Pondicherry

Day 1 - Chennai to Mahabalipuram is approximately a 1.5 hour drive along the coast. We stayed at the 'Ideal Beach Resort', which has it's own private beach. The biggest attraction in Mahabalipuram is the shore temple - a UNESCO world heritage site.

Day 2 - We drove from Mahabalipuram to Pondicherry after breakfast. Pondicherry is divided into two parts - the Tamil quarter and White Town i.e the French quarter. Our hotel - 'The Sunway Manor' was located in the former part. White Town is full of clean, wide roads and sprawling villas. There is a clear influence of French architecture and language. The first place we visited was Sri Aurbindo ashram. It had a beautiful garden and a book shop. We proceeded to a manuscript museum and got a great view of the sea from it's terrace. We ended the evening by walking along the Promenade beach road and getting coffee at the very crowded Le cafe.

Day 3 - After breakfast at the hotel,we went to botanical garden and aquarium. A few scenes from the film 'Life of Pi' were shot there. We proceeded to Sacred Heart Basilica, one of the famous churches in Pondicherry. Christmas is the best time to visit despite the crowd because the churches are decorated in the spirit of the festival. We had lunch at Cafe des arts, famous for its yellow wall and quirky decor. After lunch, we went to Barathi park to see the Ayi Mandapam. We walked to Jawaharlal Nehru street and Mission street for shopping at shops like Hidesign and Kalki. In the evening, we went to Notre Dame de Anges church. Finished off the day with some gelato at Gelateria Montecatini Terme (GMT), located arounf the end of Promenade road

Day 4 -Started off with Paradise beach in the morning followed by sightseeing in Pondicherry museum. We had a thali lunch at hotel Suguru and dinner at Villa Shanti, which is a must try fine dining experience in Pondicherry.

Day 5 - We spent some time at Serenity beach in the morning and then headed to Auroville to see the 'Matrimandir' but couldn't go inside the dome as it required pre-booking. We had lunch at Tanto's Pizzeria, famous for it's wood - fired pizzas and ice tea.