Nestled on a hilltop and approached via scenic drive, this vintage property in Madurai is a hidden gem in Taj/IHCL vast inventory of hotels across India. We went there as a family last year past mid-December 2023 and were received so warmly by their newly appointed GM Mr. Vishal Srivastava. After having a cup of chai with us, he helped us to a tour of this magnificent property which gave us a feel of being in a cozy hill station. The real highlight were the beautiful peacocks who roam around freely while essentially perhaps they are the real inhabitants of this place and us hu***s are just taking care of them on lease! We even got to feed the peacocks and they seemed very happy! Although everyone from Taj Madurai team did their part, we specifically want to point out Mr. Noor Mohammad, F&B ***ager for extra-ordinary efforts to help us with the best possible cuisine tailored to our requirements at a short notice. Madurai being a heritage city, world famous for the Meenakshi Temple has its own unique charm. A Taj there only enhances the profile of the city and the hotel may also help arranging the darshan, if you ask well in advance (and nicely, of course). We commend Mr. Vishal Srivastava, General ***ager of Gateway Madurai Pasumalai for the novel steps he has taken in his relatively short tenure to bring this Taj property into prominence and truly putting it on the map, as it richly deserves. We would always remain grateful to him for the empathy, care and understanding offered to us by him during our stay in Taj and beyond!