BENTLEY in Mumbai - Hotel Review with Photos

India › Mumbai Hotels › Bentley Review
Updated: January 13, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Marine Drive.
• Hotel website: bentleyhotel.in
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)22 2281 5244
• Check prices on Booking.com

Review of Bentley's Hotel in Mumbai, India.

The good-value Bentley offers spacious rooms in an excellent South Mumbai neighborhood.

Bentley – Convenient, roomy, inexpensive, and in a top-notch area.

Certainly not as posh as it sounds, this is the best-value budget-priced guesthouse in this upmarket area facing the sea within the inner city. On the third floor of one of many similar buildings, the Bentley offers simple accommodation, but considerably better are the Superior Rooms (rightly called ‘suites’ by staff). As spacious as anything offered by a five-star hotel down the road, these suites include sunny alcoves of windows and seats, and plenty of space for luggage. Most rooms/suites are surprisingly quiet considering the corner location, and a hearty breakfast is included. Best of all is the location: about halfway along the Marine Drive esplanade, adjacent to the international cricket stadium, and close to Chowpatty Beach.

Bentley – The Location

Not to be confused with Bentley’s Hotel in Colaba (near the Gateway of India).

Address: 3rd floor, Krishna Mahal building. Corner of Vinoo Mankad Road (also called D Road) and Marine Drive, the inner-city esplanade. In front of Wankhede Stadium, where major cricket games are played. In an area called Churchgate, named after the nearby railway station.
Area: Fabulous area alongside the sea, so there are breezes and sunsets (haze permitting). About halfway along the esplanade. About 2.5 km to Chowpatty beach to the north and about 1 km to a great range of facilities to the south (around Oberoi hotel).
How to Get There: From the airport, get a taxi at a pre-paid counter (25 km; 1-hour drive, longer during peak times). The Mumbai Central train station and nearby central bus depot are 20-25 minutes (5 km) away and the CSMT station is a 15-minute drive (2 km).

Bentley – The Basics

Guests: Independent and budget-minded travelers of all ages.
Views: Some Superior Rooms (really ‘suites’) offer sea views, but these overlook the very busy road. Other suites and rooms face the quieter and tree-lined side-street. The rest directly face a neighboring building and offer no views at all.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Certainly not expected (or provided) at a low-key guesthouse like this.
Extras: Foot massage machines. Free 30-minute back massage.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)22 2281 5244
Email: res.bentley@gmail.com
Website: bentleyhotel.in

Bentley – Amenities

Pool, Spa, & Fitness Center: Not expected (or provided).
Other Facilities: Laundry.

Bentley – Food and Drink

Restaurant & Bar: No café on-site, as expected at a low-key guesthouse like this.
Breakfast: Included in all rates. Served to the rooms, and quite substantial.
Room Service: With no café on-site, room service is not available.

Bentley – Rooms

Room Types: Superior Rooms (Twin or Double) • Deluxe Double Rooms • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: No smoking anywhere on the premises.
Best Room: The Superior Rooms (‘suites’) with direct sea views also face the noisy road. Better are those facing the quieter side-street. These suites still offer sea views at an angle and are also more distant from the reception desk.
For Families: The sofas in the Superior Rooms (‘suites’) can be easily converted to single beds, and there’s space in the alcoves for a second single bed as well.

Bentley – Local Transport

Walking & Cycling: One of the finest areas in Mumbai for walking. With wide and shady sidewalks the entire length of the esplanade, why not join the hundreds of locals for an early morning stroll?
Public Transport: Nothing of any use to tourists. The Mumbai Metro probably won’t reach this far for a while.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: Plenty of taxis. Use the black-and-yellow ones and insist on using the meter. Rides can also be booked using Uber and Ola apps. No auto-rickshaws in this area.

Bentley – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

InterContinental – About 250m south down the road, this lovely hotel offers: Dome (bar/bistro with stunning rooftop setting), Long & Short-The Gastrobar (coffee shop, café, and bar with esplanade views), and Kebab Korner (juicy meats, fascinating décor, and sea views).
Café Coffee Day – One in a vast countrywide chain of popular cafés serving light meals and coffee. Unique street-side position in the Sea Green Hotel, 500m south.

The best selection is along Veer Nariman (VN) Road, which starts about 400m south down the road from the guesthouse. These 5 places are within 250m of the junction (with traffic lights) of VN Road and the esplanade.

