daniellam

Can anyone recommend any good hotels in Mumbai?

It seems like that from looking at the websites of the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels that their rooms seem to be rather small (297 sq. ft).

agtoau

The Oberoi is the finest hotel in Bombay. Their Deluxe Ocean-facing rooms are larger (36 sq m = 385 sq feet). The adjacent Oberoi Towers is very nice too, but not in the same superior league as The Oberoi. In general, the Oberoi brand of hotels signifies a very high standard of luxury and service.

The Taj group boasts its flagship Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay but I would stick with The Oberoi. The Taj group has been steadily declining in quality.

Near the international airport, there has recently mushroomed a slew of 5-star hotels. Of these, I prefer the Hyatt Regency for its efficiency and proximity to the airport. The Grand Hyatt is opening sometime in December. The Mumbai Grand Intercontinental opened recently and is the newest entrant in the luxury loop around the airport. Then there is The Grand Maratha Sheraton - it is luxurious but cavernous and dull. Yet another choice is Le Meridien (Grand Maratha Sheraton, Le Meridien and Hyatt Regency are all within earshot of one another). About 10 minutes away from the airport is JW Marriott. It has an impressive lobby but the rooms are small.

MGR

I would strongly recommend the Hyatt near the airport.

I chose not to stay at the Taj or other hotels downtown to avoid the congestion and noise. This is definitely the best Hyatt I've ever stayed in (excluding Park Hyatt properties, of course). The rooms are a decent size and very modern. The bathroom is large and has a sunken shower area and separate tub.

The spa/fitness center is excellent. The spa rooms and female locker room were very elegant and spacious. The masseuse was absolutely incredible and the fitness area is rather large with individual TV screens. There is a very attentive person whose sole responsibilities are to give you bottled water and towels and to show you how to use the machines.

The lobby was quite impressive if you like contemporary style and the Regency club lounge was very comfortable. It was quite enjoyable just sitting in the lounge watching the news on a very large flat screen TV.

This was a much better hotel than the more expensive Park Hyatt in Goa and the massages and service were vastly superior.

I would stay at this Hyatt in Mumbai again without a doubt.

B Watson

There can be no debate on this - I agree TOTALLY

FlyingtoIndia

I'm booked to stay at The Taj in Mumbai - after reading these posts, am reconsidering for The Oberoi. I'll only be there 1 day. Are they in the same area of the city? Which is better?

agtoau

The Oberoi is the finest hotel in Mumbai (see http://www.oberoihotels.com ), the Taj is a close second. Both these hotels are located in close proximity of one another (5 minutes driving distance). With the Taj you get a lot of charm and the cachet of history. With the Oberoi you get modern luxury and worldclass service second to none. If I were you, I would stay at the Oberoi and take a meal at the Taj.

The new Grand Hyatt Mumbai is said to be outstanding. But it is in a different area (closer to the international airport).

speedbird001

I stayed at The Taj in June in the old wing and found it to be fairly good. I would return. The public spaces have all been renovated and are quite nice. I had dinner one night at The Oberoi and although I did not stay there, found the place lacking in character.

Swanhunter

The heritage wing at the Taj is a great experience, but the rest of the hotel is pretty disappointing with lacklustre service. I'll join the chorus for the Oberoi downtown which has been consistently good. At the airport I have heard good things about the Hyatt, Sheraton and JW.

Internaut

I disagree. The rooms at the Oberoi (and the Oberoi towers) may be better but I much preferred the service at the Taj. That pot of tea delivered to my room as and when I wanted was superb. Also, the location of the Oberoi is rather dull (great for pictures if you're on one of the high floors in the towers), the Taj being a few minutes from Colaba Causeway and minutes from the old centre of the city. For me, the biggest advantage of Oberoi was its proximity to Churchgate station.

That said, for anyone brave enough to just walk out of the hotel and literally take a walk and deal with all the hassle, Mumbai is a wonderful place from either hotel.

hfly

I found the Taj to be an incredible disappointment, despite complaining and getting upgraded to one of their executive rooms (or whatever they call their top product). The place needs a real airing out. As for service I found it mediocre at best. The Oberoi is a bit better. The best hotels however are now to be found near the airport.

FlyingtoIndia

Sometimes I see this hotel listed as The Taj Mahal Intercontinental. Was this / is this part of the Intercontinental chain?

agtoau

No, it never was.

The Intercontinental chain has recently opened two hotels in Mumbai, one very close to the international airport and the other in downtown (not far from the Oberoi and the Taj). Look up their website:

http://www.interconti.com

FlyingtoIndia

Yeah, I've seen that - but look at this:
http://www.asiahotels.com/hotelinfo/Taj_Mahal_Mumbai/

If you google ["The Taj" Mumbai Intercontinental] you get a bunch of references to its name like this - also in Lonely Planet. Could they have changed the name due to this confusion?

agtoau

Oh, sorry I wasn't clear. The Taj in Mumbai has always been formally known as the Taj Mahal Intercontinental or the Taj Mumbai Intercontinental. But it has never been part of the Intercontinental chain, the word "intercontinental" in its name notwithstanding.

FlyingtoIndia

Aha. Got it - thanks. I had all these ideas about using "Intercontinental" points, etc.