I found myself visiting Auroville, Tamilnadu, on a leisure trip with my husband in the month of August. This was my first time in Auroville. However, it wasn’t the first time for my hubby. As we drove into the lanes of the little town, he excitedly spoke about how he had spent his bachelor days in Auroville mostly. We decided to stay at the Atithigriha guest house.
Although there were several options available for us, we chose this one particularly because it was in the centre of Auroville and we wanted to explore a budget-friendly option.
How can you book a room at Atithigriha Guest House?
Some of you may know that booking a guest house or a homestay in Auroville cannot be done through any booking site. Since my husband already knew this, the process became easy for us.
I have made it easy for you. You can fill this form, with your preferred room type and other details, and they’ll get back to you. Alternatively, you can mail your requirements to atithigriha@auroville.org.in.
How to reach Atithigriha Guest House?
It’s very simple once you get to Auroville. The locals there are very friendly and welcoming. We found our way easily through Google Maps. Although, I have to warn you that getting internet connectivity in Auroville is pretty tough. So, you must rely on your speaking skills and get along with the locals 🙂
Living in Atithigriha Guest House
As we drove into the guest house, we were greeted by tall trees and greenery. The building is earthy in feel and is surrounded by elegant landscape. My first reaction was Wow!
As soon as you enter the guest house you will be greeted by a pleasant staff. They will guide you to your room. In order to have a true Aurovillian experience, we decided to go for a standard room with no AC. The room was very clean and the attached bathroom was well maintained.
I must say choosing a room without an AC was a bad choice because there were too many mosquitoes. Also, it was too hot there making it completely difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Apart from the mosquitoes and the heat, there is nothing bad I can recollect about the place.
The lady at the reception is very helpful and will help you get around town. They also have a map that you can borrow. They also have information regarding rentable scooters and cycles.
What’s included in your stay at Atithigriha Guest House?
Breakfast is free. However, we did not try breakfast at the guest house as we were heading to the famous Auroville Bakery to have some yummy hot croissants and pizzas. Yes! Delicious pizza for breakfast. You can also try buns, baguettes, biscuits, quiche, vegetable tarts, pies and rolls at the bakery.
Dinner is usually served at 7 pm. The drawback is that you’ll have to pre-order your dinner. On some days dinner is not available if the chef isn’t around.
Additionally, the guest house has a free WiFi connectivity. The WiFi is available only between 8 am and 8 pm.
What to avoid while staying in Atithigriha Guest House?
The first and the foremost thing to avoid is noise! Aurovillians believe in spirituality, peace and tranquillity, and you are not allowed to make loud noise and/or scream.
In fact, all the guest houses in Auroville follow the same rule. The town literally starts shutting down at 7 pm. Guests are requested to maintain silence after 7 pm.
The second most important thing to note is that Auroville is a no-drinking zone. You cannot carry alcohol into the guest house.
Places to visit in Auroville
There are a wide variety of places you can visit in Auroville. I’ve curated a list below for your convenience.
- Matri Mandir – The famous circular shaped spiritual meditation centre.
- Auroville Bakery
- Sadhana Forest
- Svaram – Musical instrument store
- Visitor’s centre
- Auroville Library
- Solar Kitchen
- Auroville Beach
- Auroville Botanical Garden
Top reviews from Google
Shalini Goyal Bhalla – Very nice and comfortable place. It’s very close to the information center. The manager, Divya and Lakshmi are very helpful.
Shradha Palni – Good place for Auroville and Matri Mandir visitors to stay.. food is not great though.. please don’t expect much. Prefer staying in AC rooms, as other rooms have mosquitoes and are very very hot, just the fan is not enough. Good staff and cleanliness.
Akshay Raj S P – A silent area for peace. People come from different countries all over the world for meditation. The food is very cheap and breakfast is very healthy.
