Elim luxury suite

This is a 1-bedroom, with a private entryway, private bathroom, a/c, small balcony, and large terrace. It is attached to a house that was unoccupied when we stayed there in March 2025. Mr. Sanka, who manages the suite, and a woman who helps him, are pleasant. (They also work at the museum, just nearby.) The suite is well located for exploring Tharangambadi; all of the sites that we wanted to see were within easy walking distance. This historical area of Tharangambadi offers very few accommodation options, and Elim’s Luxury Suite was the most affordable.

I honestly do not understand the description of Elim Luxury Suite that is posted on Booking.com. There isn’t a washing machine, there are no “stunning garden views”, and there is no room service. While you can easily walk to the waterfront, I have no idea what they mean when they say that Elim Luxury Suite offers “direct beachfront access”. The bathroom is not under a/c and, although burglar-proof, the window does not have glass or a screen, and bug carcasses littered the dirty sill. They don't provide bottles of water or glasses. The room and the terrace were not very clean or pleasant. The towels were grey, thread-bare, & rust stained. The plastic mattress covers are, of course, unpleasant and noisy. The water dispenser contained brackish water. The top sheet on one of the two beds had a number of holes in it. The shower was moldy and the shower door quite stuck half-way. While a few of the older reviews make mention of breakfast, that was not an option for us, most likely because there is no one living in the attached house now. The restaurant options in the historical area of Tharangambadi are very limited. We were grateful that the nearby Neemrana’s Coconut Alley allowed us to have breakfast and dinner at their restaurant, and we had one buffet breakfast at the beautiful Neemrana’s Bungalow on the Beach. My husband & I made do with this accommodation for a few nights, and we were grateful for its affordability compared to the others in the historic area. However, unfortunately, the review posted on February 17, 2025--- which was disputed by the owner--- is accurate. My hope is that the owner will visit the accommodation soon and see for himself. Or, that Booking.com will, at least, insist that changes are made to the description on their website.

The location of the hotel is good, given that Tarangambadi is a very small place. But that was it, there were many issues with the stay

The room was large but very little is done on the maintenance. There was no toilet paper. The mosquito repellant was empty. There is a school right next door making it very noisy from early in the morning. There is a microwave oven but not even a single plate or glass in the room. The Wi-Fi did not work as it was not recharged. The TV channels were not paid for and so it could not be used. The fridge is old, broken, rusting with tin parts falling apart. No toiletries, just towels. It seems that the hotel owner just takes advantage of the fact that there are few hotels in the area and spends zero on upkeep, maintenance or facilities, but will make it a point to tell you to tip. The price is too high for such a basic room. The room is large but shabby, dusty and not well maintained. The furniture is old and looks like it is there just to ensure that guests keep coming in. Very overpriced hotel for the services, basic feel and facilities offered.

The host and caretaker were extremely friendly and helpful. The room was big and accomodated the 4 of us easily. Centrly located and walkable distance to all the major sites and to the beaches. budget friendly and very good value for money.

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Breakfast was chargeable but made fresh by the support staff.

Room was well appointed but they have plastic sheeting under the bed linens.