Name: Villa Helena
Address: 13 Lalbahadur Street 605001 Pondicherry,Lalbahadur Street, Pondicherry, Pondicherry, Pondicherry, 605001, India
Rating: 8

Air conditioning

Gift shop

Garden

Terrace

Private check-in/check-out

General

Room service

Rooms

Restaurant

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Airport transportation

Transfer

Spanish

German

English

Italian

French

Japanese

Languages Spoken

Bike rental

Recreation

No parking

Parking

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the villa

Puducherry Airport

Villa Helena

Pondicherry

My reviews summarise what was Excellent, Very Good, Good, Average, Below Average and Poor and special mentions.

Excellent
Overall homely vibe, Hospitality, Service, Food, ambiance, parking and accessibility

Very Good
Rooms, SPA nearby.

Special Mentions
Ramu and Sathya - Great waiters and always smiling. The place is nice for families.
Really not much to review on this one. It's in the beach, but you can't see the beach, decent but not great in all other respects.

Made an otherwise dull town like Pondi, likeable

My partner and I enjoyed a lovely dinner in the truly romantic outdoor courtyard of this beautiful property. It was an oasis of serenity in the otherwise bustling city and the staff went above and beyond to make sure we were satisfied.

Dinner at Villa Helena

I just got back from a 2 night stay at Villa Helena, Pondicherry. It's easy to locate and very close to the Pondicherry railway station. The room was delightfully cosy and quaint with all the minimum amenities one would expect at this price (including an AC and spacious attached bathroom). The old colonial bungalow has been converted into a lovely guest house with traditional Indian furniture and eclectic vintage photos from across India. The garden cafe within this building is beautiful and quite popular with tourists in the evenings.

What I loved the most was the hospitality that Geraldine, Sudha and the staff provided during the little time I spent with them. All help was just a conversation away. Moreover, since I had an early flight to catch, Geraldine helped so kindly the previous night by arranging everything I needed for breakfast the next morning so that I could check out without any hassle. Room service was punctual and sleep quality was great too! I will definitely be coming back with family to stay with them again!

Cosy and comfortable!

Stayed here in the last weekend of Feb 2022 with my family. It is a heritage villa bang in the middle of white town with a beautiful sanctimonious courtyard with a zen vibe koi fish and a beautiful garden amidst a well equipped restaurant and comfortable high ceiling heritage spacious rooms and bathrooms. The terrace on the top level is pretty and scenic. 

Helena and her staff are gracious and accommodating and being a great info French vibe to the place. Breakfast provided is top quality and adequate. The restaurant menu is limited yet perfectly executed and a full stocked bar ensures you want for little. 

Thank you for a great stay. 

Tips: take a top floor room. Keep lots of dodomos at hand which is provided.

White Town’s heritage jewel.

Our stay at Villa Helena was nothing short of fabulous. The villa is a 140 years old and is full of old world charm and exhibits a ton of character. Every nook and corner has something interesting to look at. The room we stayed in was absolutely lovely and had all the basic amenities that one needs to be comfortable. There were some rather interesting pictures on the walls in the room of Majarajs and their families. There was one that I doubt ill forget and i named him the Grouch, as the minute you lie down in the room he comes into your line of sight and almost stares at you with an unforgettable scowl! Jokes aside our entire stay was memorable and the staff there are very helpful and polite. Sudha at the reception is a gem of a person. Benjamin who i believe is a co owner or a director was there at the villa was brilliant and our dinner experience was amazing he is full of energy and is always smiling . I will always reccomend this place to all my friends and will visit again. The next time i will bring my cat as it is pet friendly.Thank you to all the wonderful people at and associated with Villa Helena for making our stay an extremely memorable one.

Full of character and old World charm

We called to make a reservation. We were told walk in. If u are seated in open and it rains cannot accommodate you inside. 
Make up your mind. We reach booking indoor. A family of foreigners seated outdoors. It started raining PRONTOtable offered inside. 
If in this day and age we get treated in our country on this way. The place and its attitude sucks. 

Indians keep out we dont care much for you!

Pretty outdoor setting. Ask for a fan wide you’ll be attacked by mosquitoes.  Food was bad. Fish was hard stale. Salad was tasteless they forgot to put dressing I think ! Very very limited vegetarian dishes. 
They were unwilling to convert any non veg curry to vegetarian .
So avoid there are several better places in pondy !

Nice setting with very poor quality food

Villa Helena was quite a disappointment. When I spoke with Geraldine I understood the BnB was all booked for the weekend. She made me understand that she would need to change my room in the middle of my stay. I told her no problem as long as the standard of rooms were the same. She assured me they were. Lies. Look at the photos. Don’t be fooled by her photos on the internet. She also lied and told me I would hear no noise in the second room. There is a freaking nightclub literally across from the bedroom window. I will ensure that none of my embassy colleagues make the mistake I did. 

The only good thing about Villa Helena is the kind staff excluding Geraldine the dishonest manager.

The first 4 photos is the second room and the last two is the initial room I had. Maybe I’m confused about standards.

The villa is dilapidated and there are roaches in the room.

Do NOT Stay here.

Myself and my partner stayed at Villa Helena for one night in August 2021. We stayed in a large room on the second floor which was stunning! Beautiful interiors, large bathroom and a lovely sitting area outside the room that looks onto the cafe area below. The location is incredibly central, however, note there is no parking here. The bed was unbelievably comfy with a high quality topper and pillows, it was the best night sleep during our 10 day trip! The breakfast was lovely in the morning with a hot coffee and crepes and homemade jams. I loved the design of the hotel throughout and enjoyed enjoyed the lunchtime vibe with both guests and outside guests dining in the restaurant. I would definitely recommend spending at least two nights here to explore Pondicherry but also giving you enough time to enjoy the delights of Villa Helena! All the best. Ella & Bejoy

Hidden Gem

We visited the restaurant for the second time, to give it another go. The location is super. Nice, quiet and lovely. Food is bad and totally overpriced. Service is completely understaffed therefor everything is late and rushed and food was cold.
We ate fish and all felt bad after. 
Have a coffee only...

Villa Helena

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