I would recommend trying to find a place to stay off the main road in Thanjavur, it's incredibly noisy and busy as all the through traffic goes right through this main street...it became a bit of a drag after a while.
The main temple here is stunning, the main reason to come to Thanjavur...There is a posh resort a few km outside of town that you can use their swimming pool for a few rupees, get a good meal and relax in..can't remember the name, but it's pretty obvious from the lonely planet book where it is.
