Mumbai

Mumbai is India’s city of ambition, film and finance. The Gateway of India, the Art Deco sweep of Marine Drive, Victorian Gothic landmarks, Bollywood glamour and some of the country’s great hotels make it a metropolis of extraordinary energy, where old Bombay and the new India meet along the Arabian Sea.

Mumbai was built on seven islands, ceded by Portugal to England in 1661 and joined over the following centuries by causeways and reclamation. The British port that grew here left a remarkable architectural record: the Victorian Gothic of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the University, and the Art Deco apartment blocks of Marine Drive, all now inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The southern tip holds Colaba, the galleries and cafés of Kala Ghoda and the Gateway of India, from which boats leave for the rock-cut temples of Elephanta. Further north, Worli and Lower Parel have become the business city, while Bandra and Juhu are home to film studios and their stars. Mumbai lives on trade, cinema and an inexhaustible street-food culture.

November to February is the finest season, with warm, dry days and cool sea breezes in the evening. It is also the season of weddings and parties, and the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival takes over the old quarter each February. Diwali, in October or November, lights the city with lamps and fireworks.

March to May grows steadily hotter and more humid. The southwest monsoon arrives around June and lasts into September, bringing dramatic seas along Marine Drive and heavy rain that can stall the city for hours. Ganesh Chaturthi, in August or September, closes with vast processions carrying the idols to the sea at Girgaum Chowpatty.

The Taj Mahal Palace, opened in 1903 beside the Gateway of India, is the city’s great historic hotel, and The Oberoi, Mumbai faces the Arabian Sea at Nariman Point. In the newer business districts, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai rises above Worli and The St. Regis Mumbai stands in Lower Parel.

LVXVRY books Four Seasons through Four Seasons Preferred Partner and The St. Regis through Marriott STARS & Luminous — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay. For The Taj Mahal Palace and The Oberoi, LVXVRY advises on and arranges the stay directly, including the choice of heritage wing or sea view.