I'm looking for recommendations on accommodations in Chennai. My family/extended family will be there for approximately 5-6 weeks this fall and we are interested in renting something that is walkable to markets/grocery and in a safe area.
Has anyone here lived in India or spent extensive time in Chennai who could provide recommendations? Thanks!
If I were staying in a hotel, it would be the Hyatt. We stayed in a service apartment, but it wasn't in a walkable area. There are a lot of expats in Alwarpet, so that is probably a promising area. The quality of service apartments will vary dramatically; I would expect to pay at least $1500/week for a reasonable one - insane.
If I were staying in a hotel, it would be the Hyatt. We stayed in a service apartment, but it wasn't in a walkable area. There are a lot of expats in Alwarpet, so that is probably a promising area. The quality of service apartments will vary dramatically; I would expect to pay at least $1500/week for a reasonable one - insane.
Oh boy. We're looking to rent 2, maybe 3 in the same facility. We'll need them a minimum of 45 days, but probably longer. Any other recommendations on lodging? I'm having a hard time thinking outside of my "American" box for ideas - thanks for the info on the hyatt.
I've been to Chennai twice -- once we stayed with family and last fall we stayed at the Leela Palace for a wedding, so I'm not much help with that. But have you been to India before? The cities aren't necessarily walkable, at least none of the areas in any of the cities I've been to. Crossing streets is tough due to traffic, sidewalks aren't in good shape, etc. Chennai does have Uber, so it's cheap and easy to get around by car. So if I were you I wouldn't worry too much about that.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
mdgirl - no, we have not visited before. It's a very long, complicated story of why we are going - but just want to be in an area that is close to a market/grocery and pretty safe for us & folks who have never really traveled outside of their own (other) country.
Post by alleinesein on Jul 1, 2015 14:24:01 GMT -5
I've been to Chennai once but have lived in other parts of India (Mumbai and Bangalore).
I stayed at the Taj Clubhouse; its close to the US Consulate and there is a huge mall a few minutes away. It is geared more towards the business traveler but you can typically get a room there for INR 5000 a night. There are other Taj properties in Chennai and if you contact them you should be able to negotiate a rate for an extended stay,
You do not want to walk around in Chennai. Its hot and humid and utterly miserable. Sidewalks throughout India are non-existent and traffic doesn't allow you to stroll along leisurely. And you will spend a ton of time watching where you step since the surface can be uneven and you have to dodge piles of trash, puddles, etc.
Outside of Mumbai the main form of transportation in India is the rickshaw. You can still get a cab but you will need to use an app (Ola and Meru are 2 big ones) or rely on Uber. Haggling with rickshaw drivers is a PITA and a lot of the drivers love to rip off tourists. Chennai does have a Metro but when I was in Chennai last fall it appeared to still be under construction.
There are a few Auchans (grocery chain) in Chennai. Its similar to a Wal-Mart or Target; in addition to groceries you also have clothing, housewares, etc. They carry a few imported items and prices are much cheaper than stores that cater to expats.
If you are going to need a cell phone be prepared to jump through a few hoops to obtain a SIM card. It is difficult to get a SIM card if you are not an Indian national. Airtel does have a 30 day tourist SIM card that you can get at the airport when you arrive. You will need to provide 2 passport photos, a permanent address in your country of residence, your passport, an unlocked cell phone and cash. You can get an unlocked phone in India but you will need to pay cash for it; the majority of the stores will not let you purchase one with a foreign credit card (I found this out when my travel cell died and I needed to get a replacement and had issues paying at the Nokia store).
Since you have never been be prepared for culture shock. Everything you have heard about India is true but the opposite is also true. It smells, its dirty, its noisy (although I found chennai to be on the quiet side) and its chaotic. You will either love it or hate it; I have yet to meet someone who is just okay with it.
If you will be there in the fall you will probably overlap with some Hindu festivals (Ganesh Chaturthi is typically at the end of August/beginning of September and Diwali can fall in October or November). October 2nd is Gandhi's birthday and it is a national holiday. The individual Indian states also have their own holidays. In some states you cannot purchase alcohol on holidays and depending on the holiday things will be closed. Shops and restaurants also tend to be closed on fridays until midday if they are owned by Muslims; they have service at the mosque on fridays.
South of Chennai there are some cool things to visit. Definitely take a weekend trip down to Mamallapuram to check out the monuments. There is also an outdoor museum/park called Dakshinachitra that features houses from other parts of India and cultural performances.
A few other random tips- always carry some kleenex with you. Its not unusual to walk into a bathroom and find no toilet paper or paper towels. Bring a small flashlight; power outages are very common in India and during my 48 hours in Chennai we lost power 5 times. Bring a few small collapsible shopping bags (like a baggu) with you; shops will charge you for bags so its easier to have your own. Zomato and Burrp are good resources for finding restaurants. Bring a pair of shoes that you dont mind throwing away; you may hit the tail end of monsoon season and you will want a pair of shoes that you don't mind getting wet. Bring an umbrella. If you have stomach issues you may want to bring some alka-seltzer and pepto bismol with you.
You might want to see what options are available on Airbnb or VRBO. I know that there are some monthly rentals on Airbnb.
If you have any other general questions ask away.
