5 Best Hotels in Fort and Marine Drive, Mumbai

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.

Aside from the ideal sea-facing 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.

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. The service is 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.

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 Oberoi's less luxurious cousin continues the same tradition of excellent service, and because room rates vary according to occupancy, it can be 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.