India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (58 page)

Less successful when it comes to service standards and ambience is the neat, clean and highly functional (if soulless)
Astoria Hotel
(4 Jamshedji Tata Rd., Churchgate;
022/6654-1234
), which unfortunately suffers from a misguided superiority complex. Sure, the lobby has the smooth look of a modern business hotel, but the bedrooms don’t really evoke the same sense of recent refurbishment. They have everything you need, but are very ordinary and, given their price (Rs 4,000–Rs 6,000 double), look a bit tacked together, with tiny, boxy bathrooms.

Inexpensive

Chateau Windsor Hotel
With clean, very basic rooms on the first to fifth floors of an apartment block (not always easy to spot—it’s next to the disheveled-looking Ambassador hotel), this is one of Mumbai’s hidden gems. Sure, it’s unspectacular, but it’s cheap—perhaps the best option in its price bracket—and well managed. Do specify that you want a superior or deluxe room; these units have small balconies, stone tile floors, and foam mattresses with clean white sheets and towels. The simple, inelegant furnishings include an armless “sofa,” a linoleum-topped table, and a small, narrow cupboard (What more do you need? Now go out and explore!). Although there is no restaurant, you can sit in the terrace garden and nosh, or get room service (light snacks only); you’ll have few reasons to do this, however, given the neighborhood’s selection of excellent restaurants. Morning tea is on the house, and the kitchen is available for you to do your own cooking—as long as it’s vegetarian.

86 Veer Nariman Rd., Churchgate, Mumbai 400 020.
022/2204-4455.
Fax 022/2202-6459.
www.chateauwindsor.com
. [email protected]. 60 units. Rs 2,400 standard double with shared bathroom; Rs 3,000 medium standard double; Rs 3,900 superior double; Rs 4,500 deluxe double; Rs 400 extra person. Children under 12 free. Rates exclude 10% tax. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
Airport transfers (Rs 1,100); room service.
In room: A/C and fan, TV, fridge (in deluxe and superior rooms), Wi-Fi (Rs 100/hr.; Rs 500/day).

CENTRAL MUMBAI: WORLI, BANDRA & JUHU

Mumbai’s upscale seaside suburbs don’t have a tourist center, but they are studded with new restaurants, bars, endless shopping, and a vibrant nightlife, sans Colaba’s seedy edge. Worli is just a short drive from Colaba and Nariman Point and features some of the less-touted attractions, including Mahalaxmi Racecourse, the Nehru Centre (with the city’s planetarium), Worli fishing village, the dhobi ghat, and a long stretch of seafront, known as the Worli Sea Face. Worli is now connected to Bandra by a 4 1⁄2km (2 3⁄4-mile)
setu
(sea bridge) that will hopefully cut down commuting time considerably as soon as people know how to use it efficiently. The sea link means that the heavily touristed downtown area is now much closer to both vibrant Bandra and the adjacent “beach holiday” suburb of Juhu; the latter attracts a predominantly local, moneyed crowd, and as such affords in many ways a genuine introduction to Mumbai as a leisure destination rather than an overblown business capital. Juhu’s relative proximity to the airport (it’s a 30-min. drive) makes it the ideal stopover if you have no strong desire to engage with the historical side of the city, or if you need to recover from jet lag before moving on. Most of Bollywood’s film stars live and hang out in this part of Mumbai, so it’s definitely where you should stay if you have an interest in bumping into them (and it really does happen) or simply want to spend time in trendy bars and restaurants. The best accommodations—the slick and vibey
Four Seasons
in Worli, the superbly-positioned
Taj Lands End
in Bandra, and to a lesser extent, the
JW Marriott
in Juhu—are reviewed below, along with a handful of more affordable options, all in Juhu.

Very Expensive

Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai
It starts with the city’s slickest airport pickup—a silky smooth BMW ride (wildly pricey, but worthwhile) that takes you across the brand new Bandra-Worli Sea Link—and is sustained by seamless service and crisp attention to detail that perfectly bridges the gap between business and leisure. With its manageable room count, snappy staff (all with model good looks and big, friendly smiles), and just the right amount of intimacy and warmth, this strikes us as the best of Mumbai’s upmarket hotels. And while the architecture (contemporary, slim, and heavenward-thrusting) hints at bland modernism, there’s much to elevate your stay above the ordinary—whether it’s the bird’s-eye views from the pool deck, planning an offbeat itinerary with the excellent concierge team, or the impeccable rooms. You’ll sleep on the fattest mattresses in town, next to the bed are copies of
Maximum City
and
Shantaram
(the author of which is a regular guest), and huge windows frame the city (ask for a room on the top floor). An apprenticeship program for disadvantaged young people suggests a willingness to give back and the hotel is involved in other community outreach programs, too. Simply put: This is our favorite.

114 Dr. E. Moses Rd., Worli, Mumbai 400 018.
022/2481-8000.
Fax 022/2481-8001.
www.fourseasons.com/mumbai
. 202 units. Rs 17,650 superior double, Rs 19,650 deluxe double, Rs 21,650 deluxe sea view double, Rs 24,650 premiere double; Rs 30,000–Rs 201,700 suite.
Amenities:
3 restaurants, including San Qi (see review), and 1 rooftop restaurant that will be up and running by 2010), bar; airport transfers (Rs 3,000 in a BMW); ATM; babysitting; concierge; cultural talks and workshops; DVD library; health club and spa with Indian and Western treatments, and yoga, meditation, and aerobic studios; members’ club with exclusive meeting rooms, lounges, and library; large outdoor rooftop pool; room service; yoga. In room: A/C, TV/DVD, hair dryer, minibar, MP3-docking station/radio, Wi-Fi (Rs 980 per day).

Business As Usual in the Eye of the Bureaucratic Storm

Nobody said doing business in Mumbai was easy, and starting a business can be a nightmarish process of endlessly cutting red tape. Before opening, the new Four Seasons Hotel, over and above the usual paperwork rigmarole was forced to procure an epic 165 government permits, including (can you believe it?) a special license for the vegetable weighing scale in the kitchen, as well as one for each of the bathroom scales in the guest rooms. Fortunately big money goes a long way towards speeding up any process where politicians and government officials are involved, but we can fully appreciate just why so much of Mumbai’s business happens underground. Mercifully, at least for guests at the Four Seasons, not only do the bathroom scales work (we even used them to check our luggage weight before an international flight!), but as a tax incentive, newly constructed hotels are exempt from charging room tax for the first 15 years of operation. Yet another good reason to stay in rapidly growing Worli.

JW Marriott Hotel
The opulent JW remains Juhu’s most luxurious hotel, and continues to be a favored hangout for Bollywood stars, members of Mumbai’s distinguished air-kissing crowd, and, of course, the voyeurs who come to witness this ongoing soap opera. Although you may get a good view of the beach, the hotel itself is disconnected from the shore (literally, due to security reasons) and the aim seems to be on focusing your attention inwards, towards the many dining and recreational facilities located within what is ultimately a vast hangout for wealthy locals who use this as their lounge (and also their nightclub; see “Mumbai After Dark”). Certainly, it’s not a place where you’ll feel as if you’re coming home when you walk through the front door. Set over five floors, the guest rooms are comfortable, with modern, albeit rather predictable, decor and amenities; each has some kind of sea view, though most are side views. Things would be a whole lot better if the staff were more welcoming, or at least bothered to change the repetitive, hypnotically dull lobby soundtrack.