India is on many Westerners’ “life list” of places to visit. If you play your getaway cards right and India comes up, grab it. This teeming nation offers unique and unforgettable sights, sounds, flavors, and feelings.
To see all of India requires at least a month, which lucky honeymoon couples may have. But most visitors opt for a shorter trip to one of two basic destinations: the capital, New Delhi, plus the nearby Taj Mahal; or Mumbai, India’s business and cultural center. (Hello, Bollywood.) A Mumbai itinerary can include colorful regional cities like Nasik and Kolhapur and the gorgeous former Portuguese colony of Goa on the coast.
Mumbai is an ideal “landing pad” for first-time visitors to India. Flying there is easy, the language is English, prices are reasonable. And most hotels are set a short walk or cheap taxi ride from the best things to do: visiting Hindu temples, dining in fantastic casual restaurants, taking the ferry to holy Elephanta Island, and buying silky scarves and pashminas from sidewalk vendors for a few bucks.
Still, Mumbai is crowded and frenzied. A mega-city of some 20 million, it seems to go on forever. (Imagine the California coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego as one dense metropolis.) The best Mumbai hotels provide shelter from the storm.
The Intercontinental Marine Drive Mumbai is a welcoming, soothing oasis.
Most Intercontinentals cater to business execs, but this boutique-hotel-like property’s 59 rooms attract leisure travelers. It is panoramically set on Mumbai’s showplace waterfront street, and is very close to many tourist attractions.
Rooms are lovely, service attentive, dining options outstanding. And the cool factor is high: the hotel’s rooftop lounge is one of Mumbai’s hottest nightlife destinations. Overall, this hotel’s enlightened management makes stays here a pleasure.
