Palais de Mahe

Palais de Mahe boasts an enviable location in the heart of the French heritage ‘White Town’ of Pondicherry, a destination we have wanted to visit for a very long time. Having travelled to India on many occasions, this was to be our first visit to this part of southern India, and Pondicherry, the former French colony and a Union Territory surrounded by the state of Tamil Nadu, was finally on our itinerary. The intimate boutique hotel is located just a block from the Beach Road promenade, and its setting amongst the colonial-style architecture makes it easy to explore everything this area is famed for. The hotel itself may have only been built in 2013, but this skilful recreation of a French colonial mansion, set around an internal courtyard, would have you believe otherwise. On stepping through the doors, we were welcomed by the wonderful team at Palais de Mahe, who showed us to our first-floor room, which was to be our home for the next few days.

Our room at Palais de Mahe

Our ‘Palais Chambré Deluxe’ continued that French colonial style, with shuttered windows, hand-carved beds, high ceilings and period furniture completing the look. We slept oh so well in the comfortable bed, and enjoyed an early morning cup of tea on our spacious verandah, which overlooked the courtyard pool below. It was the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings before heading out to discover more of Pondicherry. With so much to explore, we didn’t spend too much time in our room, but when we returned home at the end of each and every day, it always felt good to step through the oversized doors and rest and recharge our weary bodies in our French chambré.

The vegan food at Palais de Mahe

During our stay at Palais de Mahe, we enjoyed all of our meals at ‘Le Alizés’, the French name for ‘The Trade Winds’. With a semi-open-air rooftop location, just a few blocks from the Bay of Bengal, the name seemed particularly fitting, as a gentle breeze often accompanied our dining experiences. During breakfast, there was a blackboard that changed daily, with a tempting selection of dishes to choose from. These included a number of vegan options such as fresh juices, seasonal fruits, smoothie bowls, sourdough toast and a whole array of southern Indian delights that were either vegan or could be easily adapted. We could have happily eaten one of the smoothie bowls with granola and chia, followed by a masala dosa each and every day (in fact, we did exactly that), but the chefs were excited to create Indian breakfast platters for us, which were fantastic. They featured southern Indian breakfast staples such as mini uttapam, semiya upma and heavenly bite-sized dumplings called kara kuzhi paniyaram, which quickly became a new favourite of ours. These were all accompanied by tasty lentil sambar and a selection of flavour-packed chutneys to complete our delightful platters of food. Our breakfasts were a veritable vegan feast at Palais de Mahe, which we enjoyed very much indeed.

Our dinners were equally as exciting and delicious, with the team eager to adapt existing menu items and serve off-menu creations in addition to the vegetarian and vegan dishes that were already on the menu at Le Alizés. Of course, we needed to eat more of our new favourite savoury dumplings. Sorry to gyoza in Japan and khanom krok in Thailand, you’ve been upgraded! Being able to enjoy a platter of kara kuzhi paniyaram with chutneys was the perfect start to our meal. Main dishes on the menu included an excellent pan-seared cauliflower served with an amazing peanut and tahini sauce. It was so good that we also ordered this twice during our stay. The teriyaki mushroom with baby corn, bell pepper and burnt garlic rice was packed with flavour and also very good. We also enjoyed the vendakka mappas, an okra curry with a unique sourness from the raw mango paste and a subtle creaminess from the coconut milk. It was a perfect combination and the perfect end to a truly memorable dining extravaganza at Le Alizés.

The vegan essentials at Palais de Mahe

The environmental initiatives were impressive at Palais de Mahe, reflecting the commitment of CGH Earth, the company that owns and operates the hotel. CGH Earth has an impressive portfolio of  properties across India, and its approach to responsible tourism includes reducing the use of single-use plastics, minimising food waste, using alternative energy sources and conserving water. It was great that they had embraced the use of refillable ceramic dispensers for the bathroom amenities, and provided glass water bottles in the guest rooms. There was also a water refill station situated in the poolside Earth Cafe, which was part of a partnership with Maeka, based in nearby Auroville. We didn’t manage to experience treatments or therapies at the on-site Ayurveda centre, but would certainly have liked to include a visit if we had time.

Spending the day at Auroville

Our day visiting Auroville was not only one of the highlights of our time in Pondicherry, but also one of our most inspirational and enjoyable travel experiences of recent years. Mr Gopi was the perfect host, meeting us on arrival in Auroville and taking us to meet his friends, colleagues and fellow residents of this “experiment in human unity and sustainable living”. He is part of Payanam Travellers Collective, which is based in Auroville and was founded in 2015. The collective works with like-minded travel professionals and travellers alike to introduce and educate visitors about this unique township. It’s impossible for us to tell you the story of Auroville within this review of Palais de Mahe, but for us, our visit was about storytelling and human connection. Spending time with Mr Gopi, who was born in Auroville, was an honour. His story resonated with us and was as educational as it was inspiring. Meeting his friends, including the lovely sisters behind The Sprout Cafe where we enjoyed amazing vegan cakes, and the truly inspirational Krishna McKenzie from Solitude Farm Cafe where we enjoyed a farm-to-table vegan thali, was another highlight of our visit. We will return one day and continue our conversations with them all. Before heading back to Pondicherry, we stopped in at Sanctuary Amaidiyana which is located very close to Auroville. When we return to Auroville, this boutique resort will offer a peaceful retreat where we can enjoy al fresco vegan meals (clearly marked on their menu) next to the inviting pool, before relaxing in one of their rooms or villas.

Exploring The French Quarter

Palais de Mahe is perfectly placed to explore The French Quarter, and we enjoyed our early morning self-guided walks around the neighbourhood and along the pedestrianised beach road promenade. But we also chose to join one of the knowledgeable guides from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which has since 1984 promoted heritage awareness and supported the conservation of period buildings throughout India. Our heritage walk was enjoyable and informative as we wandered through The French Quarter, visiting many of the most important locations, including Our Lady of Angels Church, which is more than 170 years old, the CLUNY Embroidery Centre, and the French War Memorial, which remembers those who lost their lives in the First World War. We also enjoyed seeing vibrant murals and street art adorning the walls, creating an open-air gallery which further adds to the visual uniqueness of The French Quarter in Pondicherry.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

Our time at Palais de Mahe was truly memorable on so many levels. Having wanted to visit both Pondicherry and Auroville for many years, we were delighted to finally make it happen, and couldn’t have chosen a better hotel to call home during our visit. This boutique property has an enviable location, delicious vegan food, beautifully appointed rooms, and a staff team who were always on hand to help and make our stay so special. They assisted with our visit to Auroville, and also our walking tour of The French Quarter, both of which were excellent experiences. Without a doubt, when we return to Pondicherry, this is where we will be staying. Thank you to the entire team for such kind and thoughtful hospitality!

We were guests of Palais de Mahe but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.

Palais de Mahe by CGH Earth
4 Rue Bussy
White Town
Pondicherry

Telephone: +91 413 234 5611
Email: palaisdemahe@cghearth.com
Cost From: £130 / $175 (October 2026)