A boutique hotel in perfect harmony with the nature

The Dune Eco Village & Spa is like an Eden on earth, eclectic and colorful. At the heart of a lush vegetation 35 acre park, it features a generous organic garden, a 700m long sand beach, and all the necessary to take care of the body and soul according to traditional Ayuvreda’s rites.

Each of the 36 bungalows and bedrooms presents a unique architecture, style and decoration for a particular experience. The result is surprising, sometimes eccentric, in a zen and green environment

The boutique hotel is fully committed to preserving the environment. As an example, recycled material from South Indian colonial houses, Chettinad palaces and Kerala planter’s mansions was used for a significant part of the building. The hotel also chose not to equip all bungalows with air conditioning (but there is always a refreshing sea breeze). Solar energy, low energy consumption light bulbs, and waste water treatment complete this ecologic commitment.

The hotel also houses the Artists In Residence program (AIR) and is a partner of the NGO “Children of the World India” with a hotel management school.

An atmosphere fit for all

Spread over 35 acres of lush nature, facing the sea, the Dune Eco Village & Spa has been designed to take care of the body and the soul. Each bungalow’s spirit is reflected by its architecture, its construction materials, and its decoration. Eclectism is the master word! For example:

Studio Penthouse: a small house perched on the 1st floor of a building on stilts, surrounded by a vast green area and a terrace. It boasts 360° panoramic views over the sea and the whole property and a jacuzzi for relaxing moments.

Bamboo House: It has bamboo weaved mats that serve as wall partitions, bamboo furniture, and is built with a palm-tree leaf and casuarina wooden roof. The bamboo house is very charming and authentic.

Bay Watch House: It is a tower house perched on a sand dune with a first floor room, ideal for honeymooners. You will enjoy fantastic unobstructed views from the canopy. Flaming red colors are used in the bathroom and for all wooden ceilings and walls. A magic place for a romantic stay.

Beach House: A beautiful sea view house with an open garden bathroom in the middle of the coconut plantation. An ideal hide-away place to enjoy moments of happiness!
Flex House: is enclosed by illuminated printed material with a surrealist picture collage. The house has a unique and personalized atmosphere with a sea view, an outside lounge, and a private garden.

Granite House: has an outdoor path edged with granite columns as well as carved pillars with royal blue bases inside. It reminds of the vast open granite structures built by the local kings for the pilgrims to sleep and rest on their way to the temple festivals. This very exclusive house has a mystical atmosphere and a private garden with a pond.

Pop house: a traditional indigenous house on stilts with thatch roofing. The atmosphere is a mix of an Indian Bollywood movy and pop culture: furniture covered with Legos, huge dices to sit on, walls with variously sized holes in them… A very unique and curious universe for a very colorful stay.

Nawabi House: a traditional indigenous house on stilts covered by thatch roofing. It has a particularity: the traditional semi-closed wooden bed is covered with pictures. Bollywood atmosphere guaranteed!

Tower House: voted Best Honeymoon Suite in India by the magazine « India Today ». It is a very scenic duplex house, 50 feet heigh, overlooking the Bay of Bengal and the entire region. The house has a jacuzzi in the bedroom, a private balcony, Venetian blinds, and is painted with shimmering colors. The atmosphere is designed for a wonderful lovers stay.

Tempting Experience: a trip to the inner core of the body, mind and soul

You are at the heart of the practice of natural and traditional medicine of India: Ayurveda. After a treatment you will emerge refreshed and released of all tensions; a pure soul of Paradise!  Ayurvedic massages, Chinese acupuncture and acupressure, Japanese Shiatsu, Tibetan Singing Bowl Kansu or reflexology…. The Paradise spa offers a large range of methods to unwind and boost your energy including Ayurvedic therapies and medicines from the most renowned family of South India.

Services and activities on site

Paradise Spa is an island of peace and harmony. A vast choice of therapies are proposed, 14 treatment rooms on 8500 sqm, an Ayurvedic pharmacy, a medicinal laboratory, a sauna, a multigym, a heated chlorine-free swimming pool, a yoga hall, a beauty treatment center. The entire structure is surrounded by a green garden of medicinal herbs.

