I travel to different destinations on business trips on a frequent basis. Recently, I went to Chennai to attend a business meeting. My journey by Spicejet was a highly comfortable one. I reached the city during the late hours of the evening. To ensure a comfortable stay in the city, I booked a hotel which was based in Anna Salai, which is one of the prime locations of Chennai. Here are some of the major highlights of my Chennai trip: –
Accommodation
I put up at Hotel Raintree during my week long stay in Chennai. My room was well equipped with all modern amenities for a comfortable stay. It had a cosy twin bed, a writing desk and a flat screen TV. The presence of internet wireless connectivity within the room helped me to prepare the presentations which I was going to make at the conference. The room services were available at specific time periods during the day. Daily cleaning was done within my room and so, it remained pretty clean and tidy.
Raintree Anna Salai | Image Resource : raintreehotels.com
Dining
Hotel Raintree Anna Salai offers a wide range of Indian and international delicacies. Since I am an avid foodie I tried some local delicacies. The Urlai Roast which is made from baby potatoes and roasted & prepared using freshly grounded masala formed a perfect combination with the rice. Born in a Bengali Christian family, I didn’t know that Tamils could prepare such unique delicacies with potatoes.
The Chicken 65, prepared using chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and 1 beaten egg had a unique aroma. Served with wedges and raw onions, it had a sumptuous taste and helped me to finish my dinner in the perfect manner. I was deeply impressed by the culinary skills of the hotel’s chefs.
Marina Beach | Image Resource : india.com
Exploring Chennai
For the first two day, I was busy attending the business conference. Therefore, I went out to explore the city on the third day, which was a Sunday. My first destination was Marina Beach. Stretching a distance of 13 km from St. George Fort to Mahabalipuram, it is the world’s second longest natural beach. The sight of the sea waves touching the coastline was a pleasure for the eyes.
I also visited Fort St. George. Built in 1640 by the British East India Company, it was the first fort to be constructed by the British. The major attractions within the fortress are St Mary’s Church, a museum which contains many artefacts from the colonial period and Wellesley House which contains paintings of the fort’s governor. The fort is home to administrative offices of Tamil Nadu Government and Legislative Assembly. Situated on the Rajaji Salai Road, it is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Madras War Cemetery, established in 1952 by the Imperial War Graves Commission is also an important attraction of the city. Built in the memory of people who died during World War II, it contains 856 graves of people from India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and UK
Aaditi Vacation 