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spruced up, it’s an old-fashioned hotel with no real defining attributes other than a great location. But if you can negotiate a better price, do it. Until such time, the best-value deal in town is found at Hotel Gnanam on Anna Salai Rd (www.hotelgnanam.com), which is also walking distance from the temple, bus, and palace. Gnanam is pretty basic but rooms are comfortable and clean, there’s free Wi-Fi in the lobby (when working), and the rooftop vegetarian restaurant is a good place to dine at night. Given the accommodation standards, it’s a real steal at Rs 1,400 double (including breakfast and taxes). Noisy location though, so ask for a room at the back (or shell out for the Ideal Resort).

Ideal River View Resort Located a few miles outside of Thanjavur, Ideal boasts a peaceful rural setting on a lazy riverbank—a welcome relief from the usual big-city chaos. It’s a sprawling property, with some charmingly old-fashioned units in the original main building, and the majority in two-story cottages running parallel to the river; the large dining and entertainment terraces have similar bucolic views (a la carte menu when available is incidentally excellent, though you’ll wait for it!). Rooms were extensively overhauled in 2008, with great showerheads and thick mattresses just some of the welcome changes. Just about every room has a sit out with garden views, and there are hammocks for you to curl up in; there’s also a big pool and plenty of loungers. The free drop off (10am) and pick up (4pm) into Thanjavur (about a 20-min. drive) is useful for those not traveling with their own car and driver.

Vennar River Bank, Palli Agraharam. 0436/225-0533. Fax 0436/225-1113. www.idealresort.com. 30 units. Rs 3,500–Rs 4,500 double. Extra bed Rs 500. Does not include taxes. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; Ayurvedic center; bicycles for hire; daily town transfer at fixed times (free); games room: Internet Rs 150/60 min.; pool; railway pickup (Rs 200 plus tax); room service. In room: A/C, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (Rs 67/30 min.).

Chettinad Region

We love the peace and tranquility of Kanadukathan , and with CGH Earth bringing some slick hotel-style standards to this hitherto rough tourism gem it’s even more worth a detour—even if only for lunch. The Visalam’s (see below) Chettinad Kitchen is where lunch is prepared in an open kitchen under the auspices of one of the village dowagers—served on a banana leaf it is always utterly delicious, as are the Indian breakfasts. A less atmospheric venue, but enjoying a legendary reputation for Chettiar cuisine is The Bangala in nearby Karaikudi, the bustling center of the entire Chettiar region. If you want to ship home some large antique pieces such as Chettiar pillars and door frames, Karaikudi is the place to forage. The Bangala is an extremely friendly and efficiently run guesthouse (hands-on owner Mrs. Meenakshi Meyyappan is a real character; her staff clearly in awe of her) and currently being extended into a 25-room joint, with a new pool being excavated. Accommodations are nowhere near as delightful as that at Visalam (room nos. 3 and no 4 are best; avoid rooms 9 to 12) or authentic as Chettinadu Mansion. If you wish to lunch here as a nonovernight guest (worth it if you have time), contact Mrs. Meyyappan at least a day before ( 04565/220-221;www.thebangala.com).

Anandham Swamimalai, Kumbakonam Even though it’s not exactly typical of Chettiar in any way, or conveniently located (Thanjavur lies southwest an hour away; Trichy yet another hour farther west), this award-winning eco-heritage resort-retreat, located near the village of Swamimalai—the center for the state’s bronze casting—is ideal should you wish to procure or meet the artisans who produce the bronzework Tamil Nadu is famous for. Designed to mimic a typical Indian village, the resort sprawls over 2.4 hectares (6 acres) adjoining the Cauvery River and has tried to create a “nonhotel” atmosphere (deer wandering around; a pool designed like a well; serene, unmanicured gardens) which it pretty much achieves. So-called “deluxe” rooms