The Green Hotel in Mysore is unique in many ways. First of all the hotel is part of Mysore's heritage buildings. More than 100 years old and originally named Chittaranjan Palace, this palace ( a large bungalow) was used as the residence of Mysore's princesses. Later this property was converted into a small hotel.

The second uniqueness is explained by the hotel's name - The Green Hotel. The philosophy of this hotel is to operate it in an environmentally sustainable model.You'll notice many things in the hotel that underlines this principle.

The profits are used for social projects in and around Mysore.

So you got the idea.The hotel has character and neatly presents the old world charm.The hospitality is traditional.

The most striking part of the hotel is its garden. That's because , the garden is sprawling and occupies most of the hotels compound. Moreover the layout is in the old style.

One of the highlights of Green Hotel is the open air dinner in this sprawling terraced area of the garden. If it happened to be a rainy day or the hotter part of the day, you can always enjoy the dining in the restaurant that is still offers a pleasant view of the garden.

Even if you are not a guest in the hotel, you can go for a special dinner in Green Hotel. Go for it in the evening or during the morning hours, as it is cooler and you can use the table in the garden.

Back to the hotel building. This whitewashed building houses the guest rooms, suits, library , a common hall etc. The rooms are tastefully named as Princess's Room,Rose Room, Large Bollywood, Small Bollywood , Maharani Suite, Marigold Room, The Writers' Room,Traveller's Room etc. Apart from the heritage block, the hotel has a series of rooms in its newer block overlooking the garden .

Thanks to the hotels environment policies, the rooms are not fitted with air conditioners (in fact Mysore's weather do not require one ). The airy design of the room with fans do the job well. So is the absence of TVs in the rooms. There is a travel desk . And also a paan shop , you guessed it, right under a tree.

The whole building is furnished with old furniture and locally made crafts. The vintage architecture with wooden stairs , stained glass windows adds that special aura to the ambiance.

While this is not one of the cheapest hotels in Mysore, those with a flair for the heritage class will find it worth. Of course in Mysore you have the Royal Orchid Metropole (near the railway station) and the grand (and expensive ) Lalitha Mahal Palace , the ultimate heritage hotel in the region with a five star tag.

The only drawback of the Green Hotel is probably its location. Like mentioned earlier, the hotel sits right next to a busy road. That traffic noise could be an annoying thing for those expect a heritage hotel comes with a serene ambiance. This could be true for any hotels in the city center, anyway.

For many hotels it the city center, places like Mysore Palace is a short walk from the hotel. In case of Green Hotel, you have to depend on taxi/ auto-rickshaw (or even city bus) to get to the city. It just means some additional 15-20 minutes. On the other hand, if you are heading towards places like Madikeri, Hunsur , Belur etc your hotel is located already on the way out of the city.

If you ask for the direction to Green Hotel , it is unlikely that you would get a quick answer. That is mainly because the hotel is a bit off from the hotel clusters, that are in the Mysore city center. Many people on the road may not even know it.

The Green Hotel is located on the western outskirts of Mysore city. Its on the main road ( Vinoba Road ) that finally heads to the Madikeri (Coorg) direction. If you are coming from the city center ask for the Hunsur Road (SH 17). The Green Hotel is about 5 km ( 3miles) from the city center. Look for that giant green gate on your right, a little after you have crossed the BM Hospital.

If you are approaching by the Mysore Ring Road (ie, driving from Bangalore and not entering Mysore city) , take left turn at the signal junction where the Ring Road crosses the Hunsur Road (SH17). Now you are driving towards Mysore city. A few kilometers from the junction the Green Hotel will appear on your left.