Thursday, August 14, 2008

Best address in Mumbai

So the place to stay in Mumbai is the JW Marriott. Having stumbled through the Hyatt (too pseudo-American), ITC Maratha (convenient and good, but no extra punch), and the Taj & Intercon (just too far), I finally stayed at the JW last couple of nights.

Its in Juhu, admittedly from most business engagements, but it does afford the best beach access, as the photograph above will prove (provided you can get up at 5am and make it before it gets hot and crowded). And its nice. But what really brought it out for me is that this is the center of Bollywood activity. I saw Sunil Gavaskar eating at the next table (big deal for this blogger who grew up as a young cricketer), was introduced to Farah Khan in the bar (whom I didn't know before), and saw dozens of what looked like young and old film and modeling casts. This place has a real buzz that's difficult to describe in a write-up.

If you want the quintessential Bollywood experience in a hotel in Mumbai, this is the place to be.