Hi Tush,

I suppose this should be on the India site. Anyway I will try to answer.

I have been to mahabalipuram several times. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. The town itself is quite small and not the cleanest of places. There are some decent restaurants in the town but no beach shacks. It is not that sort of place.

There are several sites of interest namely the famous Shore Temple; many rock carvings; tiger's cave; Krishna's butterball, lighthouse and crocodile bank. These are quite spread out so a rickshaw driver for half day or so is the best bet. Rickshaws are not expensive.

I don't know what hotel you are looking for. I can recommend the Ideal Beach Resort a few kms before you reach the town. It is not the cheapest option but is a lovely hotel. It is owned by Sri Lankans and has been built up over the years into what is now a very popular resort. It does get very busy and booking in advance is advised. It is set back a little way from the beach. The beach itself is a lovely long stretch from the hotel into the town. It is relatively clean but gets a little worse when you are nearing the fishing boats and the town.

I don't know how busy it is at the time of year you are going. I have been March/April time and have never passed many people on the beach.
I think it is definitely worth a visit but that is only my opinion.

If you need to know anything else I will try to help. I also know Chennai well.

Hi Indianaj,

Thanks for the info, we where thinking of staying at GRT Temple Bay Htl it is in a brouchure we have but they only do tours rather than individual nights, however now you have given us a idea of what the place is like I will check the htl out on the internet
If you can recommend somehwhere else to stay down that way I would be grateful

Thanks Tush

Tush - The Temple Bay is a lovely hotel and is right up near the town. Pricey! You could try the Fisherman's Cove but this is quite a long way from Mahabalipuram. Don't know what it is like inside.