Gratitude

Puducherry (Pondicherry)


A wonderfully tranquil 19th-century house (no shoes, no TVs, no children), sun-yellow Gratitude has been delightfully restored. Nine individually styled rooms sprawl across two floors around a tropically shaded courtyard; a couple of them could use another dose of refurbishment, so look at a few if you can. There's a roof terrace for yoga and massages. Breakfast is delicious.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Puducherry (Pondicherry) attractions

1. École Française d'Extrême-Orient

0.07 MILES

This handsome heritage building and library is home to over 11,000 Indology books and a series of Sanskrit, Tamil and Manipravalam palm-leaf manuscripts…

2. Seafront

0.15 MILES

Pondy is a seaside town, but that doesn’t make it a beach destination; the city’s sand is a thin strip of dirty brown that slurps into a seawall of jagged…

3. Notre Dame des Anges

0.21 MILES

Looking out to sea, past a statue of Joan of Arc (opposite), Notre Dame des Anges was completed in 1855, and is arguably Pondy's most attractive church…

4. Bharathi Park

0.41 MILES

A shady green haven that's always busy, Bharathi Park faces the neoclassical governor's residence, Raj Nivas, on its north side.

5. Gandhi Memorial

0.42 MILES

The main sight along seafront Goubert Ave is this bronze striding statue of Gandhi.

6. Sacred Heart Basilica

0.42 MILES

Inaugurated in 1907, the Sacred Heart Basilica is a soaring brown-and-white neo-Gothic structure beautified by restored stained glass.

7. Old Lighthouse

0.43 MILES

Pondy's lighthouse was completed in the 1830s and functioned for more than a century before being replaced in 1979.