A beachside cheap resort on New years eve is what made us finalize this place for a 2night/3 day outing. St James Court is located on the ECR on the outskirts of Pondicherry very close to the Auroville Ashram turn. It is a min walk from the main opp Pondicherry university.
Advantage of this isolated location is that you are away from the crowd and noise of the city but then it is a good 10-15 min drive to the city even to get basic medicines (do note that there is a well equipped liquor store next door!!)
The resort is located by the beach. All you need is to walk out the back gate of the resort and you are at the beach. Typical of India’s east coast, the beach is not gentle and shallow but drops rapidly and has strong tides. So keep that in mind if you don’t know swimming (or even if you do) and/or have kids with you. Enter the water with caution. This easy access to the beach is probably the resort’s biggest USP.
The rooms are nice and big. Our rooms at Rs 3200/- per night came with 2 single beds, TV, small refrigerator, AC and a nice bathroom. The rooms are big with a nice balcony. All rooms are sea facing. Rooms are clean and well maintained. Food is probably the biggest drawback of this place.
We only had breakfast here and I wouldn’t rate it anywhere close to decent. We also attended the New Year party at the resort. This was the biggest mistake of our lives but barring that evening and its aftermath the next day, this resort was a great place.
The resort has a small but clean pool. Apart from this, no other facilities to talk about. The staff is friendly. Knowledge of local language will help as English might not be easily understood the serving staff.
Room service is also an issue - but again I will give them the benefit of doubt as they had diverted all their resources to the New year party and the effects were seen on 31st and 1st morning. However repeated reminders to housekeeping/room service might be required to get a job done.
If you are willing to manage your food in the city, this place is an excellent option for a good getaway where you can catch the sea, the sun and lots of beer. Prices are reasonable if not cheap. Just one caution - Just don’t visit this place for New Year’s eve.