Accomodation in Madurai

binaiks · 16th February 2011, 12:22

I have a personal trip lined up for Madurai. I'd have to stay in Madurai for 6-7 days (From 25th of this month to 2nd next month). I need to attend a program at Madurai Kamaraj University during this period.

Are there any good accomodation around the university, or in the city? Since I need to stay for 6 days, I am looking at very basic accomodation. Commuting facilities is all that I am particular on. I am not driving down, would be taking a bus from Cochin to Madurai.

Please help out.. also need to get some good vegetarian restaurants.

callvvijay · 16th February 2011, 13:13

There are n number of hotels around Madurai bus stand/railway station and the travel to the university will not be much of a distance from there.

You can try Hotel Supreme which is quite close to Madurai bus stand and railway station. Also, there is a TTDC hotel nearby. Both these places offer you decent-to-good rooms for stay.

Regarding vegetarian restaurants - don't worry at all. Remember that you are going to a city famous for its cuisine. If you stay put in one of these hotels, there will be quite a number of hotels around you. There is one restaurant which is just adjacent to the bus stand and opposite to the TTDC hotel - I forgot the name - and they serve good food.

Both the hotels I have mentioned are in the main commercial area of the city. And so you will never run out of options for food.

Ask for College house (which is also a lodge) which is just opposite to the railway station. The accommodation will not be that good. But there is a street running just next to it. Just walk through the street and you will find Hotel Gowri on to your right hand side. Have your own Kerala special 'puttu' from there. Its really good.

ampere · 16th February 2011, 13:27

Supreme is good. I have stayed couple of times. Its a decent place. Per what I heard last is that quality at College House is coming down.

Ride_4_Fortune · 16th February 2011, 13:39

Hi binaiks, Which campus would you be visiting ? There are actually 2 campus. One on the highway near Nagamalai. Other one near the race course.

Hotel Supreme is good. I would also say Hotel North Gate (opp. American college) or College house (go for deluxe rooms as not much of a difference compared to non-deluxe). If you have the budget, then go for Hotel Pandian close to the campus near race course.

Enjoy your stay in the city of temples.

gururaj r · 16th February 2011, 16:06

Modern Restaurant is a good hotel for food and it will not affect your stomach. ( They have been in the business for more than 5 decades).

You can get good bakery products from Raja Barley. Both are situated in Dindugal Road in the heart of the city and very good landmarks by themselves. You can get good number of hotels to stay in the side road to College House.
All the best!!!

anujmishra · 16th February 2011, 16:17

During my recent visit to Madurai I stayed in Hotel Tamilnadu (near Racecourse). There are two Hotel Taminadu in Madurai and one remains full always and other remains available always.

Vacant one is 4 kms away from Madurai Temple. You can get room on arrival. Problem is food. Not much variety or choice of food available in Hotel itself.

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 16th February 2011, 16:30

While you are there, try to find some time to visit the Irizar TVS coach factory - it is very to close to the town, IIRC. (err... memory from 1970s - may be very wrong).

It was "Sundaram Industries" back then.

binaiks · 16th February 2011, 17:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ride_4_Fortune

Which campus would you be visiting ? There are actually 2 campus. One on the highway near Nagamalai. Other one near the race course.

Oh! Never knew there were two campuses. The letter I received only says "New DDE Building, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021". On searching the net, it seems this campus is near Nagamalai.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ride_4_Fortune

Enjoy your stay in the city of temples.

Thanks a lot. The last time I went to Madurai was in 1993-4. I hope to visit the Meenakshi temple this time - is photography permitted in the temple. Any leads in this direction would be really helpful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Vacant one is 4 kms away from Madurai Temple. You can get room on arrival. Problem is food. Not much variety or choice of food available in Hotel itself.

Ohh! I just checked out the Hotel Tamilnadu website. Any idea how their rooms are? They seem to offer online reservations, but I am a bit concerned about making a reservation. I don't want to be stuck up in a bad room for 6 days.

Thanks to all who replied to my query.

Ride_4_Fortune · 16th February 2011, 17:52

Hi binaiks, I presume that this should be the Main University campus which is on the Highway near Nagamalai-Pudukottai. But better to check directly with MKU as these campuses are far-off (may be around 30 kms apart).

Photography in the temple is allowed till some point and a fee is collected for the camera. Better time would be to visit in the early evening as it becomes crowded during late evening.

anujmishra · 16th February 2011, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by binaiks

Ohh! I just checked out the Hotel Tamilnadu website. Any idea how their rooms are?

I can say one thing not much good room compared to private hotels. We took two rooms and one of the room was stinking. We asked them to change it. Other room was slightly better but not completely stink proof. We just had to spend one odd night there so did not bother much.

gururaj r · 16th February 2011, 19:28

If you stay somewhere in the vicinity of College House, it would be ideal for you to commute to University. There are lot of buses (55 series) going to Chekkanurani, chellampatti or some other villages nearby. All these town buses will take you to University. The whole of the University campus runs for around 1.5 kms.

