For a 3 day stay in Bombay (now Mumbai) here is what you could check out.
Most tourists who come to Mumbai for the first time choose to stay in downtown… essentially the southern part of the island city. You may choose to rent a 500 Rupees ‘hole-in-the-wall’ hotel on coloaba causeway or pamper yourself at the TAJ.
Taj Mahal Hotel
Staying at the Taj is an experience in itself. The emotional ranking of return visitors has soared higher after the saddening terrorist attack at the hotel in November 2008. However the service at Taj is what would make you come back again.
Walk along the sea facing stretch, check out Gateway of India or have a cheap beer at the rooftop bar of Strand hotel. http://www.hotelstrand.com/
The colaba causeway is a street behind the Taj. A market along the street selling clothes, junk jewellery and knick knacks. Café Leopold and Café Mondegar are 2 old tourist backpacker hangouts and Leo’s is now famous for bestseller Shantaram and the recent Terrorist attack stories.
Dining:
You can walk down Mandlik road and have dinner at Mumbai’s top contender for the finest restaurant in the CondeNast Traveller – Indigo
or hop into Busaba for a cocktail over some house music. Just 2 lanes behind Taj, Bade Miyan is one of the oldest Kebab Makers and has late night snackers getting takeaways or getting served inside their taxi cabs. The seekh kebab (spiced lamb patty) and boti kebab (yogurt-marinated lamb) are recommended.
Trishna in the Kala Ghoda art district is a venerable seafood restaurant in the Kala Ghoda district. Specialties include fresh-off-the-boat squid in chilly garlic, batter-fried prawns and pomfret grilled with black pepper. For the main course, try the signature crab drizzled in butter, pepper and garlic, accompanied by dal Hyderabadi, a spicy lentil soup.
Brittania hotel is an age old joint serving “Berry Pulav”, Salli boti and other Persian/ Iranian delights. This run down classic Iranian place is one of the few remaining hotels run by the Iranians who sought refugee in Bombay during the British rule. The 80 year old owner will probably show you postcards of the Queen and will cry out loud how he desperately wants the british back in India! Go to Ballard Pier and stroll around the streets after this lunch – get a feel of more brit architecture.
Looking around :
This southern part of Bombay is best covered by foot. Take a walk past the Prince of Wales Museum (not worth a look) and head to the Kala Ghoda Art district while you walk past old British Architecture. The street turns to an open art Art arena twice a year and although most galleries have moved away, it still is a nice walk.
Colaba has quite a few contemporary art galleries to check out if you want to appreciate Indian art. Here are the top 5 galleries all very close to the taj (might require a taxi to check them all out)
http://www.project88.in/home.asp
http://www.gallerychemould.com/
http://www.gallerymaskara.com/
http://www.chatterjeeandlal.com/
http://www.theartstrust.com/icia.aspx
Marine drive is a must see during the twilight hours. The 3 km long boulevard along the sea is dotted with Art deco buildings built in the 20’s as well as a few high end hotels. The Oberoi Hotel and the Dome at the Intercontinental have fine dining restaurants and a view. Take a stroll along the seafront to the beach at the end of the road and enjoy a Bombay Bhelpuri (puffy rice snack) or a kulfi falooda (milky ice-cream).
20 minutes north is Lower Parel and Worli, where Mumbais cotton spinning mills from the 30’s have now been turned into Mall spaces, Nightclubs and great night spots. Visit the Phoenix mills for a shopping tour or the Mathuradas mill to enjoy Live music and Bombays still very new club/ lounge the BLUE FROG. http://www.bluefrog.co.in/
Next door is another funky bar – Zenzi which also has a Bandra version (north Bombay suburb) – has more electronic music featuring local and sometimes international acts.
Shopping :
Shop for chic Indian designer wear at Bombay Electric just next door to the Taj. (1 Reay Marg, Best Marg; 91-22-2287-6276; www.bombayelectric.in, a concept boutique on three terraced levels that embodies the new Indian cool. If you order Jodhpur riding pants (7,500 rupees), they will be stitched by the Maharajah of Jaipur’s tailor, according to the store.
Visit the Chor Bazaar or Thieves market and shop for old antiques or bollywood vinyls from the 70’s or just old artifacts to fill up your home. This local flea market is a must see and is a 15 minute cab ride from downtown.
http://www.bombay-mumbai-hotels.com/tourist-attractions/chorbazar.html
You could also drop in at Crawford market enroute if you are looking for anything Indian – from Indian spices to exotic Indian birds sold illegally in cages. An architectural beauty built during the British Raj.
Fab India is also another must visit for inexpensive cotton and linen wear and stack all possible colours of Shirts, Linen Trousers, Kurtas and indo-western wear. They have an outlet at Kala Ghoda, in the downtown art disctrict.
Nightlife:
Apart from Blue frog and Zenzi, there are many other options to choose from in the southern part of Bombay. Tote on the Turf and Olive next door are relatively new haunts at the Mahalaxmi Race course, 20 mins from colaba. If you want a detailed account of whats happening where in the city, we strongly recommend picking up the Bombay TIMEOUT which is very helpful and has phone numbers of most dining venues mentioned so you don’t get lost in the city looking for that perfect dinner venue.
