Hi All

After 5 years I'll be back to India (only know BLR and HYD so far) in July again on a mixed business/ fun trip - arriving at 6am in J with BA on a Thursday and heading Saturday late PM with AI to Doha.

Will be staying in JW Marriott Juhu as I like to see some sea (or is this a bad idea for a first timer?).

Any advice for to do's / not to do's much appreciated - thinking of getting the airport hotel transfer (or can I do a standard taxi/ Uber without getting ripped off?)? Is the AI lounge any good before my flight out? Any must visits during my stay? Do I need to get some INR beforehand (I remember last time I almost couldn't get an ATM working). I do know though to print my evisa/ tickets/ etc in advance.

I know a very general ask but I would appreciate any wisdom

First time to India: 3-4 days in Mumbai. Any suggestions?

AI uses the airport lounge complex which is pretty good.

Uber is the best way to get around, get some cash at the ATM in arrivals, foreign credit cards don’t work well with uber, so you should use the cash payment method.

The only time I don�t recommend Uber is when departing from the airport, especially from T2. It�s a mess and if you�ve got an airport pickup with the hotel set up the I would get that. Other than that Uber is decent all around.

Great thanks.

My client initially insisted on the JW Marriott Juhu Bay but given it's Monsoon season and I've never been in Mumbai, I guess the St Regis will be the better choice? Plus, plenty of pool time in Doha later anyway

Looking forward to be back in India. Great country and super friendly people.

I don�t think one hotel or the other will make a difference wrt to monsoon. What would matter is how far away the client location is. So, if the St Regis is closer, then go for it.

(FYI this is one of the most lacklustre St Regis I�ve stayed in so if you have to be in that area of town, I would pick the Four Seasons unless you�re tied to Bonvoy.)

Thanks!

Actually the client will come to me, so fairly flexible. I do prefer Bonvoy, but would be happy with the FS - or is there a better part of town for a first time visitor with a hotel on the same level?

Uber works, but there is a high enough incidence of annoyances (drivers canceling at the last minute, insisting on cash payments outside the app, etc.) that you may want to consider a taxi arranged by your hotel for peace of mind.

Also, monsoons - just plan on all your travel in the city to take twice as long as it normally would, with flooding, diversions, etc. if it gets really bad.

Regarding hotels, "lackluster" is definitely the word for the Mumbai St Regis. For the same money you may find the ITC Grand Central a better experience and in roughly the same part of the city. The only plus point of the St Regis is that it's right next to a large mall that apart from some fancy stores has a pretty large number of restaurants. If I recall correctly, it's not easy or pleasant to try to walk to a restaurant from any of the other 4* or 5* hotels.

Cash - yes, have some INR around. Perennial problem of small vendors being reluctant to accept foreign credit cards ("machine not working today, sir"), and it's kind of a pain to try to use the prepaid UPI wallets as a tourist on a short stay (although you can try - Cheq, HaveMony). At arrivals in the airport, as soon as you exit from the baggage area (and get past the secondary bag screening), you'll find an ATM on your left (after the domestic connections hallway).

There is also an Airtel SIM vendor in the arrivals lounge although I've never used it. You may be fine with a data eSIM like Airalo (but get it before you enter India as you can't download most of these in India). With a data eSIM, you can communicate with pretty much everyone with WhatsApp, much preferred by the locals.

Always good to have some INR in hand when traveling to India. I use Uber at BOM & I've never had a problem. Just use cash to pay for it since overseas credit cards have been known to not work in the app. No need to print anything out anymore. You can just show the tickets, etc on your phone.

The Parel/Worli area (where the FS, St Regis and Grand Central are located) is the former industrial core of the city, which has now been repurposed/redeveloped as a CBD and nightlife district with some great food and drink options (reservations recommended for most of the upmarket higher rated places). However, as a tourist, you will be closer to "old" Mumbai at the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers.

While a bit away from the center, Bandra has a number of things to see and do (including some of the top food options in the the city) but only one large luxury hotels, ie. the Taj Lands End, which is a bit dated but still very decent.

If your stay involves Sunday or a bank holiday, I would avoid Marriott Juhu. The beach is insanely packed every weekend and holiday. I went there everyday during my last trip and while its pleasant, its not a beach where you would want to go in the water.

I would recommend St Regis / Taj Lands End over Juhu area.

Traffic in Juhu is also bad when everyone heads to the beach

Thanks for all your help.

Smooth trip - stayed in Marriott Juhu (very good though not outstanding - left a brief TR in the Marriott forum.

Plus, I was hanging out with some Bollywood celebrities at the pool (and was in the gym with their girlfriends, even better).

Never used Uber as firm pays hotel driver anyway.

Impressive airport architecture and good Adani lounge. The scenery around the slums is still depressing though (saw them for the first time).

Very friendly people as usual (apart from the airport security dudes

I will be arriving into BOM and since it's a short trip, I opted for a hotel close to the airport. Since it's not recommended Uber at the airport, which car sharing app should I use to get from the airport to the hotel (Fairfield Inn at the airport) and the next day airport to the old city?

Also, maybe additional advise needed - do you think I could so the main sights in BOM old city and Elephanta island in a day (I do see quite some half day tour to this island - is this self doable?)

Cheers!

It's either Uber or the local pre-paid taxi. Pre-paid cabbie may be annoyed with a short ride near the airport as they wait a long time(and they may need directions if they don't know the hotel) I usually pay them 100-200 more at the end to be fair to them as I travel a short distance from BOM. Uber pickup is chaotic, but works fine.

You can take a aqua line (Line 3) metro from either terminal 1 or 2 metro stations and go all the way to south Mumbai (Cuffe Parade or Churchgate) and do the Elephanta trip.

Hi,
I just wanted to come back on this - so others who might be in the same situation can benefit from it.
I did manage (even with later than expected original planning) - visit the different main attractions despite staying at the airport area.
Managed to visit Elephanta Island - for those who are not going for details, etc - I believe 3+ hours is sufficient, my boat departed around 1030 and I arrived at the island around 1130. Did all 5 caves by around 1230 (walking up was not too bad, maybe 20+ mins). I did skip those fort/hill area, as I read it's not worth it and actually I already had some nice views of Navi Mumbai/bridge from the cave area.
Upon return to the Gateway of India, I went to the Taj Palace hotel (I would have spend longer if I had my credit card with me, but I forgot, so I skipped having a drink/food).
Walked over to the CSM Main Train terminus passing the former Prince of Wales museum (CSM mnuseum now) - I did not visit, but I found the ground outside already beautiful.
At the terminus, I spend another 15-20 mins walking around, etc just to watch the business of the place.
Walked from here to the Flora fountain - not really much to see.
I skipped the Clock tower - which I did see from a distance.

I did walk around in general - just admiring the English architectures - since it was not too hot during my visit.

All in all, for those who want to do this quick visit - it's possible. The metro did help a bit (note that not all stations are close to the attractions).

Tip for those getting a Uber from the airport - if you don't have too much luggage, you can walk outside of the airport area and this can save you up to 400+ INR. (I believe is just some surcharge) - as for me going back to the airport and when getting one close to the (Fairmont hotel) - it saved me that amount.
Another is to remember to change your payment option to cash - if not you will be waiting for quite some time, as when I first arrived, I waited for about 15 mins without anyone accepting my ride request until the staff at the airport Uber area told me to switch it to cash.
Uber Go vehicles are basically smaller cars with not much space for luggage (the trunk is with those gas canister)

Cheers!