THE FACTS ABOUT HOTEL DE L'ORIENT

India

A former French colony in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry makes for a far more tantalizing base for travellers interested in South India's spectacular and under- visited temples than the heaving city of Chennai (formerly Madras). It also has a gem of a place to stay. Hotel de L'Orient, which opened in January 2000 in an 18th-century French-style mansion, is a rare example of thoughtful, historical restoration in a country where lack of funds often necessitates shortcuts. It looks like a small-town colonial hotel in North Africa. Pondicherry, where the French flag still flies in deference to its colonial history, retains a significant Gallic presence; even the Indian staff speak French. The 14 rooms are set around an inner courtyard. A neem tree, with flowers like white confetti, rises from its centre. This is where breakfast (croissants, baguettes, very good coffee) and dinner (Creole or Tamil-French fusion) are served. There is also a small air-conditioned dining room, with damask tablecloths and antique-silver cutlery, where you can escape from the mosquitoes. The rooms all different, air-conditioned and with en-suite bathrooms are pretty and romantic. The old Chettinad plaster has been retained and the walls painted in cracked yellows, pinks and peppermint greens. Ceilings are high, doors tall and, in some rooms the beams have been left exposed. The furniture includes French colonial beds, armoires, planters' chairs, dowry chests and Art Deco lamps (the antique shops are another very good reason to visit Pondicherry). Fans whirr lazily overhead, whipping up the muslin that hangs around the beds. Except for Masulipatam, the room on the ground floor, accommodation is quiet. Some rooms have private verandas. Otherwise you can retreat to the main roof terrace and look out over French-styled boulevards on the tip of the Indian subcontinent. For a personal take on life in Pondicherry, read Sangeeta Pillai's Traveller's Tale Peace in Pondicherry. COST Doubles from about £25 CONTACT Hotel De L'Orient, 17 rue Romain Rolland, Pondicherry (00 91 413 343067; fax: 227829; email: orient1804@satyam.net.in; www.neemranahotels.com). Bookable through Abercrombie & Kent, Colours of India, Cox & Kings, Greaves Travel, Scott Dunn World, Steppes East, Western & Oriental and Worldwide Journeys and Expeditions