Villa Shanti - Heritage Hotel for Foodies

Hotels
8.5 (283 reviews)
14, Suffren Street , Puducherry , in

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Children allowed

Facilities

Health or beauty spa nearby
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Restaurant
Terrace
Luggage storage
Express check-in/check-out
Ironing service
Massage services
Shuttle service (additional charge)
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Great location
Friendly staff
Good food
Cons:
Breakfast variety
Value for money concerns

Categories

Cleanliness
8.14
The room was clean and nicely decorated.
Service
9.11
Friendly and attentive staff, excellent hospitality.
Location
9.15
Great location, very close to the Rock Beach.
Room Quality
8.1
Spacious and well-appointed rooms, but some concerns with room layout.
Amenities
8.63
Standard quality for this hotel tier.
Value for Money
7.59
Not worth the price due to missing basic toiletries.
Food and Beverage
8.64
Food was generally good, though breakfast could be improved.
Overall Experience
8.61
Overall very nice stay with some minor drawbacks.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2025-12-08 17:07

Property Description

Prime Location and Comfortable Accommodation
Villa Shanti, nestled in the charming old French town along Suffren Street, offers a cozy retreat just moments away from the renowned Promenade Beach. The spacious air-conditioned rooms, adorned with elegant wooden furnishings, ensure a comfortable stay with modern amenities such as a personal safe, satellite TV, and minibar.

Convenient Services and Facilities
Guests at Villa Shanti can enjoy a range of convenient services including 24-hour front desk assistance, free Wi-Fi access, and options for luggage storage, laundry, and ironing. The tour desk is readily available for travel assistance, and airport transfers can be arranged for a hassle-free stay.

Culinary Delights and Nearby Attractions
Indulge in a culinary journey at the in-house restaurant offering a delightful mix of Indian and Continental cuisines, or unwind with snacks and cocktails at the café bar. With key attractions like the Old Church and Pondicherry Airport in close proximity, Villa Shanti is the perfect choice for a memorable stay in Pondicherry.

Book now for an unforgettable experience at Villa Shanti!

Important information:

Guests are requested to note that there is no elevator access.Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
Payment before arrival by bank transfer is required. The property will contact you after you book to provide instructions.
Guests under the age of 18 can only check in with a parent or official guardian.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Airport code: MAA

Property Policies

  • Internet

    WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.

  • Parking

    No parking available.

  • Pets

    Pets are not allowed.

  • Children and extra bed policy

    Children of any age are allowed.
    Children up to and including 5 years old stay for free when using an existing bed.
    Children from 6 years old to 12 years old stay for Rs. 2,000 per person per night when using an existing bed.
    Adults stay for Rs. 2,500 per person per night when using an available extra bed.
    You haven't added any cots.
    Any type of extra bed or child's cot/crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management.
    Supplements are not calculated automatically in the total costs and will have to be paid for separately during your stay.

Location

Guest Reviews

8.5
Based on 283 reviews
Cleanliness: 8.14
Service: 9.11
Location: 9.15
Room Quality: 8.1
Amenities: 8.63
Value for Money: 7.59
Food and Beverage: 8.64
Overall Experience: 8.61
S
Steven • couple • gb
10
Pros:

Clean, heritage style property, big room and terrace.

Cons:

Nothing

2026-02-10 • via Nuitee
Y
YogaLife Coaching with Jenny • couple • us
10
Wonderful
Pros:

Big room, great water pressure in shower, excellent fans and AC, delish breakfast options! Super friendly and helpful staff

Cons:

Dining service could use some improvement.

2026-02-09 • via Nuitee
D
DE GAILLANDE • couple • nc
8
Agréable séjour
Pros:

La chambre est joliment meublée et confortable.
Le personnel est serviable et le cadre est agréable.
Bon petit déjeuner.

Cons:

Le restaurant est au centre de l hotel; lorsque nous y étions nous entendions le bruit des conversations le soir.

2026-01-28 • via Nuitee
J
Jane • couple • au
9
Loved your staff all so helpful and kind. Especially Fazouti ( not sure of spelling. Very pretty girl ). She was excell
Pros:

Great location

Cons:

A bit noisy at times

2026-01-26 • via Nuitee
N
Narendra • couple • in
8
It was a nice stay which gave us a real feel of the old times of the French Town.
Pros:

Reception at the front office was warm. Staff is helpful. Food is good. It is a reasonably well maintained old/ heritage property. It is like staying in a house. The Bar cum lounge has good books kept for reading. Location is very convenient, and one can walk to all French Town attractions very easily. There are many restaurants available on walkable distances.

