Mumbai hotels
 

So excited to go to Mumbai for the first time. I was looking to get some advise on hotels but also the best area to stay in. I dont have much time at all so I would love to find the best area to minimize transit times but I realize Mumbai is quite spread out.

What is the area like around the St. Regis & Four Seaons? Is it better to go far south to Colaba and stay there? Juhu hotels look quite nice but seem so far. West Bandra seems like a cool area too.

Most important things to me are food, culture & seeing as much as possible. And I like to stay in an area where there are some things I can do on foot with out needing to worry about transportation.

Thanks :)

How long is your Mumbai trip?

If it were me, my first choice would be to stay at the historic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at the Gateway of India. My second choice would be the Oberoi which is in the same neighborhood as the Taj.

My trip will be just 2 full days & nights in Mumbai, sadly!

The Taj looks awesome but is it almost too huge and too overwhelming for such a short stay or no? I had seen Oberoi, it looks quite nice as well.

And in regards to St. Regis & Four Seasons, which seem right by each other, what would be around them- anything worth seeing or no?

Juhu isnt worth a consideration I assume as its too far?

If I stay down in Colaba as you had suggested will I be able to walk to some of the sights- i.e. Gate of India & Marine Drive.. However, getting to Dhobi Ghat, Juhu, etc then will be a long transport.

I've never hired a professional tour guide as I love to just walk and explore.. However, Mumbai (maybe India in general (seems overwhelming and so big and so much to do. I was thinking mabye for 1 of my 2 days to set up a tour with a local.

I would go with St Regis or Four Seasons. It's somewhat midway to both Bandra/BKC and Colaba area. Plenty of good restaurants close by.

Bombay has a good theater scene too, If that interests you, check bookmyshow to see if there are any live English plays during your stay.

Cool thx, I do like a good show so I will check that out.

What is there to do right about the Four Seaons, would there be some restaurants, bars, things to do?

The Coastal Road makes getting around a breeze. Bandra and Lower Parel are where most of the hip and happening bars and restaurants currently are, while Colaba/Fort is considered to be the historic city center.

Would strongly recommend the Four Seasons over the St Regis. If you choose Bandra, Taj Lands End is a solid choice (and if you’re lucky you’ll get a room on their renovated floors).

AER rooftop bar is good during evenings for the view. Mall and coastal road are close by to zip to Colaba if needed. Bastain at the top imaybe worth a viist look for a drink - about 20 minutes drive.

For such a short trip I would suggest either the St Regis or Four Seasons. You can't go wrong with either.

Thanks all for the help. Both Four Seaons & St. Regis look nice and tbh in the US those are out of my league. AER looks really cool. Does either have a better jacuzzi/sauna/steam room or I am sure both are nice.

Seems like I can enjoy a cocktail at AER and check out Bandra one night and obviously day time will go to Colaba & Fort. Hopefully can see the Dhobi Ghat too and maybe try to find 1 excursion in the time I have as well.

Is Juhu worth making a venture too or not with my limited time?

I was also wondering about street food- I've been told its a Hard NO but I was chatting with a tour guide who says they have some hygenic street food spots but I was still a little leary. Just curious to get the general consensus on that..

I've eaten street food in Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan & Vietnam (although with a bit more care than the other 3) but India I've heard all the stories of folks getting sick so just wasnt sure.

Thanks :)

Both the Four Seasons and the St Regis have a superb spa and have a sauna and steam set up as well that is available for all guests.

As for Aer, it was very chic and cool a few years ago but honestly it’s not worth it beyond the views. The St Regis is taller and has a bar and a restaurant on its top floor as well. Beware though that both places are major party spots on the weekend and the Regis brings in external security/bouncers that are unnecessarily intimidating and aggressive. This, along with the fact that the rooms feel a bit dated, is why I prefer the Four Seasons over the St Regis.

In any case, there are way better cocktail spots in the city than either hotel’s bars (Otra, Americano and The Bombay Canteen are primarily known got their food but serve incredible cocktails). If you’re even a little bit doubtful, I would avoid the street food altogether. Juhu not worth it, unless you have a particular place to go to there. Bandra has a bunch of walkable areas with some interesting food, bars and cafes so definitely worth it more than Juhu.

Thanks appreciate this. And great to hear both have awesome spas. Leaning towards Four Seaons. Price is like a 1/4 of what it is by me for the Four Seaons so I'm happy with that :)

So if I only hit up restaurants and no street food do you still have to be a little cautious at which restaurants you go to? I've done 30 countries and never really worried or got sick. I am a little worried for India but maybe its more in my head I dunno.

I know I have to have vada pav in Mumbai, Was reading the chutneys you have to be careful due to the water.

Btw, no issue with showering or brushing teeth like a little water getting in you mouth or both of those things need to be done wtih bottle water (teeth) and really careful in the shower?

All those night life spots look awesome. Bandra too I will go to and ya Juhu I have no place I have to be or know about so with such a short time that will be a skip.

Is the open laundry and the Dharvi slums both cool and worth a visit?

Hi just wanted to ask might you have a couple other places you recommend for food/drinks- the first 2 of the 3 you listed I wont be able to go to. I arrive on a Sunday I believe 3 or 4pm ish and then I leave Wed and both those spots are closed Monday & Tuesday. Bombay Canteen is open 7 days so for sure will go there. Food menu looks great! If you have maybe 1 cool bar to throw at me and 1 other place for food you like that would be awesome.

