21 Best Hotels in Mumbai, India

The Astoria, with its slightly severe 1930-ish art deco exterior, is a decent and reliable midrange hotel. The brightly lit glass and marble lobby provides a cheerful welcome, and the rooms, with wood floors and nondescript furnishings, are neat, comfortable, and clean but a tad institutional—opt for a room on a high floor with a view of the cricket maidans across the street. The Astoria is well located, with Nariman Point, Marine Drive, and Regal Cinema all five minutes away, and it's also away from the bustle because it's set in from the road, which all make this a great value for the price.

The best deal in Colaba—a clean, quaint, simple tourist joint in a prime South Mumbai location—is the kind of place young expats send visiting friends to stay at if they don't have room to host them themselves. In the heart of the Colaba Causeway, its side-road setting makes it surprisingly quiet, and any lack of modern amenities is more than balanced by the charm. Rooms, with old-style wooden furniture, come in two sizes. The gregarious and gracious owner, Homi, will offer sightseeing tips and can find you a trustworthy local guide.

One of the cheapest decent hotels on the Juhu strip, and right on the beach, the Citizen is a deal in a city where you seemingly pay for every square inch. The hotel isn't going to win awards for style, either inside or out, but the rooms are quite comfortable, and there are beach views from the windows. Bathrooms are tiny, with just showers (no tubs). The open-air seaside restaurant is very pleasant, and ideal for a beer and lazing around.

Just a few minutes on foot from the Gateway of India, the Fariyas is a solid midrange hotel, well located in Colaba. It has a small marble lobby with not-so-expensive-looking glass chandeliers and brass ornaments. The rooms, with contemporary furnishings and wood floors, are inviting, though a bit pricey given the lack of luxury. Ask for a room with a sea-facing view. Only two suites have tubs; the rest of the rooms have showers.

Extremely popular with businesspeople because of its central location between South Mumbai and the western suburbs, India's tallest hotel—33 stories—has a luxury rooftop bar that is one of the city's hottest (and most expensive) nightspots. Earth tones and warm colors are the order of the day throughout the hotel, from the marble and wood lobby to the spacious rooms: the standard rooms come in three sizes, from 385 square feet to nearly 600 square feet, while suites range from the living-room-bedroom-double-walk-in-closet setup to the massive Shantaram Suite.

A great location at a decent price is the main selling point of this nine-story, low-frills hotel, but room standards (and views) vary, so opt for one of the 10 renovated deluxe rooms, with central air-conditioning and in-room amenities like coffeemakers. Their bathrooms are passable, but could be cleaner. Eighth-floor room have a nice view of the Taj Mahal hotel and the Gateway of India, but many rooms have no view or overlook depressing, crumbling buildings. The restaurant serves Indian and Chinese food—the Indian is better. Rooms in the sister hotel, the Garden, next door aren't quite as nice.

Aside from the ideal Marine Drive location (near the commercial hubs of Nariman Point, Colaba, and Fort) and some of the city's biggest standard rooms, service is a big plus point at this hotel catering to a business clientele, with personal concierges and a complimentary in-room massage for every guest. it lacks lobby space, but it has one of the best bars in Mumbai: the open-air, rooftop Dome. The contemporary, sophisticated finish complements modern interpretations of tribal Warli art on the walls.

At this grand, luxurious hotel you can retreat from the chaos of Mumbai but still step out and experience it, though the main sights are distant. Beyond the vast, spectacular lobby a giant glass wall overlooks an Olympic-size swimming pool and the sea—by night flaming torches highlight the garden of lotus ponds and sandstone statues—and a pair of staircases curve down to a garden-level café that serves one of the city's best brunches. The elegant rooms have ocean views, tasteful furnishings, large mirrors, and striped bronze walls, and bathrooms are especially luxurious.

This attractive contemporary hotel is a great choice, with the trappings of a luxury property, but offering reasonable prices. Rooms are cheerful and sleek, without being too resorty, and every room is designed around a central garden and has a pool view and either a patio or a balcony. Ground-floor rooms are the best, as they open directly onto the garden, so you can walk out of your room and dive into the pool---and what a pool: huge, with a waterfall and a food pavilion.

Built in the 1970s, this Western-style high-rise was completely renovated when Novotel took over in 2009, and the spacious lobby and large rooms now have a modern, sleek feel. White, gray, and black marble abounds, and the rooms have LCD TVs with laptop connectivity and a modern brown and beige color scheme. The best standard rooms have limited views of the beach—but this doesn't add all that much to the atmosphere.

For those looking to save money but still get a glimpse of the shimmering waters off Marine Drive, consider this classic hotel, whose main virtue is that it's a remarkable bargain relative to its location, halfway between heavyweights like the Oberoi and the InterContinental. Narrow hallways lead to surprisingly large rooms—plenty of space for extra beds (Rs. 300)—with window air conditioners and clean but basic furnishings; all but one have a small balcony and a few enjoy splendid views of Mumbai's famous sea promenade. Bathrooms have only open showers, no tubs. Room service offers beverages and simple breakfasts only. Don't mistake this hotel for its next-door twin, the Sea Green South, where rooms are slightly less hospitable.