Cons:

The room we were allotted was right on the ground floor and the door opened almost into the courtyard / passage where they run a restaurant hence seat their guests. The room had no scope to keep the windows open or even the door since there was crowd outside and no privacy. The room was a confined cabin lacking any openness. When I requested for a room on an upper floor they made me realize that those rooms were priced more. I felt that this should have become apparent to me when I booked my room on Booking.com but it wasn't described so. Since we chose to stay in a heritage villa converted to a Hotel we accepted that we cannot expect it to be like a purpose-built Hotel. Being a small property, there are no amenities available (Gym, Swiming pool) on site and they advise you to walk to their adjoining Hotel where these amenities can be enjoyed.

2026-01-26 • via Nuitee
C
Clelia • solo_traveller • fr
10
2026-01-24 • via Nuitee
B
Bipin Lakshmanan • couple • in
10
2026-01-22 • via Nuitee
A
Alan • couple • gb
8
Great location but poor value.
Pros:

Great location, clean, friendly staff, great food and breakfast, large rooms, relatively quiet.

Cons:

Expensive room rate for area. Same price as a 5 star hotel in Chennai with club lounge access! Room are basic. Not sure why such small TVs in the room. Better with no TV than small 19” ones

2026-01-22 • via Nuitee
H
Helene Holland • couple • gb
8
Un très chic séjour!
Pros:

We loved the location within walking distance of the Promenade, parks, shops, cafés and restaurants. Staff were all brilliant, but special thanks to Subhajit and Raji, who organised our upgrade from Rm 2 on the ground floor to Rm 12 on the second floor, where it was quieter and more private.

The bed in No.2 was softer and more comfortable, and the showers were among the best we've had in 2-mths of travel, though No.12 had slightly more pressure. We enjoyed a delicious fresh breakfast each morning, and the restaurant's reputation for great food is justifiably deserved. Cleaning staff did an excellent job of keeping everything clean and sparkling. A wonderful place!

Cons:

We loved the privacy of Rm.12 at the end behind the palm tree, though the bed was too firm for our ageing bones!

2026-01-21 • via Nuitee
F
Frank • couple • gb
10
History and modern comfort provided by a dynamic young team
2026-01-20 • via Nuitee
L
Lakshmi • extended_group • in
3
Sad and exploited
Pros:

The hotel was near the beach at white town..

Cons:

The Hotel was extremely overpriced for the facilities provided while other hotels nearby had more value for the money. There was no lift we had to climb 2 stairs of flight. There was not even basic amenities like tooth brush.. The complementary breakfast was sad. A staff in the restaurant Was overly friendly. And we left something of ours at the restaurant and when went back and asked they said they didn’t find it. It was summer and the ac in the room was very old and did not cool properly.

2026-01-19 • via Nuitee
L
Lesley • couple • gb
7
Pros:

Great location, heritage property

Cons:

Mosquitos in my room, and I got food poisoning!

2026-01-19 • via Nuitee
S
Susan • couple • us
5
Pros:

The hotel is well-situated right in the center of White Town and a short walk to the beach. The staff was very accomodating and helpful in arranging excursions and activities. The room was very large.

Cons:

We were asked to pay a higher rate than what we had booked. It was explained that this was due to the exchange rate. After a lengthy conversation with the receptionist, the manager intervened and suggested that we pay in local currency instead. We did, paying what Booking had quoted. It is a heritage hotel with no lobby. The restaurant/bar is in the courtyard and has strong ceiling fans, but no air-conditioning. We decided to have dinner somewhere else because of that. All in all we were very disappointed. It was highly over-priced -- our most expensive hotel in India (although it was over New Year's Eve) and our least favorite.

2026-01-19 • via Nuitee
A
ALAIN • solo_traveller • fr
5
Excellent restaurant , mais je ne recommanderais pas l’hôtel
Pros:

Excellent restaurant! Cuisine variée , bien réalisée

Cons:

LE BRUIT! Les bruits du patio remontent!Impossible de dormir avant la fin du service à minuit…
Literie des chambres très dure
Équipement de la salle de bains inexistant

2026-01-18 • via Nuitee
K
Kiran • couple • gb
9
Excellent
Pros:

Very spacious, breakfast excellent, staff excellent

Cons:

Foot massage booked was disappointing

2026-01-17 • via Nuitee
A
Anjana • family_with_children • in
10
2026-01-12 • via Nuitee
S
Steve • couple • gb
9
Excellent choice
Pros:

The ambiance, the staff , the rooms and the breakfast

Cons:

N/A

2026-01-10 • via Nuitee
R
Richa • couple • in
1
2026-01-07 • via Nuitee
M
Mark • couple • us
10
Truly the best of Pondicherry!
Pros:

The hotel is very centrally located in the French area, “White Town” and the staff were absolutely amazing and friendly – they felt like family by the time we left Pondicherry. (A shout out to Stalin, our bartender, who was incredible).

The restaurant is in the central courtyard of the building and was almost the best food we had in Pondicherry. (The very best place was La Villa, also owned by the owner of Villa Shanti).

Cons:

The beds were harder than we liked.

2026-01-06 • via Nuitee
P
Petros • couple • gb
9
2026-01-03 • via Nuitee