The vast majority of restaurants are ok, especially if you travelled a lot you shouldn't get sick. As for vada pav, mostly ok, but try going to a place with long lines (that ensures the food is fresh).

Brushing teeth with tap water is perfectly fine, especially in any of the hotels you're staying in, which have additional filtration. I have accidentally drank the tap water at my house too and have been ok so brushing is not gonna be an issue.

I honestly would not spend time in either the Dharavi or Dhobi Ghat, it's genuinely not something that anyone from here particularly cares for, and honestly there's way more art and culture to see in the city than spend time here.

Some other place recommendations (don't miss Bombay Canteen though, their cocktails and the tartare are incredible):

1. Bombay Daak, Bandra: interesting experimental food with good drinks
2. Toto's, Bandra: old local dive bar, very crowded but fun (don't expect cocktails here)
3. Pali Village Cafe/Pali Bhavan, Bandra: co-located restaurants with great food
4. Sixteen 33, Bandra: solid cocktail bar, sometimes crowded
5. Eau Bar, at the Oberoi: great for a sunset cocktail
6. Harbour Bar, at the Taj Mahal Palace: India's first licensed bar
7. Olive Bar and Kithcen, Bandra: celeb-spotting spot with incredible food

Awesome, thank you so much. I'm checking out all those places now and will def be hitting some up.

Thx for the tip on Dharvi & Dhobi. Any particlar art/cultural recommendation for me to do/see?

I am thinking of just booking the Four Seaons so its done and set. While most everything you have suggested is Bandra or Colaba I guess being somewhat centrally located makes the most sense.

Unless uou have a sustainable interest in laundry systems or a professional interest in social housing, dhobi ghat and slum visits are about as uncool as you can get.

Though if curiosity drives uou to witness the lives of slum-dwellers, try to engage with a tourism initiative run by an organisation aimed at developing the infrastructure and facilities of the place you visit.

Mumbai's high-end hotels can be painfully expensive - especially if you aim for anything above entry-level rooms. I buck this forum's trend by being a lower-end traveller, but as a treat (or when a client is paying👍 ) a particular favourite, bang on Marine Drive, is the Intercontinental - surprisingly small scale and comfortably intimate.

High-end won't give you absolute immunity from picking up some intestinal bug: avoid breakfast buffets. Eating out, go for populsr, high-volume, places.

Worrying about brushing your teeth or somehow ingesting water as you shower, is going to ruin your trip. Just don't !

Ya i have pulled those 2 spots from my itinerary. Gateway, Marine Dr., maybe some beach time plus hope to hit a ton of food spots.

I am an entry level room guy. I dont care at all about hotels, well at least compared to how much time & energy I spend on getting J & F flight deals. The biggest issue I always have is just location and choosing the best area. In this case, Four Seaons/St. Regis area, Taj/Oberoi or anything on Marine Dr.

Intercontinetal looks nice and being on the sea is cool. Surprised they dont have a spa. I love a steam & sauna but moreso just a jacuzzi, which I think they dont have either from what I can see. Good price though and great location.

Thx :)

If you want to try some relatively hygienic "street food" type food, you can visit some of the many fast casual spots (Elco's in Bandra or Swati Snacks are couple examples). For cafe's, I enjoyed Boogie and Mag St in Bandra on my last visit.

Those places all look awesome. Bandra seems really cool in particular.

I am going to put on so much weight in Mumbai, this isnt good :)

I'll throw my hat in the ring for the Intercontinental too. With the opening of the tunnel it's perfectly located, and the rooms facing the bay offer a great view. The rooftop bar is really nice for sundowners.

For restaurants, an absolute institution is Trishna for fantastic seafood. Depending how mobile you are it's a nice walk in the evenings from the Intercontinental too.

If you do stay down in old Mumbai, be sure to factor in a painfully long drive to the airport depending on time of day!

(I realise that this may not help the OP, but the next person looking for information may benefit)

I grew up in Mumbai. My personal recommendation would be to stay further south and commute northwards during the day when touring. South Mumbai is the old business district, BKC just south of the airport in Bandra East is the "newer" business district. Most people stay in the northern part of the city, because it's cheaper, and commute southwards. Going against the traffic is usually a better experience. The local train service is fantastic, but you definitely do not want to deal with the crowds of daily commuters going to work. Going north/south in Mumbai by road isn't usually a good idea.

South Mumbai is usually older classics, Bandra West is the slightly more hipster area.

Food wise, I would strongly suggest looking for places serving cuisines you may not be familiar with (in addition to the recommendations above). Jimmy Boy ( https://www.jimmyboy.in/ ), Britannia or SodaBottleOpenerWala for Parsi cuisine. The Tanjore Tiffin Room for Chettinaad. O Pedro in BKC for Goan. Shree Thaker Bhojanalay for a proper Gujarati thali. Maaslli Saraswat and GSB speciality for GSB cuisine.

For interesting sweet snacks, I like the offerings at Bombay Sweet Shop in Bandra (their bhel chikki is a lovely snack, and isn't available elsewhere). Chitale Bandhu Bakarwadi is a known classic. You already know of vada pav, there's also pav bhaji (a vegetarian sloppy joe).

If you arrive during the Ramzan/Ramadan season, Muhammad Ali road is a lovely place for a food walk after sunset.

And in lesser known attractions, the railway museum at CST is worth a visit https://shop.museumsofindia.org/node/287

Thank you for all that :)