A trip to Chennai India
A guide to a long stay in Chennai. If you want more information on where to stay, what it was like, the instagrammable spots and advice on a trip to the Chennai then scroll down! 🙂
Where to stay
I stayed in the Hyatt Regency in Chennai. This is a 5 star hotel, with a pool and 4 restaurants on site. Spice Haat for Indian cuisine. Focaccia for Italian. Stix for Chinese and Yakiniku for Japanese. All with chefs from the specific regions. This hotel is typically around £50 a night but after staying here for 3 months with work we had some perks. This included the desk staff answering or requests on WhatsApp!
Credits: Hyatt Regency Chennai
What to do
(1) Taj Fisherman’s Cove Resort & Spa- This was about an hours drive from our hotel. We went here for dinner one evening and absolutely loved it. We decided to come back and stay for a weekend and I could not recommend this place enough. It was stunning, 5* hotel, luxurious rooms/ cottages looking out onto the sea and so many different themed restaurants.
(2) Phoenix Market City- If you are after some western food the closest place we could find to home was Chilli’s on the 2nd floor here. We spent many Saturday evenings tucking into some fajitas.
(3) Express Avenue Mall- Another mall here. Be prepared to put your bags through a security belt on arrival! There are some notable western shops here e.g. Marks & Spencers.
(4) Arignar Anna Zoological Park/Vandalur Zoo- I’d suggest going early, we came in the midday sun and it was unbearable. It is quite a large zoo so be prepared to walk a lot. I’d also recommend bringing your own snacks if you aren’t into Indian cuisine. Also, as it didn’t look that hygienic where they were serving food. There weren’t many westerners there and with Chennai not being a particular hot spot for tourists, we perhaps were the first westerners some people had seen. Be prepared to be asked for photos here!
Peshawri– This was hands down my favourite restaurant in India this is a North Indian restaruant. Despite the five-star rating (and prices) you’re encouraged to eat with your hands. Funnily enough I was allowed a knife and fork!
What it was like
In terms of the hotel it was great, it was near- ish to where we were working and wasn’t too far to go to the malls. The hotel staff would check your phone when you ordered and Uber and ring them to give your directions. They would also make sure you got into the right cab. So I always felt safe. We did have to constantly put our bags through security scanners though. This was because of the issues with ‘Hotel Mumbai’ scenario. I found this odd at first but it was quite reassuring when this actually happened everywhere we went.
The hotel breakfast options were great, we’d go healthy in the week and get 101 plates at the weekend. We would then head to the pool Saturday morning, only problem was the way the sun moved and how high the hotel was, meant you actually couldn’t really sunbathe past 2pm. At least it got us exploring!
Any advice
Cultural etiquette: Out of politeness I’d suggest not putting your hand out to shake hands with the Indian men if you are female as some Indian men with traditional views may not accept it. However what I experienced couldn’t be more different, everyone was so welcoming. If I went to ask someone a question in the office, I’d be ushered to take their seat while they would stand.
Nightlife: I am so pleased I got to experience working in Chennai however it is hardly a party scene. If you are interested to explore some of the nightlife, make weekend trips to Bangalore, Mumbai or Delhi.
For more breakdowns like this trip to Chennai look here!
This place looks awesome and loves the color of this place. Hopefully, I will be able to visit it one day. Thank you for sharing!
Great overview of the hotel tips on things to do…