India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [109]
Inexpensive
If your budget can’t stretch to pay for the suggestions above, check out Sea Green Hotel ( 022/6633-6525 or 022/2282-2294; www.seagreenhotel.com) at 145 Marine Dr. Together with the adjoining Sea Green South Hotel (www.seagreensouth.com), this is the best (if not the only) budget option on Marine Drive, where relatively large guest rooms with French doors (and flaking paint) open onto balconies overlooking Back Bay. It has a slightly seedy air, and furnishings are way out of date (some would say awful), but the attached shower-toilets are large and clean, and each room comes with TV, metal wardrobe, vinyl-covered desk and table, and a small fridge; and there’s Wi-Fi, too (Rs 100/hr.; Rs 700/day). Aside from a small lounge in the lobby, there are no other facilities, making this a bare-basics, functional budget hotel, where you’ll be investing as little as Rs 3,600 (inclusive of taxes and a 10% service charge, but no breakfast) for an air-conditioned double. Tip: Try to book room 504, one of the few rooms with a glassed-in shower; it even has a sideways sea view from the balcony.
COLABA
Generally considered the city’s tourist hub, this enclave at the far southern end of the city enjoys the city’s densest concentration of sights, hotels, and restaurants (of which the best are reviewed below); Colaba and Fort are ideal if you like to step out of your hotel and walk around as opposed to jumping into a chauffeur-driven vehicle and being whisked off to your next port of call. While some of the city’s premiere hotels—such as the Taj Mahal Palace and the excellent-value Ascot—are here, this area is also known for having a large number of budget dives and while this is more or less true, it’s clear that most of these places have put effort into smartening up in recent years, so it’s increasingly possible to find a relatively good deal (at least by Mumbai standards) without roughing it too much.
Very Expensive
The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower George Bernard Shaw declared that after staying here, he no longer needed to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. As the crowning glory of the city’s hotel scene, The Taj Mahal Palace may well double as the nerve center for moneyed mischief, but it remains a great blend of old-world charm and modern conveniences. Nothing can compare to the sublime historic ambience of the rooms and suites in the Palace, all of which are being extensively overhauled (smartened up with more modern amenities and slicker finishes, but retaining their substantially old-world ambience, carefully chosen antiques and vintage artworks, and indisputable authenticity) following damage done to the property during the tragedy that befell the city in 2008. The Taj has long been in the process of reinventing itself to keep its crown as the most celebrated address in Mumbai, and despite many a la mode additions (the plush Jiva spa, modern world-class restaurants, jazzy infusions of color against a regal architectural background, and souped-up airtight security), the hotel still recalls an era of superb elegance. While we highly recommend the sea-facing rooms and exceptional suites in the historic Palace wing (all of which are scheduled to be relaunched by 2010), we still feel that accommodations in the hotel’s looming business-oriented Tower Wing are a bit of a letdown (with small, bland bathrooms).
Apollo Bunder, Mumbai 400 001. 022/6665-3366. Fax 022/6665-0300. www.tajhotels.com. At press time only the Tower Wing, comprising 268 of 565 units, are operational; the Palace is scheduled to reopen by 2010. Tower Wing: Rs 19,750 superior city-view double, Rs 21,250 superior sea-view double, Rs 22,750 deluxe city-view double, Rs 24,250 deluxe sea-view double, Rs 28,750 Taj Club city-view double, Rs 30,750 Taj Club sea-view double, Rs 75,000 executive suite, Rs 95,000 luxury suite. Palace Wing rates unavailable at press time. Rates exclude