The Spa shop and pharmacy solely proposes 100% organic products: incense, essential oils, soaps, and over 100 Ayurvedic medicines.

The beach stretches along 700 meters. It is the ideal place for outside sports and activities: cycling, tennis, volley ball, boating, kite flying or bathing (in the suspended swimming pool). You may also enjoy the 2km jogging track. The more studious ones will like the table games, library, and DVD library with more than 1500 movies.

Kids can also enjoy a series of activities. They can milk the cows, feed the rabbits and the ducks, or visit the kitchen’s garden at the organic farm. But also a children play house with a large choice of tables games, a playground and swimming pool, children cycles, pottery, DVD library…Everyday at 4pm, there are group activities organized by an animator.

The Dune Eco Village & Spa maintains the biodiversity in its garden by cultivating more than 25 species and varieties of vegetables and by rotating the crops around the year and around the garden. Various ancient and modern fertility management systems are used: composting, green manure crops, worm culture, effective micro-organisms, and biodynamic. The farm is IMO certified and also runs a farmers training program for organic farming and the usage of heritage seeds. A true heritage seeds bank, it proposes a vast collection of heritage, traditional, open pollinated, and organic seeds of vegetables, herbs and cereals…

Artists in Residence (AIR) is a space dedicated to creativity and culture since 2002. It acts as a hub for international artists to live, to meet, to work and to discover India. AIR is much more than a link between the East and West though. It encourages artists to experiment with different media. The residence is open to any idea, art, and nationality. AIR encourages the use of local resources and the work with local craftsmen. Projects are open to artists who want to create and participate to the development of this unique open space, for 1 to 3 months.

The Dune is also actively involved with the local communities in the field of education and construction. These activities are carried out under the Indian trust “Children of the World India” and in association with “Enfants du Monde” of France. The Dune is a partner of the catering workshop of the Vocational Training Institute based in Chennai, Madras. The Dune staff kitchen is managed completely by the school and the hotel permanently hosts 24 students within its premises.

Tourism : ancient temples and futurist city

12 km South of the Dune lies Pondicherry, an ex-French colony until 1954. Testimonies of the French presence remain such as the consulate, the Alliance Française, the Lycée Français, the Ecole Française d’Extreme Orient and some of the street names. You can also walk along the beach road. Also to visit: the Sri Aurobindo ashram with its garden, the church of Sacré Coeur de Jésus built in 1700 by the French missionaries, the charming temples and mosques, and the Pondicherry Museum.

Auroville (Dawn City) is an experimental town hosting 2000 people of 35 different nationalities, from mixed social origins and class. This utopian concept is the realization of the dream of Mirra Alfassa, a French disciple of Sri Aurobindo, known as “The Mother”. You can visit the lush gardens as well as a permanent exhibition about the project’s history and philosophy.

To the North, on the way to Chennai, the ancient Pallava port of Mahabalipuram is well worth a stop. The main attractions of this famous archeological site of South India are granite sanctuaries from the 7th century including a shore temple, the 5 rashas (stone chariots), and many sculptures.

To the west, the road leads to Gingee, famous for its ancient fort set amongst a landscape of granite (6km perimeter) built in the 13th century.

50km further, West, you reach Thiruvanamalai, famed for its very large and ancient temple and its sacred hill called Arunachala and symbolizing the element fire. At the foot of this hill, lived one of the greatest seers of India, Ramana Maharshi.

Avantages Tempting

Cooking class, Yoga and meditation classes, Village tour

Awards and Press reviews

• Tower House: voted Best Honeymoon Suite in India by « India Today » magazine
• Voted three times as one of the 100 best beach hotels of the world by l’Officiel du Voyage
• Voted as one of the best eco hotels by Geo Magazine
• Voted as one of the best spa on earth by Harper’s Bazar