Happenstance

"It was just great! We stayed in this pretty bamboo cottage, cycled to our fresh organic food, swam or simply bummed around on the hammock. And this adorable Dalmatian simply adopted us while we were there, following us around everywhere", said a friend, talking excitedly about her three day weekend retreat somewhere on the outskirts of Pondicherry. I was intrigued.

A couple of months later, while randomly surfing channels on TV, I come across a feature on this innovative website, http://petvacations.in, which was all about helping regular folk take breaks with their pets. Especially 'desperately in love with their dog' folks like my husband and I!

So off i went to their site, to figure out pet friendly resorts and retreats in around Chennai. The site instantly gave me a number of a place in Pondicherry, and it turned out to be The Dune, the retreat my friend was talking about. Lovely Happenstance!, I thought, as i hopped off to check out the resort site, http://thedunehotel.com. After being blown away by the striking eco friendly rooms and facilities, I quickly made a reservation.

Last week we spent a blissful three days on the property - in a quaint little hut on stilts made completely of bamboo and recovered antique doors, windows and furniture all painted in mint green pastels. All positively radiating Indo French chic! Add to that a super friendly staff, great food made with organic ingredients and an eternity pool!

What could be a better way to introduce Olive, our 10 month old puppy, to the joys of vacationing! She sure couldn’t resist the hammock or a splash in the pool or for that matter, a gentle Dalmatian called Panku!

Olive and Panku

Baywatch 3, our vacation home on stilts

Our front porch: Colonial planter chairs recovered with a lick of mint green paint

Inside view with a traditional Chettinad bed

Here is some other eye candy from the resort

Inside the Gramam house:

Dual toned bathtub with a striking checkerboard backsplash

Gramam house: Serene traditional sitting room

Bangle room with earthy hues

Antiquated opulence in the Nawabi room

Treasures by the bay

Furniture hunting can be a rewarding thing on ebay! That is - if you have the patience and the eye for it. Surprised? You shouldnt be. If you are looking for half decent, selectively stylist wooden furniture (mostly made of the trusty Indian sheesham wood) at a gettable price, this is the hunting ground for you. Trust me.

This is truly a Godsend for plywood/veneer furniture haters like me - I would choose not so great wooden furniture over its almost like the real thing, state-of-the-art laminated wood veneer cousin any day. I know, I know - sounds irrational, but its the whole synthetic thing around veneer that puts me off. To me, its like choosing tericot over cotton.

Ok enough of that rant. Getting back to furniture on ebay - pieces here has been inspired from styles as varied as Contemporary, French, Indian vintage to Scandinavian and Far Eastern. So there is a decent range to choose from. What I like about sellers here (most big sellers are from Jodhpur, Rajasthan) is that they are earnestly trying to offer some really basic and practical pieces (a la Ikea's lack shelf, basic wooden corners) that every home needs - but pieces that are strangely either very hard to come by in the Indian market or are overpriced in stores like Fab India. Another thing that struck me as positive about the sellers on the site is that they are very upfront about the wood being used and clearly mention if ply has been used to supplement a part of the piece. So clearly tis no under the carpet con job! (Are you listening - furniture flea markets of Jogeshwari, Mumbai and Amar Colony, Delhi!)

Personally I tasted blood on the site after ordering a lovely opium bed from a vendor called Induscraft last year. I did receive the knockdown piece in good condition but not before dozens of followup calls had been made and over one and half months had passed after placing the order.

Clearly patience was the key in my experience with delivery. I remember thinking in my exasperation that their service was based more on good intentions than good execution. So if you have a furniture deadline to catch, like a first visit from in laws after marriage, this may not be the place for you. But since i had no such compulsions, all was forgiven. This well crafted bed has become the focal point of my guest bedroom and I am pleased with it. So do you blame me for cruising the site for bargains from time to time. Here is a peek into some finds that I would like to own soon.

The Opium bed i purchased

A daybed for the den to simply hang loose

A simple, square table for those unavoidable TV dinners

Elegant extra storage for my bedroom

Handy side tables for the living room

All images are from ebay India