I suggest that you stay at any one of the hotels in the bye-lane of College House which would also enable you to go to temple/s (there are a host of them) and take photography. If you are interested in photography, do not forget to visit Naicker Mahal or Alagarkoil (during weekend).

ravib · 16th February 2011, 22:40

Like many friends said in this thread, the road next to "New College House" is
West Perumal Maistry street where you can find umpteen hotels to stay. The below site gives a good lists with tariff. I have stayed couple of times in Hotel Pearls which is a good and decent budget hotel. Not very hi-fi though, but good for middle class peoples.

List of Hotels in Madurai - www.madurai.com

man, you are going to city which never sleeps. (Called as Thoonga Nagaram in tamil). You will find food available 24 hours, if you stay around College House/Railway Station/Periyar Bus stand. Its a happening place round the clock.

Visit all the temples around madurai. You can find many threads in team-bhp related to madurai/rameshwaram.

And lastly, don't miss the famous Madurai "Jigirdhanda" drink. The good place to have it is near Thirumalai naicker mahal. I never miss it whenever i visit madurai.

Also try out cashew macrons which will be available in many bakeries (Jairam bakery near periyar bus stand is good choice) and Murugan Idli shop's soft idlies.

-Ravi

mdsaab · 17th February 2011, 10:30

Madurai the busy city. Its a major junction so its always crowded and active 24hrs. We were on a budget backpacking trip accross south india and spent a night in madurai on our way to kodai. If i am not mistaken it was hotel sridevi. Its an absolute budget hotel. But was decent and clean. Foodwise there are so many options. I remember we had lemon rice for lunch before boarding our bus to kodai. Meenakshi temple was beautiful and also from the rooftop of our hotel we got some lovely candid shots of people going about their daily activities. Madurai was one memorable experience.

wildsdi5530 · 18th February 2011, 00:30

I'd have to stay in Madurai for 1 month along with a friend near Devadoss multi-speciality Hospital. are there any cheap places for monthly rental?

jyobeb · 18th February 2011, 00:56

@binaiks . Hi! MKU is about 12 km from the city. A lodge that side of town may be convenient for you. A hotel inside town will also be ok if you don't mind the 45 minute bus ride. Let me know if you need help.
@ wildsdi5530. Devadoss hospital is in the other side of the city. Are you coming with your family and how many rooms do you need! Let me know if you need help! Dr Satish Devadoss is a good friend too!!

