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| St Regis Mumbai Photo Courtesty of Starwoodhotels.com |
I was intrigued by the hotel special because the club room included airport transfers, cocktail hour(s), breakfast, high tea, early check-in and late check-out.
To our nice surprise, the hotel would be acquired by the premier St.Regis brand and I would be staying at an exclusive hotel.
Upon arrival at the airport, we were greeted by our chauffeur and the hotel concierge. They waited at the hotel exit and whisked us a way in a Mercedes Benz. Since our arrival at the airport, they handled our luggage and had it waiting for us in our room.
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| just arriving from an early morning flight from Goa |
After a 30 minute ride to our hotel an an elevator ride up to the lobby, we were awed with a grand entrance at the lobby. The hotel was quite opulent and magnificent. It felt clean and fresh. The clientele seemed to be more business travelers than tourists. There was also a pro soccer (or futbol) team staying at the hotel.
Check in was a breeze and the staff was super friendly and accommodating. We were in our room at no time. Within a few minutes of us entering our room, the butler came to introduce himself and show us the many features of the room. There were intricate details, patterns and luxurious comforts throughout the room.
Some of my favorite perks include the unlimited coffee/cappuccino/tea service as well as garment pressing adding to the five star diamond luxury appeal.
When we were getting ready to go out, the most professional, yet charismatic Duty manager, Aakash visited us and informed us we would be upgraded to a Regis Suite room which hasn't been available to be reserved yet. I truly felt like royalty. The staff help us with our bags and ensured we didn't leave anything behind and soon enough we were on the 30th floor suite with a beautiful panoramic view overlooking the city.
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| Living area in Regis Suite |
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| Living area in Regis Suite |
After we got dressed, we went to Li Bai, the onsite Cockail Bar for Cockail hour. Between 6-8 PM, guests can imbibe in complimentary beverages and small plates with front row seats to a beautiful view of the city.
The "Libation Theory" cocktail which featured run, lemongrass and passion fruit was my favorite. I was disappointed that the famous original St.Regis Bloody Mary was not offered. For appetizers, we snacked on the spring rolls (which were amazing!), the chicken in black bean sauce and the pan fried chicken "ge tie" AKA dumplings and we were addicted to the spiced nuts provided. I'm glad we got the package deal because our total was $150.00 USD for "cocktail hour" alone. (We know the price because there is still an ongoing receipt/balance totaling the items you order and for you to sign even though its waived at the end) Overall, the food, drinks, service and VIEW was amazing. Since we were there on a Monday night, there was only one other small group.
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| Libation Theory at Li Bai St. Regis |
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| spiced nuts |
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| Vegetarian spring rolls ... so yummy! |
After cocktail hour, we headed over to "By The Mekong" for dinner. I was excited to see a Southeast Asian restaurant with such award winning recognition. Although the Mo was dressed in a nice oxford long sleeved collared shirt and boat shoes, the hostess would not let us in because he was wearing khaki shorts. He was forced to go downstairs and change to pants. I was fine with this until we saw another Indian man with flip flops and ripped raggity jean shorts and a t-shirt be served at the restaurant within the same hour.
Nonetheless, the restaurant was beautiful and the food was amazing. With the exception of that one hostess, the service was impeccable. Prices were average for high end hotel standards.
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| By the Mekong Mumbai Pork Belly and Duck |
The restaurant also boasts beautiful views of the city if you can get a table by the large windows.
When we returned to our room, we were treated to a nice celebratory cake. During our vacation, we were celebrating our birthdays as well as our anniversary which is within the week.
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| Surprise Celebratory Cake |
Complimentary breakfast was served at Seven Kitchens and boasted quite the spread. There were Asian stations, Indian stations, Western Stations as well a massive dessert area. Table numbers are provided so you request made to order omelettes, waffles, dosas, paratha's, etc and not have to wait in line. It would be served fresh to the table once ready.
After breakfast, we headed to the pool. One thing to note is that the buildings cover the sun after 1:30 PM, so get there early! It was nice to lounge in the cabanas and read. We were the only ones at the pool for quite some time and only a couple of people stopped by for a dip. Like I said, it 's more of a business hotel and the current clientele are there to work not play but tourists are welcomed!
There was a roof top bar but no one pushed drinks, I wished music was offered.
If swimming is not your thing, the hotel is attached to the palladium mall with much high end shopping to be done with designer names like Burberry, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Chanel and the like. Or you could be like us and just welcome the AC and window shop and people watch.
Outside the mall, there are many other shops and restaurants. If you leave the property, you enter the Lower parel area. We took and afternoon stroll and I felt safe and secure although crossing the streets was a nightmare. I followed the way of the locals and crossed when they crossed in between moving trucks and cars.
We had lunch at BusaGo, where we dined on Kaukswe, a Burmese noodle curry dish with lots of fixin's.
We were back for St.Regis afternoon high tea which is served in the drawing room between 3-5 PM. The Caroline Astor package was the most appealing which featured lobster and caviar mini croissants and exotic fruit tarts with gold leaves. We also saw the bill for this and it came to about $40.00 USD.
It was time for us to to check out and we were truly grateful that Mr. Aakash Mishal extended our stay until we were packed and ready to check out. He was very accommodating and I couldn't be more gracious to the amazing hospitality and impeccable service of the St.Regis staff. We were very appreciative and well rested before our long journey back to Boston.
462, Senapati Bapat Marg
Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013, India