Taj Lands End Hotel, Mumbai

Bandstand, Bandra (West), Mumbai
From International airport: 10 km; Domestic airport: 8 km; Bandra Railway Station: 2 km

The Taj Lands End is an exclusive luxury hotel located in the posh suburb of Bandra and near the new commercial districts of Bandra-Kurla, Andheri and Worli. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, the hotel is at the tip of the historic Bandstand area of Bandra.

The Taj Lands End is housed in an 18-storey mansion with a 3-storey marble atrium. It has 300 rooms and suites, each with a view of the Arabian Sea. The rooms are furnished in such a manner that they look cheerful, light and airy. The predominant colours are peach or beige pastels and dark wood. The rooms are luxurious and contain every conceivable need of the business traveler. There are large desks, internet connectivity, multi-line speaker phones with international direct dialing facility, data ports for laptops, modems, mini bar, personal safe, color television with satellite programs, AM/FM clock radio, 24-hour room service and laundry service. The bathrooms are fully marbled and include a separate shower cubicle.

The Deluxe Room and Executive Suite guests are provided butlers who offer personalized service like packing and unpacking. Solo women guests are served by female butlers only. The restaurants at the Taj Lands End include the Atrium Lounge which is open through the day for light breakfasts and snacks, pastries, special coffees and cocktails. There is live instrumental music from 4 pm to midnight. The High Tea is a specialty of the Atrium Lounge.

The 24-hour café, Lands End Café right across the hotel's gardens, is a multi-cuisine restaurant offering local specialties and international favorites. The highlights of the restaurant are the breakfast and lunch buffets. In addition, there is also a midnight buffet served from 11 pm to 2.30 am. The Passage To India offers Indian specialities both ancient and modern, from different states of India. The restaurant has an open kitchen where diners can interact with chefs. The place, however, is only open for dinner from 7 pm to midnight on weekdays and also for lunch on Sundays from 12 pm to 3 pm.

The Lands End Chinese restaurant, Ming Yang faces the Arabian Sea and the Portuguese Fort. Specializing in Sichuan cuisine, the place is open for lunch from 12.30 pm to 3 pm and for dinner from 7.30 pm to midnight. The poolside bar, Tropic is located on the green lawns of the hotel. In addition to cocktails and other drinks, Tropic also serves Mediterranean and Indian snacks. The other bar is Churchill's, modeled like an English gentleman's club. It has wood paneling, smoked-glass and leather chairs and serves cognac, cigars and champagne. The bar, which is open from 12.30 pm to 3 pm and 6 pm to midnight has a cigar room offering a variety of cigars. The Lands End's 24-hour Business Center offers secretarial services, photocopying, portable phones, lamination, full audio visual equipment, reference library, work stations, private offices and meeting rooms of various sizes. All the rooms have inbuilt speakers, screens and Internet connection. Video conferences and web casts can be arranged on request. The hotel also has 7 pillarless banquet halls which can cater form 35 to 2000 persons.

Hotel Oberoi Towers,Mumbai

Nariman Point, Mumbai
From International airport: 23 km; Mumbai VT Railway Station: 8-10 km

The Oberoi Towers is a deluxe hotel located on Marine Drive, the main promenade within the business and shopping district of the metropolis. The hotel is right next door to The Oberoi Hilton Towers. A classy hotel, its standard of service has brought it awards like "Mumbai's No. 1 Hotel" by Asia Money; "Best Business Hotel 1998" by Asian Wall Street Journal, Reader's Travel award by Conde Naste Traveller (UK); Best Business Hotel in Mumbai -Business Traveller Asia-Pacific and voted "Best Hotel in Mumbai" by Finance Asia Poll.

The Oberoi Hilton has 337 rooms and suites, centrally air-conditioned, 2-line speaker phone with voice mail facility, facsimile machine, mini bar, hairdryer, color television and internet in rooms. Guests can choose their rooms from the city view, and the ocean view deluxe rooms, superior rooms, executive suites, deluxe suites, special suites, and presidential suite. The hotel has three restaurants serving Indian and Continental cuisine with a grillroom and a bar. The Bayview Bar has a fine selection of malt whiskeys, cocktails and after-dinner liqueurs.

The Brasserie is meant for informal all-day dining but its buffet breakfast comprising Indian and international dishes are legendary. The Kandahar looks out on the Arabian Sea and offers Tandoori and Indian dishes. The Rotisserie & Sea Grill, with its display kitchen, and Tapas bar is open for lunch and dinner. Its speciality is the seafood menu. The Oberoi Towers has facilities for golf, tennis, squash and horse riding in addition to its swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam bath, massage, fitness centre, solarium, beauty salon and barbershop. Among the other services offered by the hotel are 24- hr butler service, limousine service, safe deposit box, same day laundry and dry-cleaning, doctor on call, imported limousine with complimentary use of in-built mobile phone, and in-house travel agency. The hotel's shopping arcade has shops like the Cartier Jewellery boutique, souvenir shop, pastry shop and delicatessen, tobacconist and photographer, newspapers and books shop and leather shops. The hotel has two meeting rooms with a capacity of 50 to 100 persons and a 24-hour business center equipped with secretarial and courier services, telex, photocopier, facsimile, word processor, computer, Dictaphone and internet access.