We decided to stop over in Karur owing to the fact that the drive from Kodaikanal to Bangalore could be pretty lengthy. The next challenge was to find a good hotel in Karur. Most of the times, my father always used to suggest Valluvar near the bus stand. But that was more of a stop and go hotel just to refresh yourself and had no great restaurant or ambience whatsoever.
More recently a hotel by name “[The residency](http://www.theresidency.com/residencykarur/)” had opened up in Karur which was off the highway by a very less distance. I checked on TripAdvisor and found that there were no rooms available for my stay. I picked up my phone, called the hotel and they agreed to provide me two rooms for the same dates. The bonus was a 24-hr checkin checkout policy. It almost took about 2 to 3pm to reach the hotel from Kodai hills. But this checkin policy was the comfort zone.
The hotel’s car park is behind the hotel and though there is security, an unfortunate thing was that it was not a closed car park. Atleast they could have arranged for a thatched roof parking to beat the summer heat of Tamil Nadu. The temperatures were close to 40 degrees and leaving the car in the open sun in that heat was no less than a ridiculous move, but without any other choice, nothing else was possible.
The hotel reception lobby was inviting and the attendants or front desk officers were neatly dressed and they already knew about my arrival and had kept things ready for me. After a brief intro, we were given our room keys. In the meanwhile my kids were enjoying in the front relaxation area watching the transparent lift going up and down with people. The rooms themselves were neatly organized in the corridor with minimal noise and some great woodwork and carpetry.
Once inside the room, it was clear that this is one of the better hotels in Karur the other one being Hemala which is a 5-star hotel. The room was well appointed with the usual things including writing desk, sofa with center table, beds, tolietries, cupboards with digital safe, huge mirrors and some practial lighting. The bath area was clean and airy though it had some smell from outside thanks to vents, but that was sorted soon.
I did have a few requests from housekeeping as soon as I entered and I must say here that this hotel had one of the FASTEST room service response rates till now in my life. Absolutely fast. Ask and thou shalt receive is how I must put it. The food menu was more on the expensive side, with breakfast part of the daily tariff. Room service was a tad more expensive but well served and on time. We did have a chance to eat breakfast at the hotel the following morning and I personally felt that the choices of food could have been something more traditional and of larger variety. Neverthless barring a couple of items the rest were good to eat. I would not say its the best of quality when it comes to food, but its not terrible to say the least. This hotel is a bit of hit and miss with respect to food stuff. Sometimes the food taste was not upto the mark, but in some cases – like the phulka and channa masala – they had literally nailed it for good. It was the best item I had ordered in a while.
The restaurant itself was clean, and organized well – kid friendly and people there were very courteous at all times. Though I did not stay long enough to comment on the laundry or general housekeeping refreshes on daily basis, I am pretty sure they have a capable strong team to take care of that at all times. The soaps in the bathroom were herbal and refreshing for an example. A keen eye to some of these details is worth mentioning about this place.
The room we stayed in was a bit around 3,500 bucks a night mark which is reasonable considering the demand supply statistics for Karur. Its proximity to Chennai Silks makes it even more enviable since shopping is literally as close as walking out of the door.
To summarize I would say “The Residency” in Karur is a cozy and comfortable place for the weary traveler to get that well deserved relaxation. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wishing to stay in Karur. Try it out and you will not regret the decision, I promise.
