The Oasis

My wife and I are great fans of the home stay concept. Rather than staying in impersonal hotels or hotels trying to be really 'personal', we generally opt for the home stay eperience. 'The Oasis' at Pondicherry was one such experience. We had driven down from Bangalore and this home stay is on the outskirts of Pondicherry. This was my first visit to this lovely city. The property is located midway between Pondicherry and Auroville. Since we were travelling on weekdays, we had the place all to ourselves, which was simply great. On weekends, I suspect, it can get a little cramped with at least three families staying there. Unfortunately for us, they didn't have a cook during our visit. But they have a boy who got us our breakfast and our dinner from the hotel nearby. He is very helpful and since we were out the rest of the time, the food part didn't bother us. Each of the rooms are air conditioned and the pricing is very reasonable. The rooms are clean and the entire experience is very homely. They have a large yard in the front with a couple of hammocks and benches. The property is part of a gated community which is filled with trees. People who own property there probably only visit once in a while. It's an interesting walk in the expansive land around, but be a little aware of the stray dogs around. In some areas they can be a little territorial. One of the highlights is the presence of a swimming pool for the community. It is well maintained and a treat for those who love swimming. Since most of our visits were to Auroville, this stay served our purpose very well as we were only a few kilometres away from Auroville. 'The Oasis' is a no-frills place and proprietor Kalpesh keeps it that way. He and his wife are an affable couple and we thoroughly enjoyed their hospitality.