I think I have lost count of the number of times I have been to Mumbai. As kids, it was inevitable that we would travel to Africa via Mumbai at least once a year. I have had many fun experiences travelling through Mumbai. In February, I was in Mumbai for some work-related/ client meetings. Surprisingly, it was also the first time I was in Mumbai on my own. Since I had to anyway travel to Mumbai for another meeting,
I decided to travel to Mumbai during the OTM. OTM is one of the biggest travel trade shows in the country and this time they were giving us bloggers an opportunity to have a face to face meeting with potential clients like tourism boards, hotels, DMO’s etc. I didn’t hesitate since I knew this would be helpful during my trip to Israel. I was able to explore for half a day in Mumbai.
My day started with a breakfast meeting at the Sahara star. Even though the meeting was a disaster, I loved the ambience of the restaurant. I would love to stay here one day. If you are looking at booking good hotels in Mumbai, then Sahara Star looks like a good choice.
OTM, Mumbai
Soon it was time for me to head out to OTM. As a blogger, I did end up having quite a number of meaningful discussions with prospective clients. I also ended up interacting with many bloggers, many of whom I had only known or spoken to online till then. A special mention to Rishabh and Nirali of Gypsy Couple for helping arrange this event for us bloggers.
By the time the networking session and lunch was done, it was around 2:30 PM. My flight was only around 8:30 PM and I did not want to spend the rest of the day in the airport. That is when I decided to explore the city. It had been years since I had explored Mumbai and it was the first time I was doing it on my own. The last time I had this much time in Mumbai, I ended up spending the whole time shopping in places like Ville Parle. Mumbai is heaven for people who are into retail therapy.
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Half A Day in Mumbai
My initial plan was to take a cab to the ‘Gateway of India’. But when I checked out the distance on Google, it was showing that it would take me more than an hour to get there by cab. I did not want to risk it and decided to check Tripadvisor for things to do around me.
It gave me many options to do on a Wednesday afternoon. I did not want to go spend the rest of the day roaming around Juhu. That is when I saw that another option for me was the Bandra- Worli sea link. Last time I was in Mumbai, I had only seen this from a distance and I thought it would be a good idea to photograph this bridge.
But it turned out to be a bad idea. I asked my cab driver to take me to a place from where I could take a good picture. But he turned out to be as clueless as me. You are not allowed to stop anywhere on the bridge and in the end, he ended up dropping me on the other side of the bridge. I couldn’t find any good spots to photograph from and the fact that it was midday during Summer didn’t help my cause.
Atrium Lounge, Taj Lands End, Mumbai
Soon I was tired from the heat and just wanted to sit down somewhere and have a cup of coffee. Interestingly when I searched again, I realised that an option would be to have High Tea at the Atrium Lounge at Taj Lands End in Bandra. It was not very far from where I was and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to get out of the sun.
It was definitely a good decision and I spent the next couple of hours sitting by the window with a gorgeous view of the sea having delicious bites of freshly made mini treats like sandwiches, scones and many more desserts. I was glad that the service was slow which meant that I could leisurely while away the afternoon.
While I was at Taj Lands End, I had a funny experience as well. When I was sitting there waiting for the food to come, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the famous director-producer duo walked in and sat at the table just opposite to me. At the same time, they brought the first set of mini bites. So, what do I do? I immediately take out my DSLR and start clicking pictures of the food. I think after seeing my camera, they thought I was some kind of Paparazzi and decided to move quite far away from me. Little did they know, that in the eyes of this blogger, the food in front of me was the celebrity.
The lounge is the perfect place to sit and take in the grandeur of the hotel.
Soon it was time to leave. I had to change since I did not want to stink on the flight back to Bangalore. I spent some more time photographing the sunset from the Bandra shore and then caught a cab back to the airport. So this is what I did during half a day in Mumbai. Overall, it was a nice day and I had a nice time in spite of the Mumbai heat.
P.S: I am still searching for my SD card which had pictures from this trip. I had hidden it somewhere when my nephew was visiting and I can’t figure out where I kept it. Oath taken: I will back up photos as soon as I take them.
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I have a friend in Mumbai that I’ve been meaning to visit. Sounds like you had a lovely day. I am like you, I would have sat at the cafe for a couple hours enjoying the view. I hope you find your SD card because I look forward to seeing more pics!
