After hearing such great reviews about pondicherry, we decided to give it a visit on our next vacation.. So me, my brother, his wife, my niece and my mom.. went via the ECR. Nice route.. but not as much as hyped..
The best time to visit pondi is between december and february.. the weather is just perfect.. and there is the yoga festivel in Jan which is a nice time to be in pndicherry...Hotel Surguru is the best place especially if you are a vegetarian.. I think the choice of hotel made a lot of difference to our experience..
For the dinner experience.. the buffet at Hotel promenade is very nice though a tad expensive..We had a great Ayuveda Massage at Hotel ajantha Inn. That was truly rejuvenating..The shopping at auroville is good if you are looking for perfumes, cheese, honey, stylish clothes for women, incence sticks, etc. Excellent and reasonably priced gift items.
pondicherry revolves around Auroville, and there isnt much for the indian tourist apart from this.. I would say.. two days is enough to enjoy Pondi..Nearby Pondi (3hrs and en route to chennai) is mahabalipuram
where you can spend more time. That place abounds with things to do like the dolphin, seal park, crocodile park, the awesome beaches, temple and so on..
All in all, Pondi was nice.