INTERCONTINENTAL in Mumbai - Hotel Review with Photos

India › Mumbai Hotels › InterContinental Marine Drive Review
Updated: January 13, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Marine Drive.
• Hotel website: ihg.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)22 6639 9999
• Check prices for InterContinental Marine Drive

Review of InterContinental Marine Drive Hotel in Mumbaii, India.

The sea-facing InterContinental Marine Drive offers luxurious rooms and a magnificent rooftop pool and bar.

InterContinental Marine Drive – Stylish and convenient, it’s smaller and more personable than expected.

Though not as massive or opulent as rivals further south, the InterContinental is better for it. On a corner facing the esplanade in the upmarket area along Marine Drive, the hotel exudes a charm and elegance absent among more fancied and much larger competitors. All rooms and suites are spacious and offer Indian-style decorations rarely seen elsewhere. The Seafront Corner Suites feature double the views and space, and exquisite marble bathrooms that must be seen to be believed. The hotel design also ensures that most rooms and suites offer superb sea views through soundproofed windows. No spa or gym, but the rooftop pool is fabulous. Other attractions are the friendly staff, and a unique balcony café providing elevated views down the esplanade.

InterContinental Marine Drive – The Location

Address: 135 Marine Drive, an esplanade in an inner-city 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 3 km to Chowpatty beach to the north and about 1 km to a great range of facilities to the south (around The Oberoi hotel).
How to Get There: From the domestic and international airports, 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 25 minutes (6 km) away, and the CSMT station is a 12-minute drive (2 km) away.

InterContinental Marine Drive – The Basics

Guests: Tourists and business people from India and all over the world.
Views: Rooms to the front obviously face the sea, but those on both sides still offer terrific ocean views. Rooms to the back overlook the city streets.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected (or provided) at this sort of hotel in this area of Mumbai.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)22 6639 9999
Email: info@intercontinentalmumbai.com
Website: ihg.com

InterContinental Marine Drive – Amenities

Pool: Lovely pool on the rooftop (uncommon among competitors). Views, breezes, and plenty of colorful sunbeds. The excellent Dome bar/bistro is alongside.
Spa & Fitness Center: Perhaps surprisingly, there are neither.
For Families: Baby-sitting.
Other Facilities: Money-changing. Laundry. Business Center (24 hours).

InterContinental Marine Drive – Food and Drink

Restaurants & Bars: Long & Short Delicatessen – Quaint patisserie offering delicious coffee, cheesecakes, and breads. • Long & Short-The Gastrobar – Air-conditioned inside or open balcony providing views along the esplanade. Superb meals and bar attached. Open 24 hours. • Kebab Korner – Attentive service, fascinating décor, and traditional-style cuisine relished by meat-lovers. Also, some intimate tables with sea views. • Dome – Renowned bar/bistro alongside the rooftop pool. Some of the city’s finest food and views. Open in time for sunset.
Breakfast: Included in all rates (which is not that common among rival hotels).
Room Service: Available 24/7.

InterContinental Marine Drive – Rooms

Room Types: Classic Rooms • Seafront Corner Suites • Luxury Suites • Presidential Suite (1-only) • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: No smoking is permitted on the premises.
Best Room: The 1-only Presidential Suite is the largest and offers the most superior views of the sea.
For Families: Suites can cater for families, so one or two extra single beds can be included with no fuss.

InterContinental Marine Drive – 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.

InterContinental Marine Drive – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

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, 300m south down the road.

The best selection is along Veer Nariman (VN) Road, which starts about 200m south down the road from the hotel. These 4 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 down from the InterContinental.

Nearby Attractions

The popular Chowpatty Beach is about 3 km north along the esplanade from the InterContinental. Ideal for a walk there and, maybe, a taxi back. While the sand is clean and views impressive, the water is not suitable for swimming. Plenty of food stalls during the evenings.

InterContinental Marine Drive – The Hotel

The InterContinental is along Marine Drive, a seaside road in one of the nicest areas in the city center.

Not as tall as others further south, the InterContinental is more personable and charming than much larger rivals.

Modern design of InterContinental hotel.

The overall design is modern, but not overly chic.

The Gastrobar's balcony setting with sea views.

One of the finest places for a meal or drink anywhere along the esplanade, The Gastrobar at the hotel offers a unique balcony setting.

The seating and views make The Gastrobar very inviting.

Views from The Gastrobar at the InterContinental stretch along the esplanade in both directions.

Kebab Korner restaurant and its interesting decor.

Also at the hotel, the Kebab Korner restaurant provides a likeably intriguing décor.

Kebab Korner offers intimate seating with views.

Some tables at Kebab Korner provide intimacy and sea views.

Long & Short Delicatessen at the InterContinental

Alongside the entrances to The Gastrobar and Kebab Korner at the InterContinental is the Long & Short Delicatessen.

Renowned across the city for its food and rooftop setting is the Dome bistro/bar at the hotel.

The rooftop pool offers excellent views.

Uncommon among similar hotels in Mumbai is the wonderful pool on the rooftop of the InterContinental.

The pool provides extensive views along the esplanade and across the harbor.

The tables and sunbeds at the rooftop pool and Dome bistro/bar are especially appealing.

The finest views are from rooms facing the sea, but all those along both sides of the hotel also offer lovely views of the ocean.

Front-facing rooms offer the best views.

Rooms to the front provide expansive views of the esplanade and harbor through soundproofed windows.

Even the lowest category rooms are more spacious than suites in more fancied rivals further down the esplanade.

All rooms feature contemporary Indian decor.

The likeable décor within the rooms and suites could be described as ‘contemporary Indian’.

All rooms have exquisite marble bathrooms.

The marble bathrooms in all the rooms and suites are a standout feature.

Seafront Corner Suites are very luxurious and spacious.

The luxurious Seafront Corner Suites offer twice the windows, views, and space of the other suites.

Family-friendly suites can accommodate 1-2 extra single beds.

Suites are perfectly suitable for families, and the management is happy to provide one or two extra single beds in the living area.

Seafront Corner Suites have extraordinary bathrooms.

The bathrooms in the Seafront Corner Suites are extraordinary.

The special study area within the living area of the suite is a feature rarely seen in other city hotels.

The neighborhood is clean, shady, and quiet.

The backstreets around the hotel are generally clean, shady, and quiet, so they are ideal for walking.

Café Coffee Day close by offers street-side seating.

One of many within a countrywide chain, the Café Coffee Day just down from the hotel offers a unique street-side setting along the esplanade.

Pizza by the Bay serves excellent pizzas.

At a junction about 200m south down the road from the hotel, Pizza by the Bay is renowned across the city for its food and views.

Shiv Sagar served delicious and cheap Indian vegetarian food.

Certainly worth trying is the unfussy Shiv Sagar café/bar, just across from Pizza by the Bay.

Shiv Sagar offers a super-long list of vegetarian meals including the special dosa (paper-thin rice crepe with vegetables).

Mockingbird Café Bar nearby is very classy.

Just past Shiv Sagar, the classiest place in the area is Mockingbird Café Bar.

Gaylord is a French-inspired bistro/bar.

Almost opposite the Mockingbird, the French-style Gaylord bistro/bar is perfect for people-watching.

Chowpatty beach is about 3km from the InterContinental hotel.

Chowpatty Beach is about 3km north of the hotel.

Marine Drive is very popular during sunset.

Watching the sunset (haze permitting) along the esplanade is enjoyed by hundreds of locals every evening. Check rates and availability: InterContinental Marine Drive

InterContinental Marine Drive Hotel in Mumbai, India

See Also