I am yet to find that SD card. I should definitely find that.
I would love to visit India one day (I was in Mumbai as a baby for 4 days but I guess that does not really count). I am scared of the heat and would probably end up having afternoon teas all day long. Thanks for sharing and hopefully you´ll find your SD card again (would love to see more pics).
I stay in Bangalore and it is paradise compared to other Indian cities when it comes to heat. Hope you get to visit soon.
Sigh!!! I wanna do shopping in Mumbai too and that too, you were so close to the areas that I normally go to!
I always love going shopping in Mumbai. This time I was just too lazy.
Nice to pair work with personal travel. Glad you were able to make a nice trip out of it. 🙂
Sometimes you have to do both in one trip.
Looks like you had very nice quick time in Mumbai 🙂 I have never been there but I would love to visit one day! Cant wait to see the photos of the sunset.
Hope you get to visit one day.
Mumbai is one of those places in India that I would love to visit. There are so many attractions that I would definitely plan to stay a lot longer than half a day though. It was good that you enjoyed such nice comfort and hospitality for the afternoon but I do hope you find your SD card as I would love to see the photos as well.
Yes still searching for the sd card.
I’m glad you had a good trip in Mumbai, I’ve been a couple of times but never really found myself enjoying the city. If I ever make it back, I’d take your recommendation of high tea!
Even for me, Mumbai is one of those cities I will never get myself to enjoy. Visiting is fine but I doubt I can stay there permanently.
Lucky you that you got to spot some celebrities 😉 But you could have made more of that half day in Mumbai if you could have caught a nice Taxi, generally the taxiwalas are very keen on showing people around. May be plan a longer stay next time 😉
Rashmi I have lost track of the number of times I have been in Mumbai. But I discover something new everytime I visit.
I have spent 10 years in Mumbai and there is so much that I still have to see! I would love to spend all the time that I get in Fort or in Colaba. Seeing filmstars is so normal in Mumbai, that after the first few occasions, I even stopped reacting …they need their space too 🙂
But I unintentionally scared these two.
You were a long way from the gateway of India, I can imagine the traffic gets pretty bad too there! I can’t remember seeing any scones when I was in India, how are they? The Bandra area looks very unique and photogenic.
They were just ok. Nothing that great.
The way you chose to spend your afternoon in Mumbai sounds really good, I would probably do the same to escape from the heat. It’s even better that you had a table next to the window so that you can enjoy the view. I would love to explore Mumbai myself, I have only been to the North of India which is different.
Yes India is very unique that way.
Seems like you day turned out wonderful in Mumbai. How lovely that you have opportunities to visit Mumbai so often. The high tea would be a perfect option to get out of the sun and relax. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Riely.
Nicely spent your half day! Idea of relaxing in Taj Lands End was good, since it’s very hot outside. LOL you just made those two run away from you. 🙂
You could have spent sometime with me as well.
Chalo, next time keep sometime free for other people also.
Nisha for sure next time I am spending time with you. I was in a bad mood that day since my first meeting didn’t go as planned. Hence by the time I got to OTM, I was in no mood to socialise as much as I usually do. Sometimes my quirks of being one of a twin surfaces.
What does OTM mean? Is it Outbound Travel Mart?
It sounds like a great opportunity to meet fellow bloggers and have partnerships with companies.
I have not been to Mumbai yet but I read good things about it. I would like to visit it someday.
Iza c/o Fill My Passport
Yes OTM is Outbound travel mart. It was definitely a great opportunity.
I remember Bandra beach in Mumbai! Wow, it really takes me back. I was staying with a family friend a short walk away so we missed some of the hustle and bustle. This is a really lovely post. Thanks for sharing.
Thank You.
It’s always fun to explore new areas of a place we’ve been to before. As you mentioned, sometimes it’s a bust, but others we end up finding hidden gems!
Yes traveling solo helps me find such hidden gems.
One of my travel list is India and hopefully I can visit the country very very soon!!!
And try your authentic cuisine
Hope you make it here Chrislee.
Mumbai has eluded me for so long. I’m still waiting to see when I can get to the city. Also Soumya, I would like to know more about the OTM event and how I can participate in it the next time.
Mumbai is an interesting places as you described. I want to live there if it possible. Your article is really interesting in reading. Love to read it.