Summer apartment in Mumbai
 

My son has a three month internship in Mumbai this summer and needs to find a place to live. I'm not familiar with Mumbai but believe the area would be South Mumbai. The firm that hired him isn't being too helpful so thought I'd try the Fodor's experts.

Any suggestions for a furnished (and maybe serviced) apartment (or room in an apartment) that wouldn't strain a college student's budget? Is there an Indian equivalent to Craig's list that's reliable?

Make sure the apartment has air-conditioning and find out about clothes washing since washers and dryers are not commonplace.

He may need to be more persistent with the company that hired him. It's sort of a cultural thing. When it comes to day to day things, there isn't much of a rush in India. He needs to convey more urgency with whomever is in charge of helping him (he should get a contact if he doesn't have one already). It may be helpful to call them and not just correspond through emails.

Jaya, thanks for the advice. I think the low sense of urgency is apparent on the US side of the equation as well. :)

He should make a list of things to find out before he agrees to any one apartment:
- get something on one of the lower floors and don't assume the building has an elevator.
- ask for pictures of the apartment and street area
- he may need to strain his budget to get a nicer/safer/cleaner apartment that isn't an hour away from this office.
-how will he get back and forth from the office? Taxi? Will they provide a car and driver?
-if possible, ask for two or three different apartments from which to make a choice. With technology as it is, maybe then can send him a video of each apartment.

Good luck.

Can you give a more precise address for the office than “south Mumbai”, which is quite a large area. The commute time in the morning can literally take hours to go a few miles, so having a flat near to the office would be ideal.

Do you have any idea of a budget? Housing in Mumbai can be quite expensive, on a par with New York.

I would first suggest something like the YWCA International Centre in Mumbai, see http://www.ywcaic.info/ for locations. The one if Fort would be near what you might consider the main downtown area of south Mumbai (Nariman Point/Colaba). I would say to book ASAP, as these types of places tend to be very popular. The rate seems to be US$46 per night, but may offer cheaper rates for long-term stays.

For serviced apartments, see Oakwood, which is a large US operator with many properties worldwide, see http://www.oakwood.com/location_search.jsp. It appears they only have one location in Juhu, which would be quite far from the downtown area, but if his office is in Juhu, Andheri or otherwise near the airport, this location may work. . There is a very nice Marriott Executive Apartments in Powai, again not really near the downtown, but take a look at Marriott.com. Also try the Taj Wellington Mews, the serviced apartments run by Taj in Colaba (which may be what you mean by south Mumbai), see http://www.tajhotels.com/. I have not been inside, but Taj generally run nice places.

Are there other interns participating in the program? He should get in touch with them and consider renting a place together.

If he by any chance will be in the Nariman Point/Churchgate area, you might look into whether the University of Mumbai offers summer housing. The campus would be walkable to many office areas of Nariman Point. See http://www.mu.ac.in/ and esp http://www.mu.ac.in/service_hostel.html. (“Hostels” are dorms in Indian parlance.) Maybe he could sign up for one class in order to be eligible for housing. (Standard of housing could be quite basic, and I agree on checking on whether they are air-conditioned). Also, if your son is in college or a recent grad, his school may have a relationship with the Un of Mumbai such that he could get housing.

I would also say to keep pushing the firm he is working for to provide options for housing.

I don’t see that vrbo.com has any listings for Mumbai, but that may change from time to time.

Some more suggestions:

There is also a YMCA in Mumbai which has several accomdation options in south Mumbai, see http://www.ymcabombay.com/accomodations.html . Rates look about the same as the YWCA.

I would also suggest you take a look at the Lonely Planet guidebook for India/Mumbai as well as searhing (and pehrpas posting on) their website, called Thorn Tree Posts.

One final comment, if your son is going to be in India on a tourist visa, he may have problems signing a lease for a regular apartment (as opposed to a short-stay servied apartment). Landlords may be reluctant to rent to him on a tourist visa. He theoretically should have a work visa even if he is not being paid, but it may be that the firm is not going to sponsor him for one, and may be expecting him to be on a tourist visa. If he is being paid for the internship, he should absolutely have a work/employment visa. The last thing he wants is trouble with the immigration (and possible tax) departments in India.

Cicerone, Thanks so much for your input. Some points were already considered, some were not. The plan is to have a work visa sponsored by the firm. I may come back to you with more questions after the traveler survives his final exams.