Raya's Grand

The accommodation provides well-maintained, spacious rooms with good amenities. Its convenient location and friendly staff are praised, but guests were disappointed by the lack of complimentary breakfast and available beverages.

The hotel is a convenient hub to make short trips within Kumbakonam or holy places within a 50 Kms distance. It has a nice view of the Mahamagam Tank - a sacred pond. If you are planning to drive to Kumbakonam, then you will find their basement parking lot convenient. They have a dormitory for your driver too. The only inconvenience in staying in the old town is that you need to navigate through a maze of narrow roads, police barricades and diversions. My suggestion is that once you reach the hotel, use the local autorikshaws for city travel. It is bang in the middle of the city and every cab and auto driver knows it. The doorman was helpful in hailing an auto for us. The rooms and bathrooms are very clean, and there is running cold and hot (sizzling hot!) water. We were three so they supplied an extra cot (for a reasonable fee). My only disappointment was that the pillows were too thick. I later learnt that they have lighter pillows but you need to ask for it, because most customers seem to like heavy pillows. The staff were attentive and helpful. They have an attached restaurant (called Rice & Spice).Technically it is an independent entity, but if you tell the waiter in advance he would tag the bill to your room number. The restaurant serves both South Indian and North Indian dishes of high quality.

Excellent service and good stay experience in Kumbakonam. An affordable and fit for purpose rooms, and the hotel is right in front of the Mahamaham tank. The hotel could also arrange for private cabs for visit to near by temples. I didn’t like the food from Rice & Spice restaurant, but otherwise all was good.