India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [112]
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. info@cwh.in. 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