http://www.trivago.co.uk/chennai-84790/hotel/radisson-blu-chennai-104232 http://www.trivago.co.uk/chennai-84790/hotel/radisson-blu-chennai-104232 http://ie2.trivago.com/images/layoutimages/logos/default.png http://www.trivago.co.uk/chennai-84790/hotel/radisson-blu-chennai-104232/review-o429836 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:50:00 +0200
Location wise it was ideal for what I needed but I couldn't say it's an ideal choice for anyone looking for a holiday stay. It's not far from the airport and needs only a 10 minute drive to transfer there which is useful but it's still quite a trek into the city centre and indeed, when we transferred from the Radisson to the hotel booked by our holiday company the cost of a taxi would have been so high that we insisted on taking an auto-rickshaw and regretted almost every minute of the long and bumpy ride. The poor driver had to stop and top up on fuel half way because it was such a long ride. However, if you accept that it's not central, it is still a very nice hotel.

The hotel is on a rather busy road but once you are inside you don't notice at all. We had rooms on the back of the hotel and they were very quiet. Once you are inside the large lobby with all its shiny marble, it's easy to forget the outside world. The check in was easy and quick and we were soon in our room which was in excellent condition and easily up to the standards of a European 4 star hotel. The place was spotlessly clean and had all the facilities you'd expect in a hotel of this class but nothing so outlandish as to be very memorable a few years later.

I think another reason why I was put in the Radisson was the hotel's kebab restaurant which was a firm favourite of the local marketing director who was more than keen to meet up for dinner and help us to explore the breadth of the world of the tandoor. As he and my husband and a couple of colleagues worked through a mountain of skewered meats, I soon got a little overwhelmed by quite so many variations on vegetables and cheese. It was nice, don't get me wrong, but rather 'samey' after the 3rd or 4th course.

The main restaurant called the Garden Cafe served food for most of the day and we really enjoyed their breakfasts, especially the efforts of the indefatigable egg-chef who would frantically fry eggs to order for several hours every morning. The selection of food at breakfast was excellent and we also ate there in the evening one day and really enjoyed the menu. It's a nice set up with a sort of Mediterranean café-style ambiance that's very light and fresh. The restaurant has large windows that overlook the outdoor pool and give a rather 'holiday' atmosphere to the place.

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