I'm having a hard time with converting Lakhs to USD. On the housing web site i'm reviewing (magicbricks) I can't figure out the conversion when it comes to 20-90 lakhs vs 1.3 lakhs.
You might want to see what options are available on Airbnb or VRBO. I know that there are some monthly rentals on Airbnb.
If you have any other general questions ask away.
I'm having a hard time with converting Lakhs to USD. On the housing web site i'm reviewing (magicbricks) I can't figure out the conversion when it comes to 20-90 lakhs vs 1.3 lakhs.
Any ideas? Google isn't helping me much either.
1 lakh = 100,000 (1 crore = 10,000,000) It is just their numbering system. So 20 lakh is 2,000,000 and 20 lakh Rs = 2,000,000 Rs = about $33,000.
I'm having a hard time with converting Lakhs to USD. On the housing web site i'm reviewing (magicbricks) I can't figure out the conversion when it comes to 20-90 lakhs vs 1.3 lakhs.
Any ideas? Google isn't helping me much either.
1 lakh = 100,000 (1 crore = 10,000,000) It is just their numbering system. So 20 lakh is 2,000,000 and 20 lakh Rs = 2,000,000 Rs = about $33,000.
Okay - this makes sense. Once you are at "99" lakh, it switches to crore??? Sorry for all of the dumb questions - trying to wrap my head around it!
You might want to see what options are available on Airbnb or VRBO. I know that there are some monthly rentals on Airbnb.
If you have any other general questions ask away.
I'm having a hard time with converting Lakhs to USD. On the housing web site i'm reviewing (magicbricks) I can't figure out the conversion when it comes to 20-90 lakhs vs 1.3 lakhs.
Any ideas? Google isn't helping me much either.
Yeah...the Lakh and Crore thing is a bit confusing.
Easiest way to remember what a Crore is- they have the show Who Wants to be a Crorepati on tv. Its the Indian version of who wants to be a Millionaire. Crorepati=Millionaire. Crore=Million
Right now 1 Lakh- USD $1580 1 Crore- USD $15808
If they just used the same number notation that the rest of the world uses it would be easier. 100,000 is familiar, 1,00,000 is not!
We have figured out we will most likely be in the T. Nagar area of town and are now trying to determine lodging. We'd love to find two apartments/condos to rent. One for each family. I've looked on air bnb and there are plenty of options, just none really that look like there are multiple units in the same building available.
Post by alleinesein on Jul 16, 2015 22:26:16 GMT -5
How many people are traveling and how many rooms do you need?? If you need lodging for more than 10 people you are going to really hard pressed to find multiple units in the same complex. There are plenty of places on Airbnb that have 4-10 bedrooms and can accommodate 16+ people. There is even a beachside villa that can sleep up to 30 people in its 8 bedrooms.
How many people are traveling and how many rooms do you need?? If you need lodging for more than 10 people you are going to really hard pressed to find multiple units in the same complex. There are plenty of places on Airbnb that have 4-10 bedrooms and can accommodate 16+ people. There is even a beachside villa that can sleep up to 30 people in its 8 bedrooms.
I will PM you today - it is kind of complicated . Prob right at 10 people
How many people are traveling and how many rooms do you need?? If you need lodging for more than 10 people you are going to really hard pressed to find multiple units in the same complex. There are plenty of places on Airbnb that have 4-10 bedrooms and can accommodate 16+ people. There is even a beachside villa that can sleep up to 30 people in its 8 bedrooms.
I will PM you today - it is kind of complicated . Prob right at 10 people
Family always is! One thing to keep in mind is that apartments and houses can be huge in India. My friends house in Chennai is 8000 square ft for 5 people. My apartment in Bangalore was 4 bed/5 bath with private balconies for every bedroom and it was 4000 square ft. Lots of space! We had 11 people in our place and you could still have some privacy. Just make sure that whatever place you find has A/C...you definitely need it in Chennai!
Not sure if you found a place to rent yet, but I live in chennai part of the year and belong to the local OWC - overseas women's club - and could put you in touch with someone who may be able to help. -Jen
Not sure if you found a place to rent yet, but I live in chennai part of the year and belong to the local OWC - overseas women's club - and could put you in touch with someone who may be able to help. -Jen
we just sent off for our visas today! We are renting a serviced apartment. I'll take any recommendations on places to visit/restaurants, etc. Any tips are most helpful!
What kinds of food do you all like? Here is a list of places we go regularly: Thai food- Benjarong on TTK road Korean food - InSeoul on TTK road Dim sum - XO at the Leela or the Chinese restaurant at the Taj Coromandel Pastas/burgers/salads -Ciclo cafe in Kottupuram Multi-cuisine - Amethyst on Whites Road or Sandy's cafe in Nungambakkam (near Khader Nawaz Khan Road) PM me if you want any other recommendations or if you need a local contact while you're here. We travel a lot, so if I'm not in town, I'd be happy to connect you to other expats in the area
We are wrapping up our trip here - I may extend a few more days, that is tbd. We visited our first week: Delhi Agra - Taj Mahal Jodhpur Manvar desert camp outside of Jodhpur Jaipur
We arrived in chennai late Sunday night and went to Mahabalipuram yesterday. We also visited st Thomas basilica and marina beach. We've covered quite a bit of ground while here! And you are right - it is hot!!!