InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort is a 5-star ECR coastal resort near Covelong, with balcony rooms, a temple-styled pool, spa and restaurants.
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InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort is a 5-star coastal resort on the East Coast Road near Covelong and Mahabalipuram, with balcony rooms, a temple-styled outdoor pool, the Amrtam spa and several restaurants, about an hour's drive from Chennai airport.
Live rates and availability confirmed at booking. All prices indicative — updated June 2026.
The InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort is a 5-star coastal resort on the East Coast Road, set near Nemmeli and Covelong Beach a short way north of Mahabalipuram. It was IHG's first InterContinental resort in India when it opened, and the architecture leans into that ambition, drawing on Coromandel Coast and temple motifs across courtyards, water features and a distinctive temple-styled swimming pool. The result is a property that reads as a destination in its own right rather than simply a stopover.
The setting balances two draws: the Bay of Bengal coastline on one side and the UNESCO-listed monuments of Mahabalipuram a short drive south. Rooms and suites are arranged around landscaped grounds with lotus ponds and a grand courtyard, and every room has a private balcony, so the connection to the outdoors is constant. The layout is low-rise and unhurried, with water and greenery threaded between the buildings, which keeps the resort feeling calm even when it is busy. It is a property that rewards staying put as much as it does sightseeing, the kind of place where an afternoon by the pool or a long lunch on a deck is part of the point.
The resort sits on the ECR at Nemmeli, around 40 kilometres from Chennai International Airport with a drive of roughly an hour depending on traffic. The road south to Mahabalipuram's monument core takes about twenty minutes, while central Chennai is within easy reach for a day in the city. The Madras Crocodile Bank is almost on the doorstep, and Covelong Beach, known for its fishing village and watersports, is a few kilometres away. The coastal road itself is one of the pleasanter approaches in the region, running parallel to the sea for much of the way, dotted with fishing hamlets, casuarina groves and roadside seafood stalls. For guests arriving from the airport or city, the resort can arrange transfers, which takes the guesswork out of the ECR's occasional congestion near Chennai's southern fringes.
Accommodation spans Classic and Premium rooms through Club InterContinental rooms to suites, with the resort offering a wide spread of room types to suit couples, families and longer-staying guests. Interiors take their cue from the Coromandel Coast, in warm, contemporary tones, and each room opens onto a private balcony framing the gardens, pool or water features. Club rooms add lounge access and extra privileges, while select suites step up further with expansive living space and, in some cases, a private plunge pool. It is a property where the room category genuinely changes the experience, so it is worth matching the choice to the occasion.
Dining is one of the resort's strengths. Melting Pot anchors the all-day offer with Peninsular live kitchens on a floating deck, while Tao of Peng serves a Hunanese-Cantonese menu for those after a more focused meal. The Gatsby Lounge takes a 1920s Prohibition theme for cocktails and evening drinks. Between them the venues cover international, regional Indian and pan-Asian cooking, and the coastal setting means seafood features strongly across the menus.
The centrepiece is the temple-styled outdoor swimming pool, a design feature as much as a place to swim. The Amrtam Spa and Wellness Studio offers ocean-facing treatments drawing on Eastern and naturopathic traditions, and there is a fitness centre for those keeping to a routine. Extensive event and banquet spaces make the resort a popular choice for weddings and conferences, and there are facilities for children, so families are well catered for. Beach access nearby rounds out the leisure offer, alongside free Wi-Fi and round-the-clock room service.
Mahabalipuram is the obvious draw. The Shore Temple, Pancha Rathas, Arjuna's Penance and the cluster of rock-cut monuments are all roughly twenty minutes south and reward at least a half-day with a guide. Closer to the resort, the Madras Crocodile Bank is a short hop and a hit with families, while the Tiger Cave at Saluvankuppam and Covelong's beach and watersports fill out an itinerary. Birdwatchers may detour inland to the wetlands around the region, and the coastal villages along the ECR offer a quieter counterpoint to the monuments. The stone-carving workshops of Mahabalipuram, where craftsmen still work granite in a tradition that stretches back to the Pallava era, are worth a browse, and the town's annual dance festival in the cooler months sets classical performances against the floodlit monuments. Pondicherry, further south, makes a rewarding overnight extension for those with time in hand.
This resort suits travellers after coastal luxury within reach of Chennai, heritage tourists basing themselves near the Mahabalipuram monuments, and couples or families wanting a full-service weekend by the sea. Its strong dining, event spaces and design also make it a leading choice for destination weddings. Those seeking a small, intimate boutique stay may find it large and busy at peak times, but for a polished resort experience on the Coromandel Coast it is hard to fault.
| Room | What you get |
|---|---|
| Classic Room | Coromandel-inspired room with a private balcony overlooking the Lotus Pond or Grand Courtyard, finished in contemporary coastal tones. |
| Premium / Pool-View Room | Upgraded room with garden or pool aspect and a private balcony, set within the resort's landscaped grounds. |
| Club InterContinental Room | Club-tier room with access to the Club lounge and added privileges, a step up in space and service. |
| Suite | Spacious living area and the resort's best aspects; select suites add a private plunge pool. |
| Outlet | Cuisine / type |
|---|---|
| Melting Pot | All-day dining with Peninsular live kitchens |
| Tao of Peng | Hunanese-Cantonese restaurant |
| The Gatsby Lounge | 1920s-themed cocktail bar |
| Landmark | Distance | Approx. on foot |
|---|---|---|
| Madras Crocodile Bank Trust | 1 km | ~12 min walk |
| Covelong (Kovalam) Beach | 4 km | short taxi/auto |
| Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram | 18 km | short taxi/auto |
| Pancha Rathas (Five Rathas) | 18 km | short taxi/auto |
| Arjuna's Penance | 18 km | short taxi/auto |
| Tiger Cave, Saluvankuppam | 14 km | short taxi/auto |
Distances are straight-line estimates; walking times assume roughly 12 minutes per km. Confirm routes locally.
It is on the East Coast Road at Nemmeli, near Covelong Beach and around 18 km north of the Mahabalipuram monuments, in Tamil Nadu.
Chennai International Airport (MAA) is roughly 40 km away, about an hour by road along the ECR depending on traffic.
Yes. There is a temple-styled outdoor swimming pool and the Amrtam Spa and Wellness Studio offering ocean-facing treatments, along with a fitness centre.
Venues include Melting Pot for all-day dining with live kitchens, Tao of Peng for Hunanese-Cantonese cuisine and The Gatsby Lounge, a 1920s-themed cocktail bar.
It opened in 2015 as IHG's first InterContinental resort in India.
Yes. The resort has extensive event and banquet spaces and is a popular choice for destination weddings and conferences.