After looking at reviews here at trip advisor we decided to stay at the Intercontinental Marine drive for our first 2 days in Mumbai. As arranged in advance we were met by a hotel driver at the airport. The transfer was without any problems and we were offered drinks on the way free of charge. Upon arrival at the hotel we were taken straight to or room and this was where all formalities were taken care of. It was the first time I have checked into a hotel without stopping at the front desk first. The lady meeting us took all our passport information and wrote down my credit card number, and that was it. We got a room with a partial sea view that was facing into a side street and a building that looked like it had not seen a drop of paint since the 40’s. That however is something that goes for most buildings in Mumbai. Our room was very spacious and had all the amenities we needed. 42 Inch plasma TV’s separate shower, tub, relaxing chair and working table. We could also order extra pillows of different varieties and this was a cool touch.. The room was clean and nice with the exception of the window which in return looked like it had never been washed.
We had great service from the staff during the entire stay and felt really well taken care of. The front desk/concierge all went way out of their way to show us where to go on maps etc.
The roof top pool was rented out most of the time we were there and this was a big disappointment. We only got to use it once because the entire roof w restaurant was rented out to some sort of event. I got the impression that this was very common and from reading previous reviews this hotel is very oriented on drawing in affluent locals to their facilities. On out last night there were events going on both on the roof and at some facility in the basement. The worst thing about this is that most of the hotels facilities are not available for the guests. This was really irritating; I had especially been looking forward to relaxing on the roof since this was the only outdoor area of the hotel. We ate dinner at the Kebab restaurant in the hotel on out first night and this was very good. Breakfast was only so and not all that appetizing. We visited the bar a few times and it vas cool, but also more geared towards the local in crowd than the guests staying there. In summary I would say this is a very nice hotel, it is small with only 65 or so rooms and has nice facilities, but they are very often occupied by events and thus not available to hotel guests. When paying almost USD 400 a night I expect to be able to use the pool and rooftop restaurant.
One note in conclusion. I booked at the intercontinental website and the rate reserved was 351 USD + 35 USD Luxury tax. However, when I checked out I was presented a bill in IND Rupees 16 149 + 1649 Tax. I did not think more of this until I came home and discovered that the USD equivalent of this charge was 410 USD + 41 USD. I was actually overcharged by 65 Dollars pr night due to some wild exchange rate. I have double checked and sendt a letter to Intercontinental Hotels asking for a refund of the difference. I hope it is a mistake on the hotels part, because otherwise this is a serious rip off. Be Aware!!!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Great pool scene
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun, Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Outdoor / Adventure, Great food / Wine, Shopping, Spa, Other