Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai – a unique experience

A wonderful experience!

Fine Eating

A night at the Taj Mahal Palace heritage hotel, is more like a themed experience than just a night’s nice accommodation.  From the hope of a possible upgrade, to the showmanship of Viren, on the heritage tour of the hotel’s history, to just enjoying the ambiance of  a hotel with such an iconic place in Mumbai’s identity, it’s all great fun.

Also, the longer spent there, the more you find a genuine commitment to the personal needs of guests, which is truly lovely.

The downsides are the significant cost and also a reluctance to leave the hotel and miss out on anything. It deserves full attention, so best timed after major sightseeing.

Rooms start at about $AUS 254 (Sat/Sun) for a city view in the newer Tower Wing.

While this might miss out on some of the atmosphere of the older historic Palace Wing (Luxury Grande Rooms start at $AUS 396 (Sat/Sun)for…

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Mumbai’s morning street scenes and markets by bike

Fine Eating

It is a very special and peaceful feeling to cruise Mumbai’s early morning street scenes and markets, by bike on a Reality Tours and Travel’s bike tour. Sadly Sassoon Dock is closed in monsoon season, but a few fish sellers still conduct business outside the gate. For about $Aus 22 per person, it includes a delicious breakfast at Kailash Prabat Restaurant at the end of the tour. The dal pakwan is fantastic !!(Chick pea dal with crispy chapatis).

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Mumbai Street Food Tour – Reality Tours and Travel

The kulfi at Chowpatty beach is amazing!

Fine Eating

Chowpatty Beach

Sev Puri

Sev Puri has an interesting balance of sweet, salty, tart and spicy flavors, and different textures as well, including crispy and crunchy from the fried sev thin noodles. It also s includes tomatoes, onions, chillis as well as tamarind.

Pani Puri has similar sweet, tart, salty and spicy flavours but in a liquid form in a crisp shell.

Pao Bahji at Chowpatty Beach (mashed vegetables, red chilli and spices cooked with plenty of butter, scooped up and eaten with the fresh Pao bread bun)

Kulfi at Chowpatty Beach (an ‘ice cream’ made with condensed milk, delicious!)

            Bendi Bazaar

  Chicken sandwich and Chicken and Cheese Rolls on Mohamed Ali Road

   Jalebi sweets on Mohamed Ali Road (made by deep frying wheat flour batter shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup.)

  

Taj Icc Cream on Mohamed Ali Road ( fantastic Alphonso Mango Ice…

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Travelling by train in Asia can be a great way to get around

Fine Eating

Travelling on local trains is a wonderful way to interact with locals and travelling sellers and to experience a bit of everyday Indian life. You could be lucky enough to have a good chat, but even a few lovely smiles and the chance to sit back, sip a chai in a paper cup and watch families travelling together, is good fun.

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Mumbai Public Transport Tour – Dabbawallahs, local food markets, and more

Fine Eating

Reality Tours and Travel’s Public Transport Tour offers a range of unique and interesting experiences including the dabbawalla lunch delivery system, Victorian Station (the last scene of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’) at rush hour, the Dadar flower market, Null Bazaar fresh food market and the Dohbi Ghat (vast laundry service). Highly recommended at just $16 per person, for 3.5 hours.

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Mumbai by Night Tour – Mumbai in a whole new light!

The Mumbai By Night tour that Reality Tours and Travel runs is a good way to see lots of scenic spots that are particularly lovely at night. It includes Marine Drive at dusk, very popular with couples, Chowpatty Beach if you missed Reality’s Street Food Tour, as well as the great view from the Hanging Gardens, wealthy Malabar Hill ( with its 27 floor 2 billion dollar house, for just five people… and their 200 staff), busy Bendhi Bazaar and Mohammed Ali Road and Victoria Station.

About $Aus 18 per person, travelling from point to point by car (nice at the end of a full day), for around 2.5 hours.

 

 

 

Good ideas for visiting Delhi with lots of links

Good ideas for visiting Delhi with lots of links

http://goindia.about.com/od/wheretoeatdrink/tp/Top-5-Indian-Fine-Dining-Restaurants-In-Delhi.htm

Pangarh Lake Retreat Resort – more affordable luxury in Rajasthan

Also near Castle Bijaipur is the Pangarh Lake Retreat Resort, bookable on agoda.

Other memorably sweet moments in Rajasthan

Jalebi

 

Sweet stall outside the East (?) gate to Taj Mahal in Agra

Hotel Castle Bijaipur

http://www.castlebijaipur.co.in/index.html

Hotel Castle Bijaipur, a fine example of the affordable, heritage accommodation (think palaces, castles and forts) throughout Rajasthan. A highlight of visiting this colourful state.