16th February 2011, 12:22	#1
binaiks Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: KL-47 // KL-53 Posts: 1,830 Thanked: 1,164 Times	Accomodation in Madurai I have a personal trip lined up for Madurai. I'd have to stay in Madurai for 6-7 days (From 25th of this month to 2nd next month). I need to attend a program at Madurai Kamaraj University during this period. Are there any good accomodation around the university, or in the city? Since I need to stay for 6 days, I am looking at very basic accomodation. Commuting facilities is all that I am particular on. I am not driving down, would be taking a bus from Cochin to Madurai. Please help out.. also need to get some good vegetarian restaurants.
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 13:13	#2
callvvijay BHPian Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 326 Thanked: 491 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai There are n number of hotels around Madurai bus stand/railway station and the travel to the university will not be much of a distance from there. You can try Hotel Supreme which is quite close to Madurai bus stand and railway station. Also, there is a TTDC hotel nearby. Both these places offer you decent-to-good rooms for stay. Regarding vegetarian restaurants - don't worry at all. Remember that you are going to a city famous for its cuisine. If you stay put in one of these hotels, there will be quite a number of hotels around you. There is one restaurant which is just adjacent to the bus stand and opposite to the TTDC hotel - I forgot the name - and they serve good food. Both the hotels I have mentioned are in the main commercial area of the city. And so you will never run out of options for food. Ask for College house (which is also a lodge) which is just opposite to the railway station. The accommodation will not be that good. But there is a street running just next to it. Just walk through the street and you will find Hotel Gowri on to your right hand side. Have your own Kerala special 'puttu' from there. Its really good.
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 13:27	#3
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 18,328 Thanked: 13,610 Times View My Garage	Re: Accomodation in Madurai Supreme is good. I have stayed couple of times. Its a decent place. Per what I heard last is that quality at College House is coming down.
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 13:39	#4
Ride_4_Fortune BHPian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 92 Thanked: 28 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai Hi binaiks, Which campus would you be visiting ? There are actually 2 campus. One on the highway near Nagamalai. Other one near the race course. Hotel Supreme is good. I would also say Hotel North Gate (opp. American college) or College house (go for deluxe rooms as not much of a difference compared to non-deluxe). If you have the budget, then go for Hotel Pandian close to the campus near race course. Enjoy your stay in the city of temples.
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 16:06	#5
gururaj r BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: mumbai Posts: 176 Thanked: 11 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai Modern Restaurant is a good hotel for food and it will not affect your stomach. ( They have been in the business for more than 5 decades). You can get good bakery products from Raja Barley. Both are situated in Dindugal Road in the heart of the city and very good landmarks by themselves. You can get good number of hotels to stay in the side road to College House. All the best!!!
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 16:17	#6
anujmishra Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,293 Thanked: 529 Times View My Garage	Re: Accomodation in Madurai During my recent visit to Madurai I stayed in Hotel Tamilnadu (near Racecourse). There are two Hotel Taminadu in Madurai and one remains full always and other remains available always. Vacant one is 4 kms away from Madurai Temple. You can get room on arrival. Problem is food. Not much variety or choice of food available in Hotel itself.
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 16:30	#7
BaCkSeAtDrIVeR Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kochi Posts: 2,540 Thanked: 758 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai While you are there, try to find some time to visit the Irizar TVS coach factory - it is very to close to the town, IIRC. (err... memory from 1970s - may be very wrong). It was "Sundaram Industries" back then.
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 17:52	#9
Ride_4_Fortune BHPian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 92 Thanked: 28 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai Hi binaiks, I presume that this should be the Main University campus which is on the Highway near Nagamalai-Pudukottai. But better to check directly with MKU as these campuses are far-off (may be around 30 kms apart). Photography in the temple is allowed till some point and a fee is collected for the camera. Better time would be to visit in the early evening as it becomes crowded during late evening.
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 19:28	#11
gururaj r BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: mumbai Posts: 176 Thanked: 11 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai If you stay somewhere in the vicinity of College House, it would be ideal for you to commute to University. There are lot of buses (55 series) going to Chekkanurani, chellampatti or some other villages nearby. All these town buses will take you to University. The whole of the University campus runs for around 1.5 kms. I suggest that you stay at any one of the hotels in the bye-lane of College House which would also enable you to go to temple/s (there are a host of them) and take photography. If you are interested in photography, do not forget to visit Naicker Mahal or Alagarkoil (during weekend).
	() Thanks

16th February 2011, 22:40	#12
ravib Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,682 Thanked: 2,012 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai Like many friends said in this thread, the road next to "New College House" is West Perumal Maistry street where you can find umpteen hotels to stay. The below site gives a good lists with tariff. I have stayed couple of times in Hotel Pearls which is a good and decent budget hotel. Not very hi-fi though, but good for middle class peoples. List of Hotels in Madurai - www.madurai.com man, you are going to city which never sleeps. (Called as Thoonga Nagaram in tamil). You will find food available 24 hours, if you stay around College House/Railway Station/Periyar Bus stand. Its a happening place round the clock. Visit all the temples around madurai. You can find many threads in team-bhp related to madurai/rameshwaram. And lastly, don't miss the famous Madurai "Jigirdhanda" drink. The good place to have it is near Thirumalai naicker mahal. I never miss it whenever i visit madurai. Also try out cashew macrons which will be available in many bakeries (Jairam bakery near periyar bus stand is good choice) and Murugan Idli shop's soft idlies. -Ravi
	() Thanks

17th February 2011, 10:30	#13
mdsaab Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 1,624 Thanked: 453 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai Madurai the busy city. Its a major junction so its always crowded and active 24hrs. We were on a budget backpacking trip accross south india and spent a night in madurai on our way to kodai. If i am not mistaken it was hotel sridevi. Its an absolute budget hotel. But was decent and clean. Foodwise there are so many options. I remember we had lemon rice for lunch before boarding our bus to kodai. Meenakshi temple was beautiful and also from the rooftop of our hotel we got some lovely candid shots of people going about their daily activities. Madurai was one memorable experience. Last edited by mdsaab : 17th February 2011 at 10:45.
	() Thanks

18th February 2011, 00:30	#14
wildsdi5530 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,464 Thanked: 2,097 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai I'd have to stay in Madurai for 1 month along with a friend near Devadoss multi-speciality Hospital. are there any cheap places for monthly rental?
	() Thanks

18th February 2011, 00:56	#15
jyobeb Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Madurai Posts: 1,009 Thanked: 705 Times	Re: Accomodation in Madurai @binaiks . Hi! MKU is about 12 km from the city. A lodge that side of town may be convenient for you. A hotel inside town will also be ok if you don't mind the 45 minute bus ride. Let me know if you need help. @ wildsdi5530. Devadoss hospital is in the other side of the city. Are you coming with your family and how many rooms do you need! Let me know if you need help! Dr Satish Devadoss is a good friend too!!
	() Thanks