The Leela Palace Chennai

The Leela Palace Chennai is the city's only seafront five-star hotel, standing eleven storeys above the point where the Adyar River meets the Bay of Bengal. It sits on 4.8 acres of MRC Nagar, close to the central business district. The architecture draws on the Chettinad palaces of Tamil Nadu, translated here into marble corridors, chandelier ceilings and courtyard gardens rather than a literal copy. It holds 326 rooms and suites in total. The Royal Suite runs to two bedrooms, a separate living room, dining table and a walk-in wardrobe, decorated with regional motifs set against a sea or city outlook. Dining spans five restaurants: Jamavar for southern and Awadhi cooking, China XO for Cantonese and Peking duck, Spectra for multi-cuisine buffets facing the bay, and Library Blu for cocktails and single malts. At dusk, staff light theepantham lamps at the entrance to the sound of kombu horns, a ritual drawn from local temple ceremony. A tranquil spa, a swimming pool, a fitness centre and meeting spaces round out the property. Elliot's Beach and Marina Beach both sit within a fifteen-minute drive, and the Kapaleeshwarar Temple is closer still. Chennai International Airport is around 35 minutes away by road. Check-in for standard stays runs from 2pm.