Marine Plaza Hotel, Mumbai (Bombay) by Robert Such

A particular combination of exotic words comes to mind when thinking of the Marine Plaza Hotel in Mumbai (Bombay) – Marine Drive, Plaza, Queen’s Necklace and Arabian Sea. They all conjure up attractive and crystal clear images of a desirable tourist spot in my mind. (The Queen’s Necklace is the name given to the lights that illuminate Mumbai’s crescent-shaped Marine Drive each night, in case you didn’t know.)

After visiting the place, the litter and human waste washed up on Chowpatty Beach, beggars and Mumbai’s traffic pollution cannot but leave an indelible stain on that previously appealing image. And the Arabian Sea is not crystal clear hereabouts. But the Marine Plaza acts as a wonderful shield from the shabby aspects of the city – the duty of all great hotels in fact.

Once inside the Hotel Marine Plaza, two glass lifts draw the eye upwards to a section of blue sky, seen through a glass ceiling five stories above. On the morning of my visit, cleaners seemed to be polishing every shiny surface in the neo-classical interior, where white and grey marble, wrought iron balustrades, mirrors, peacock-feather motifs are the main design elements. After riding one of the glass lift-cum-bubbles to the roof, I discover that the water in the rooftop pool – the only one in the city I am told – filters the natural light that reaches the atrium. I would have liked to have seen someone apparently swimming through the air…

The Wi-Fi-equipped rooms are classed as ‘superior’ (the equivalent of ‘standard’ in other hotels), deluxe, executive and spatial. When they are not ocean facing, however, they look onto some grimy neighbouring buildings.

Guests can dine at the 24-hour Bayview restaurant and The Oriental Blossom, which serves Cantonese and Schezwan cuisine. Geoffrey’s, on the ground floor, does a fair impression of a British pub, complete with hunting memorabilia, beer mats and draught Indian beer.