everybody was really helpful. The rooms are very, very nice spacious and comfortable.

This was one of our favorite hotels we have stayed in. Ambiance, food, friendliness of staff- everything was perfect. We loved the elegant decor and spacious room. Food was so nice the first night we decided to have all our meals there. We have travelled a bit in India and usually stay at the larger luxury chains but we now think we will always stay at the CGH properties. We want to come back to pondicherry just to stay in this hotel!

The stay at this property is excellent.
Friendly and helpful staff!
Easy checking.
Clean and comfortable period room with a pool view.
Very comfortable bed.
Fully functioning A/C.
Washroom and shower worked properly and are aesthetically pleasing.
Well-supplied minibar is convenient.
The area is wonderful. It is only a 3 minute walk to the seawall, and a 10 minute walk to the Gandhi Memorial and the Lighthouse.
The restaurant serves delicious Indian meals and proper western dishes. The breakfasts are great!
This is definitely a good value.

We stayed in this old colonial building as part of a tour group. We had a ground floor room directly adjacent to the small pool.

The room was large, clean and well appointed. Very comfortable.

Breakfast was included and was interesting in that the selection appeared to change each day. Ordering was from a blackboard. The restaurant was on the 2nd floor and open to the elements fairly well when we were there. Which was nice.

There's also a small bar on the same floor. My wife had a red wine which was served cold. Interesting. My pina colada was fine.

Front of house staff were helpful and friendly.

Tipping is not done for individuals but a tip to be shared by all staff can be left in a box at reception. Great idea.

Our stay was amazing! Highly recommend!

The staff was incredible. Every person went out of their way to make us feel cared for. A special shout out to Ambarish & Santish at the front deck who were incredibly warm. The manager of the property was also very kind and attentive. Our driver Ambrose was fantastic. Always on time and full of local insights.

Sayanthan at the bar made each evening feel special.

Our room was so tastefully designed and had all the right amenities. Every corner of the hotel exemplified care and cleanliness.

And the food...OMG...was incredible. Every meal was a masterpiece. Chef Jagdeesh would come out and personally checked on the guests to make sure everyone was well-fed. He had a very humble and sweet demeanor too. The food was so good that we couldn't resist signing up for a cooking class, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.

The spa deserves some special kudos. We indulged in treatments every day, and the staff were simply the best. The ayurvedic treatments and massages were some of the best we have ever had.

As two women traveling together, we felt completed safe and cared for.

The hotel attracts lovely guests as well which made the whole atmosphere amazing.

There is also great nearby shopping like Anokhi and Chintz.

Palais de Mahe gave us memories we'll truly cherish forever. It was a trip of a lifetime filled with kindness, comfort, and joy. We can't wait to come back. And next time bringing the whole family.

Enjoyed our stay. We were very well looked after by a caring crew. At all times we were greeted with so many smiles ! Enthusiasm to speak about history or help to suggest a guide or hail a taxi were contagious. Felt always pampered during our 3 night stay.

I visited this property in September 17-20 ‘2025. Staff here is very very cooperative. CGH culture clearly visible. I will strongly recommend the travellers to stay here and enjoy the stay and food.
Adequate food variety in the menu to choose from. Try South Indian meals during lunch.
Since property is located near Rock beach one can easily reach beach and experience the sea breeze.

No more word - I am extremely satisfied and looking forward to visit this place again.

Few names worth mentioning

Reception Shyam Abhimanyu Jyoshna Fakhru

F & B Saroj Nitya Shantvanu

Kitchen SitaNitu Antony Tamizh Chef Kadir Vidya

They all are there smiling and keep warmth during your stay.

Top notch hospitality with friendly helpful staff. Definitely recommend this hotel for a relaxing stay. Accessible to nearby activities.

Though it’s a newly constructed hotel, it follows a vintage architecture very earnestly - the high ceiling, the colonial furniture, and grand father clocks all reminiscent of the rich history of Pondicherry. Staff, at front desk and restaurant are very courteous without being overbearing. Overall we had a lovely time and our three year old enjoyed the stay in “hotel house” very much!

Excellent Property is very quite, neat and clean. Staff are very friendly are very helpful.
Property is located near to rock beach. Food quality of restaurant is Good.
great options for breakfast.

Very charming centrally located boutique hotel. Comfortable well equipped rooms, lovely surroundings, and very attentive and friendly staff, especially Shyam and Joshyna

There is a lot to like about Palais de Mahe. The location is fantastic, the property is beautifully renovated and has the signature CGH Earth touches throughout, the staff is lovely, the food is good, and the pool is great. However, as of August 2025, they appear to be working on a major expansion of the hotel, the result of which is horrendously loud construction starting *before 8am* and making the public spaces of the hotel unusable on occasion. Even more surprising is the complete lack of heads up or acknowledgment from the property about the noise and disruption. I am a regular in Pondicherry and in many ways this is one of the best hotels I’ve stayed at here. I would love to stay here again— but the lack of communication from the hotel about the noise makes me hesitant. What if I return to be surprised by some other significant disruptive issue? TripAdvisor doesn’t allow video uploads but I measured the sound levels at around 90 decibels, to give you a sense of exactly how loud the construction is.

This is a lovely hotel in a great part of town - right next to the beach and promenade. The food is amazing and the staff is really good.
However, the hotel occupies half of a larger building. And the remaining half is currently undergoing significant renovation. I'm talking about power tools, drills and hammering - everyday starting from 9am till the afternoon. The sound was so loud that it was difficult to hear anyone talk. And the cacophony wasn't limited to the rooms - you could hear the noise from the dining area, pool area etc. I talked to management but all they said was that the construction was not under their control, and that they couldn't do anything about it.
Don't get me wrong - this is a great hotel and you absolutely should visit it. But make sure you don't set foot in it until the renovation is complete!

A very nice boutique hotel. Cosy and tasteful decor. One feels at peace inside the property. Very well located close to the beach and sea. Nice indoor swimming pool. Courteous and professional staff. Rooms are spacious. Breakfast spread is excellent.

However, need to improve the food, which was not so good.

Extremely friendly staff and and a great colonial design

Great stay. Great hotel. Staff (especially Adrien) are super polite, professional, and helpful. One of the best hotel stays I have ever had.

This Hotel is very close to the beach promenade. Rooms are spacious. Swimming is good. Good breakfast. Staff are courteous. Overall we had a wonderful stay.