THE RAINTREE, ANNA SALAI in Chennai - Hotel Review with Photos

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Updated: March 18, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Anna Salai in Teynampet.
• Hotel website: raintreehotels.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)44 2830 9999
• Check prices for The Raintree, Anna Salai

Review of The Raintree Anna Salai hotel in Chennai, India.

The Raintree, Anna Salai is a good value hotel with spacious rooms and a rooftop pool and bar.

The Raintree, Anna Salai – Spacious, convenient, good-value, and in a decent inner-city area.

Between the airport and downtown, the Raintree is ideal for those on business, and anyone seeking more space and better value than other parts of the city center. The layout is modern, pleasant, and not overly fashionable and the stunning rooftop pool is reason enough to stay here. Rooms are surprisingly spacious, although the décor is a little bland but unlike rivals, the full-length windows provide broad city views. Adding to the appeal are the pleasing rates and proximity to a metro station that connects directly to the city center, airport, and other transport hubs.

The Raintree, Anna Salai – The Location

Not to be confused with the nearby sister hotel – The Raintree Hotel on St. Mary’s Road – which is a little trendier and a little more expensive.

Address: 636 Anna Salai (Mount Road) in the inner southern suburb of Teynampet.
Nearest Metro: Nandanam and Teynampet metro stations are both 500m away.
Area: In a business district. Not much within walking distance, but some decent facilities within 1.5km by auto-rickshaw (see below).
How to Get There: There are efficient pre-paid taxi counters at the domestic and international airports; the trip takes about 40 minutes (11 km). (Uber and Ola seem to be off-limits there.) The hotel is linked by metro to the airport, Central and Egmore train terminals, and CMBT (Koyambedu) bus station. See Local Transport below for more information.

The Raintree, Anna Salai – The Basics

Guests: Mostly business people, but quite suitable for tourists as well.
Views: Broad city views in all directions. Partially-frosted windows provide privacy but affect views.
Kitchen: Studio Rooms feature kitchenettes.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected or provided at this sort of inner-city business hotel.
 Extras: Daily newspaper delivered to each room. Some guests have access to the Club Lounge.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)44 2830 9999
Email: mail.annasalai@raintreehotels.com
Website: raintreehotels.com

The Raintree, Anna Salai – Amenities

Pool: Small but the rooftop setting is truly stunning. Vast views and some sunbeds. Quiet during the day but loud after dark when the attached bar-lounge opens.
Spa: On the top (9th) floor, the Tattva Spa is relaxing and attractive, but offers little more than massages.
Fitness Center: Reasonable size and enough gear to keep gym-goers happy.
For Families: Baby-sitting.
Other Facilities: Money-changing. Laundry. Business services. Boutiques. Travel information.

The Raintree, Anna Salai – Food and Drink

Restaurants: The Kitchen – Bright, airy, and open 24/7 for buffets at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also, a varied a la carte menu and intriguing open-plan kitchen. • Madras – Mouth-watering food from across southern India in a cozy and intimate setting. • Up North – Exquisite regional cuisine (including buffets) and stunning rooftop setting with intimate tables. Attentive staff, but dinner only. • Pastry Shop – Delicious cakes and French-style pastries at the lobby level.
Bars: Madera – Bar/lounge offering draft beer, signature cocktails, and soothing background music. • High – Amazing rooftop setting alongside the pool. Sweeping views, glowing lights, and thumping music from sunset.
Breakfast: Included in most rates, but check when booking. Substantial, and starts early.
Room Service: Available 24/7.

The Raintree, Anna Salai – Rooms

Room Types: Deluxe Rooms • Club Rooms • Studio Rooms • Executive Suites • Presidential Suites • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: One floor is allocated to smokers.
Best Room: The Presidential Suites are huge and feature colorful and separate living areas as well as 2 bedrooms.
For Families: Most rooms can fit in 1 extra single bed, while the Studio Rooms (with kitchenettes) and Executive Suites should be able to accommodate families of 4.

The Raintree, Anna Salai – Local Transport

Walking: Faces a main road which is not that pleasant for walking, and barriers separating the traffic lanes make it really hard to cross the road. More pleasant around the Crowne Plaza hotel (see below).
Public Transport: The metro offers services to both airport terminals, the major train and bus stations, and the city center. The nearest metro stations – Nandanam and Teynampet – are both along the main road and almost equidistant (500m) from the hotel.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: The black-and-yellow taxis at the airport are nowhere to be seen in the city. Instead, they have been replaced by the app-based Uber and Ola. Plenty of auto-rickshaws around but the drivers won’t use meters, so they usually cost more than Uber or Ola.

The Raintree, Anna Salai – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant – Award-winning cuisine and authentic décor at pleasing prices.
Ambrosia Café & Bakery – Delicious baked items. Attached café serves good Korean fare.
Café Coffee Day – One in a countrywide chain of reliable cafés selling drinks and light meals.
Otherwise, take an auto-rickshaw (1.5 km) to the Crowne Plaza. This sophisticated hotel offers: The Residency (famous for its massive buffets), Dakshin (stylish décor and South Indian cuisine), and Cappuccino (open 24 hours for burgers, pizzas, and buffets).
From the Crowne Plaza hotel, walk 300m (away from the junction) to a corner where a prominent Starbucks is located.
On the way, and sharing the same building as each other, are a Subway and Fries Station, a delightful and tiny café serving western and Indian food at very low prices.
About 50m up the side-street from Starbucks, Tryst Gourmet is an adorable café, patisserie, and supermarket.

