THE GORDON HOUSE in Mumbai - Hotel Review with Photos

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Updated: January 13, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Colaba, in a small lane close to the Gateway of India.
• Hotel website: ghhotel.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)22 6124 5800
• Check prices on Booking.com

Review of The Gordon House Hotel in Mumbai, India.

Located close to the Gateway of India in Colaba, The Gordon House is a great boutique hotel.

Gordon House – With serenity and old-fashioned charm, it’s also affordable and convenient.

This guesthouse is infinitely more appealing than almost all others in this fabulous inner-city area which is packed with places to eat, drink, and shop. Rooms are spread across three floors within a whitewashed colonial-style building, and decorated according to which level the rooms are on: ‘Scandinavian’, ‘English Country’, and ‘Mediterranean’. All are admirably spacious and feature suitably colorful furniture and plenty of windows offering light and views. The other major selling points are the affordable rates (which include breakfast) among overpriced rivals nearby, trendy bistro and lively bar/nightclub on-site, and excellent location, close to the seaside and Gateway of India monument.

Gordon House – The Location

Address: 5 Battery Street, in an area known as Apollo Bunder in the inner southern part of the city. Nearest and easiest landmark is the Regal Cinema (150m). Facing that building, head right, turn left, and left again.
Area: Fabulous area packed with all sorts of facilities. Less than 400m from the sea.
How to Get There: From the airport, get a taxi at a pre-paid counter (30 km; 1-hour drive, longer during peak times). The iconic CSMT train station is 15 minutes (2.5 km) away.
Handy to: Gateway of India. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Gordon House – The Basics

Guests: Independent travelers appreciating the convenience and affordability.
Views: All rooms overlook the streets, which are comparatively quiet.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Certainly not expected (or provided) at this sort of inner-city guesthouse.
Extras: Daily newspaper delivered to each room.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)22 6124 5800
Email: dmghh@mars-world.com
Website: ghhotel.com

Gordon House – Amenities

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

Gordon House – Food and Drink

Restaurant & Bar: All Stir Fry – Spacious area, and super-friendly chefs dishing out modern versions of Indian curries and Chinese noodles.
Breakfast: Hearty cooked breakfast included.
Room Service: The café/bar on-site is independently operated. They can deliver to the rooms, but no normal room service is offered by the guesthouse.

Gordon House – Rooms

Room Types: All rooms are virtually the same size and layout, only the décor differs: ‘Scandinavian’, ‘English Country’, or ‘Mediterranean’. Also, a single Versailles Suite. • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: No smoking is allowed on the premises.
Best Room: The single Versailles Suite provides a unique old-French décor that includes a chandelier and marble bathroom.
For Families: Not really set up for families, but the management is happy to accept children and may be able to arrange at least one extra single bed in the rooms.

The Gordon House – Local Transport

Walking: Fascinating area for walking, with so many cafés, bars, and shops nearby – often upmarket and in colonial-era buildings. Comparatively quiet and shady streets, and extended sidewalk along the esplanade less than 400m away.
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.

The Gordon House – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

The Table – Award-winning and very swish, with extended communal tables on the ground floor and more intimate seating upstairs. Haute cuisine and no curries. On the first corner heading right from the guesthouse.
Bademiya – Always popular for tasty Indian food at local prices in a simple setting. Non-vegetarian options available. From the guesthouse, head left, walk over the road, past the namesake kebab stand (open evenings), and turn right.
Indigo Delicatessen – Chic bistro with wooden tables. Ever-changing menu includes sandwiches, ribs, and pizzas, as well as take-away breads and cheeses. 50m further towards the sea from The Table.
Pizza Express +91 (0)22 6656 2633 – Opposite Indigo Delicatessen. Renowned across the city, so it’s always busy. Lovely setting on two levels.
Leopold Café +91 (0)22 2282 8185 – 150-year-old institution featuring adorable décor, fascinating photos, and clunky fans. Very popular, but slightly overpriced. Entrance easy to miss among market stalls along the main road. From the guesthouse, turn left, right, and then left at the main road.

Nearby Shops & Markets

As a popular tourist area, there are plenty of shops in the neighborhood. The best range is along the backstreet behind the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and inside this iconic hotel. Tailors and jewelers are a specialty. Sidewalks along Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, one block behind the old wing, are full of market stalls. Especially busy around Leopold Café (see above).

Nearby Attractions

Directly opposite the hotel, the majestic Gateway of India was built in 1911 to commemorate the visit of the English king. More iconic than interesting, there’s little to see, but the harborside setting is pleasant and the people-watching, fascinating. Boat tours also available. Free entry, and open 24/7. Less than 400m; just head down the road towards the sea.

The Gordon House – The Hotel

White-washed colonial-style building of the Gordon House Hotel.

The Gordon House hotel is in a whitewashed building within a fascinating area of the inner city, with more colonial-style charm than most.

The lobby area is on the 2nd floor, accessible via these elevators.

All Stir Fry bistro on the ground floor of Gordon House.

At street level in the hotel building is the friendly and funky All Stir Fry bistro.

The bright and colorful lobby is in a courtyard.

Rooms are pleasingly spacious for an inner-city guesthouse.

Unlike most guesthouses in the area, all rooms offer plenty of space.

Bright and colorful room at Gordon House.

Rooms are brightly decorated, and feature a different theme on each of the three levels.

All bathrooms are fairly similar throughout the guesthouse.

Always popular among locals for authentic Indian food, Bademiya is within a three-minute walk of the guesthouse.

The historic Leopold Café is within walking distance.

A long-time favorite, Leopold Café is on the main road, only a few minutes on foot from the guesthouse.

Particularly chic is Indigo Delicatessen, a bistro that also sells takeaway cheeses and breads.

Pizza Express opposite Indigo Delicatessen is very popular.

One of the finest in the entire city, Pizza Express is always busy with savvy locals. Opposite Indigo Delicatessen.

The award-winning The Table is also very popular.

On the corner of the street that the guesthouse faces is the swish and award-winning bistro, The Table.

The neighborhood has several dining and shopping options.

The streets all around The Gordon House Hotel are packed with inviting places to eat, drink, and shop.

Upmarket boutiques near the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.

Closer to the esplanade and luxurious Taj Mahal Palace hotel are some upmarket boutiques.

Shopping in the neighborhood around Gordon House.

Along streets dotted with colonial-era buildings are alleys where even more shops sell clothes and jewelry (among other things).

Sidewalks along Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, not far from the guesthouse, are crammed with market stalls.

Metered black-and-yellow taxis are common in the city.

Always use black-and-yellow taxis because they have meters – and drivers use them without too much fuss.

Regal Cinema is a useful landmark near the hotel.

A useful landmark, especially for taxi-drivers, is the Regal Cinema, only 150m from the guesthouse.

The neighborhood is pleasant for walking.

The streets around the guesthouse are comparatively shady and nicer for walking than most areas around Mumbai.

Less than 400m from the guesthouse is the iconic Gateway of India monument.

People-watching at the Gateway of India.

There isn’t much to see and do at the Gateway of India. It’s often more interesting to just watch the locals enjoying themselves. Check rates and availability: The Gordon House

The Gordon House Hotel in Mumbai, India

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