5 Best Hotels in Juhu, Bandra, and the Western Suburbs, 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, which all make this a great value for the price.

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.

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.

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.

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.