Nearby Shops

A few Indian-style minimarts along the main road near the Raintree, but little else to excite guests. Opposite the gates to the Crowne Plaza hotel, the Amma Naana supermarket sells tasty food items rarely seen elsewhere in the city. (2 km).

The Raintree, Anna Salai – The Hotel

The hotel is located in a suburb between the airport and downtown.

The The Raintree hotel stands tall along a main road in an inner southern suburb between the airport and downtown.

The hotel has a dominating presence on the road.

It dominates this section of the road.

The tall hotel offers unobstructed views in all directions.

The hotel is the tallest building in the immediate area, so views are broad in all directions.

Even though the main road is busy, the hotel rooms are fairly quiet.

The main road in front of the Raintree is a major thoroughfare through Chennai, but traffic noise doesn’t permeate through the walls and windows.

The Pastry Shop by the lobby sells cakes and pastries.

At the lobby level, the Pastry Shop sells a tempting range of tasty treats.

The Kitchen café by the reception is open round the clock.

Also near the reception desks is The Kitchen café, open 24 hours.

The Kitchen café offers extensive buffets for all 3 meals.

As well as an a la carte menu, The Kitchen café at The Raintree offers substantial buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The hotel's signature restaurant, Madras, serves a diverse range of south Indian cuisine.

Madras is the signature restaurant at The Raintree. It serves a range of cuisines from across southern India.

The Madera bar at The Raintree is modern and welcoming.

The hotel rooftop has a pleasant area to relax or smoke.

On the rooftop is a breezy area for guests to relax (and smoke).

The rooftop also features the High bar and lounge.

On the top floor and alongside the hotel pool is the exquisite High bar/lounge.

The High bar and lounge offers excellent views.

The High bar/lounge offers some of the most spectacular views anywhere in Chennai.

The rooftop pool gets busy in the evenings.

Also on the hotel rooftop, the pool is quiet during the day, but not so after dark when the High bar/lounge gets going.

The rooftop Up North restaurant serves excellent north Indian meals and buffets in the evenings.

Sharing the rooftop with the pool and bar/lounge is the wonderful Up North restaurant. Open for dinner only, it offers buffets and a la carte meals.

The hotel gym is spacious and well-equipped.

The fitness center is reasonably spacious and well-equipped.

The standard rooms have a slightly bland but pleasant decor.

The décor is a little bland in the standard rooms, but the design is likably contemporary.

All types of rooms are well-appointed, and offer everything guests would need.

The rooms and suites are more spacious than at many hotels in the overbuilt city center.

Most rooms offer extensive views of the city.

Views of the city are extensive from the windows in most rooms.

Cappuccino is a great place to eat at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

About 1.5km from The Raintree by auto-rickshaw, there are plenty of great places to eat at the Crowne Plaza hotel, including Cappuccino.

The Residency is renowned for its excellent lunch buffets.

Also at the Crowne Plaza, The Residency is renowned for its extensive buffets at lunch.

Dakshin restaurant has a vibrant decor and serves a south Indian menu.

Yet another great restaurant at the Crowne Plaza hotel, Dakshin offers southern Indian cuisine and a vibrant décor.

A 2-minute walk from the Crowne Plaza is the familiar Starbucks.

Tryst Gourmet café, patisserie, and supermarket is just steps away from Starbucks.

Only 50m up the side street from Starbucks is the Tryst Gourmet café, patisserie, and supermarket.

Café Coffee Day is located by the junction past Starbucks.

About 200m past Starbucks is a major junction with a cluster of places to eat nearby, such as Café Coffee Day.

Ambrosia cafe and bakery is just past the Café Coffee Day.

Just up from Café Coffee Day is Ambrosia, a cozy café and popular bakery.

Hokkaido Japanese restaurant next to Ambrosia is stylish and well-priced.

Next to Ambrosia is the stylish and well-priced Hokkaido Japanese restaurant.

The busy road in front of the hotel offers a few facilities.

The road in front of The Raintree is fairly noisy and offers few facilities within walking distance.

There are a few street food stalls opposite the hotel.

A few stalls sell street food on the other side of the main road from the hotel.

Auto-rickshaws don't use meters so it's good to always bargain.

Always bargain when using auto-rickshaws because drivers won’t use meters.

The Nandanam metro station is close to the hotel.

A quick, easy, and cheap way to reach downtown, the airport, and other transport hubs is the metro. The Nandanam station is only 400m from the hotel.

The Amma Naana supermarket opposite the Crown Plaza has a good selection of food items.

Opposite the Crowne Plaza hotel, 1.5km from The Raintree, the Amma Naana supermarket sells tasty food items rarely seen elsewhere in the city. Check rates and availability: The Raintree, Anna Salai

The Raintree, Anna Salai Hotel in Chennai, India

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