The location of this midrange hotel (with bargain prices given that it's Mumbai) is enough to make it a good choice—it's right on the waterfront near the Gateway of India (though the rooms themselves don't make great use of the view—they face the opposite direction, for the most part). With modern wood furnishings, the rooms are attractive but simple, and some of the more expensive rooms have at least an abbreviated sea view from the corner, near the bathroom.

Choose this opulent, ocean-facing hotel if you don't mind paying a decent buck for a luxurious stay far from the city's main sights but close to some of its best restaurants, bars, and clubs. The lobby seems like an acre of marble, and the huge, sparkling chandeliers and fountains add to the refined atmosphere. The more expensive rooms are remarkably luxurious and modern, with bedside controls for lights, curtains, and air-conditioning, and bathrooms with both showers and tubs. By comparison, the lowest-priced rooms are much more basic and dated. But the views—especially those that aim directly down the Bandra-Worli Sea Link—are unparalleled.

Foreigners and wealthy Indians choose the Taj over other fancy hotels in town because it's a beautiful and regal landmark—worth visiting even if you don't stay here—with views past the Gateway of India to the Arabian Sea. The first hotel in what is now an international luxury chain, this Indo-Saracenic extravaganza was opened to the public in 1903. The stunning brownstone exterior has rows of jutting white balconies and Gothic windows, and onion domes on the corner turrets echo the high, central Italianate dome. Inside, every corner is exquisitely decorated, often with antiques, and always with warm, tasteful colors; rooms and suites in the newer building, some of which surround small, quiet interior verandas, replicate the old-fashioned character with high ceilings, pastel colors, antiques, and cane furniture. In 1973 it was joined by the less expensive 19-story modern wing ("the tower"), which has some Moorish elements. Rooms in the tower are slightly less expensive, but even though they're spacious, they're also a bit unremarkable for the price. The traditional afternoon tea at the in-house Sea Lounge is an iconic Mumbai experience; try to snag a window seat.

Accommodations at this resort-style hotel, which has won architectural awards, are in simple cottages, each with a private patio, and though rooms are a bit spartan, it's wonderfully tranquil. It's eco-conscious, too: biotechnology using plant roots purifies the air and wastewater. The hotel is ideal for kids—the grounds, with trees and flowers, provide space to run around, and rabbits, parrots, and other birds flit about. The restaurant serves tasty Indian and continental food, and a courtesy bus goes to the city four times a day.

Luxury and stellar service are the hallmarks here—every floor has a butler who will make reservations, collect your laundry, shine your shoes, supervise the room cleaning, and bring you chocolates. In a country where service can be uninformed, this is a welcome respite—diligent, subtle, and simply perfect. The outdoor swimming pool, a cool, shamrock-shape oasis, offers a spectacular and secluded vantage point of Marine Drive and the Arabian Sea.

The Oberoi's posh and slightly less luxurious cousin continues the same tradition of excellent service, and because room rates vary according to occupancy, it can be a great value in the off-season. It's connected to its more famous counterpart by a corridor of luxury shops. The interior design is pretty standard for an upscale Indian hotel—simple and luxurious, with such Indian flourishes as paintings by local artists and various prints. The Trident isn't a heritage property and doesn't try to be, and it tends to attract a business crowd.

Convenient for the caves, this gleaming Mughal palace, still called the Taj Residency by many, is all bright white marble and stone, inside and out—its windows and doors arch to regal Mughal points, and the grand dome over the lobby is hand-painted in traditional Jaipuri patterns. The warm, Ajanta-esque rooms have solid furniture with matching headboards and mirror frames, and all look out onto the garden. Stone paths wind through the 5 acres of beautifully landscaped lawns. Many of the staff come directly from a hospitality school that's right next door, and while they mean well, the service tends to be a bit below the standards of most other Taj Hotels.

Favored by business travelers, this hotel in the heart of charming Cuffe Parade also offers some great views, comfortable rooms, a choice of restaurants, and a hip bar. Rooms are modern, with polished wood floors, wall-mounted televisions, and massage showers—sea-facing rooms cost slightly more, but the views of South Mumbai and the harbor are worth it. Although not as extravagant as its palatial counterpart near the Gateway of India, the Taj President is priced right for a business hotel.

A long driveway through the spacious grounds here leads to a place where efficient and friendly staffers create the kind of warm, intimate setting you'd normally associate with a smaller hotel. The exterior of the building is decorated simply with red bands of elephants chiseled on its bleach-white facade, but what the Rama lacks in external majesty is made up for by tasteful interiors. Standard rooms, in two wings around the pool, are spacious, plush, and comfortably elegant, with views onto the verdant garden of palms and bright flower beds. Corner suites are vast.

The Y is about the cheapest you can go and still have decent, clean, and safe room. Rooms are in a colorless modern block and lack anything special, though the air-conditioned rooms are more pleasant and less drab than the non-air-conditioned ones. Whichever you opt for, expect just the basics, plus a shower. Everything is at an average level of cleanliness, though the halls and stairwells could be spiffier. Ask for a street-facing room; some have balconies. Rates include morning tea and buffet breakfast and dinner in the dining hall (guests only); room service is available for a slightly higher cost. It's essential to reserve a month or two in advance. Most rooms are singles or doubles, but there are also triples and "family" rooms (the latter have four beds). There's a common room, and it's good place to meet fellow travelers.