Pizza by the Bay – Known across the city as much for its corner position, sea views, and art deco style as its tasty (but pricey) pizzas, wraps, and pasta.
Shiv Sagar – Casual street-side setting or air-conditioned inside. Massive menu includes tacos, pasta, and pizzas – all vegetarian. Bar attached.
Mockingbird Café Bar – Very classy and pleasingly priced. Mostly Indian and Italian food, but tasty burgers and sandwiches, too.
Gaylord – French-style café/bar/bakery providing street-side seats perfect for people-watching. A little pricey, but worthwhile.

Nearby Shops

Almost nothing in the immediate area. The CR2 mall is home to several fine bistros and shops, and a cinema complex. Along Barrister Rajni Patel Marg (road), just past the entrance to the enormous Trident hotel, 1 km south from the Bentley. (1.5 km).

Nearby Attractions

The popular Chowpatty Beach is about 2.5 km north along the esplanade from the guesthouse. Ideal for a walk there and, maybe, a taxi back. While the sand is clean and views are impressive, the water is not suitable for swimming. Plenty of food stalls during the evenings.

Bentley – The Hotel

The guesthouse is located on Marine Drive.

The Bentley is a budget-priced guesthouse in one of the nicest parts of the city.

All buildings look similar in this Art Deco neighborhood.

The guesthouse is in a corner Art Deco building which looks very similar to almost every other building along this section of the esplanade.

The Bentley is located on the third floor of the Krishna Mahal building.

The Bentley is not signposted particularly well. Rooms are on the third floor of the Krishna Mahal building.

Modern and pleasant lobby of the guesthouse.

The guesthouse is more inviting and modern than the outside of the building would indicate.

Superior Rooms feature a pleasant Indian decor.

The Superior Rooms (called ‘suites’ by staff) are nicely furnished. They feature Indian-style decorations surprisingly absent in most hotels and guesthouses around the city.

The ‘suites’ are as spacious as those costing 5 times more in top-end hotels further down the esplanade.

A corner alcove in the ‘suites’ offers plenty of light and views. The sofa can be converted to an extra single bed.

Front-facing suites have the best views, but can get noisy.

Views from the ‘suites’ facing the front are excellent, but these are also the noisiest.

The ‘suites’ and rooms to one side overlook the quietish side-street. These views aren’t as impressive as those facing the ocean, but noise levels are certainly lower.

The neighborhood is shady, clean, and quiet.

The street to the side of the guesthouse is indicative of the general area: comparatively shady, clean, and quiet.

Plenty of taxis can be found on the main road.

The guesthouse faces the inner-city esplanade called Marine Drive – and there are always plenty of taxis.

Dome on the InterContinental's rooftop offers excellent views.

About 250m south down the road, the InterContinental hotel provides an inviting range of places to eat and drink, including the spectacular Dome bistro/bar on the rooftop.

The Gastrobar at the InterContinenal also offers excellent sea views.

Also within the InterContinental, The Gastrobar offers fabulous views of the sea and esplanade.

Kebab Korner bistro at the InterContinental offers air-conditioned seating with sea views.

Another great option at the InterContinental, the swish Kebab Korner bistro offers intimate tables and sea views.

Café Coffee Day nearby offers street-side seating.

Always reliable for a coffee and light meal is Café Coffee Day, about 500m south down the esplanade.

The finest range of places to eat and drink near the guesthouse are along Veer Nariman (VN) Road. At the junction of this road and the esplanade is Pizza by the Bay.

Shiv Sagar serves delicious and affordable Indian vegetarian meals.

Just down VN Road from Pizza by the Bay, Shiv Sagar is a bistro/bar offering an extensive range of vegetarian meals.

Mockingbird Café Bar serves excellent burgers and wraps.

The classiest place along VN Road, and also within a 5-minute walk of the Bentley, is Mockingbird Café Bar. It provides an excellent range of meals, including burgers and wraps.

Gaylord is a chic French-style café/bar.

Gaylord, almost opposite the Mockingbird, is a chic French-style café/bar, ideal for people-watching.

CR2 mall nearby has several shops, restaurants, and a cinema complex.

Just past the massive Trident Hotel, about 1km south of the Bentley, the CR2 mall is home to some shops, several tempting eateries, and a cinema complex.

Chowpatty beach is about 2.5km from Bentley's hotel.

About 2.5km north up the road from the guesthouse, the foreshore becomes the Chowpatty Beach.

Marine Drive is very popular during sunset.

Join the hundreds who watch the sunset (haze permitting) along the esplanade each evening. Check rates and availability: Bentley

Bentley Hotel in Mumbai, India

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