The Shalimar Hotel in Mumbai, India

IndiaMumbai Hotels › Shalimar Review
Updated: January 14, 2022
By Santorini Dave

Essentials
• Location: Kemps Corner, a residential area in South Mumbai.
• Hotel website: theshalimarhotel.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)22 6664 1000
Check prices for Shalimar

Review of The Shalimar Hotel in Mumbai, India

The Shalimar is a great midrange option close to shops, restaurants, and attractions in South Mumbai.

Shalimar – Affordable midrange option that’s comfortable, functional, and convenient.

This low-key but agreeable hotel offers a range of rooms and suites at half the rates of those in more fashionable suburbs. Yet the area is still reasonably upmarket and certainly handy: close to the inner-city beach (Chowpatty) and the major train and bus stations, just off a main inner-city thoroughfare heading to the airport and northern beaches, and a quick trip to the attractions in downtown. The Shalimar offers spacious motel-style rooms for the budget-conscious, while the Lifestyle Suites are individually-themed and unconventionally decorated, e.g. ‘Egypt Room’ and ‘Marrakesh’. As well as the inexpensive rates, the other major selling point is the pleasing range of facilities nearby.

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Shalimar – The Location

  • Address: August Kranti Marg (road), Kemps Corner. The Kemps Corner Flyover along Pedder Road is a major landmark, about 150m away.
  • Area: Tightly-packed area of apartments, shops, cafés, and bars in a more upmarket section of the inner-city. Not far from Chowpatty beach, and convenient to the northern and southern parts of the city.
  • How to Get There: From the domestic or international airport terminals, get a taxi at a pre-paid counter (20km; 1-hour drive, longer during peak times). The Mumbai Central train station and nearby central bus depot are about 20 minutes away (2.5 km).
  • Handy to: Chowpatty Beach.

Shalimar – The Basics

  • Guests: Mostly budget-conscious Indian business people and Western tourists.
  • Views: Rooms to the front face the main road, so they may suffer from traffic noise. Those to the side face quiet lanes with a few other similar-sized buildings nearby.
  • Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected (or provided) at this sort of mid-priced inner-city hotel.
  • How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
  • Phone: +91 (0)22 6664 1000
  • Email: info@theshalimarhotel.com
  • Website: theshalimarhotel.com

Shalimar – Amenities

  • Pool: Not expected (or provided).
  • Spa: On the ground floor, and with a separate entrance, the Serene Room provides a good range of treatments.
  • Fitness Center: Small, as anticipated at this type of hotel, but decent enough. Open 24/7.
  • Other Facilities: Hair salon. Business Center. Money-changing. Art gallery in the lobby.

Shalimar – Food and Drink

  • Restaurants & Bars: Gulmurg – Quiet and stylish setting on an upper floor. Street views, and wide menu of Indian, Chinese, and European food. • Yo! The Deli – Very popular café for sandwiches, coffee, and pastries. Eat-in or takeaway. Attached is The Bakerie. • District Lounge – Intimate sofas, wooden bar counters, and an extended list of imported spirits.
  • Breakfast: Not generally included, but this depends on how the room was booked. Otherwise, available for an extra charge.
  • Room Service: Available from about 7 am to 11 pm.

Shalimar – Rooms

  • Room Types: Studios • Zen Rooms • Smart Rooms • Comfort Room • Lifestyle Suites • List of all Rooms
  • Smoking Rooms: May be allowed in some rooms; ask the management when booking.
  • Best Room: Choose one of the Lifestyle Suites depending on the décor of choice, e.g. ‘New York’, ‘Greece’, or ‘Egypt’. The most authentic Indian-style suites are ‘Le Pondicherry’, ‘The Malabar Room’, and ‘Rajputana’.
  • For Families: Nothing set up for families, and no space for an extra single bed in any room or suite. The only option is to book 2 rooms, and a few do have connecting doors.

Shalimar – Local Transport

  • Walking: With wide sidewalks, it’s a pleasant area for walking and exploring the plenty of shops and cafés nearby.
  • Public Transport: Nothing of any use to tourists. The metro probably won’t reach this far for a while.
  • Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: Plenty of black-and-yellow taxis. Insist on using the meter. Rides can also be booked using Uber and Ola apps.

Shalimar – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

    A surprisingly fine selection in a 200m radius, but sometimes a little hard to find.

  • Charcoal Eats – Meat lovers will rejoice in this simple eatery, part of a citywide chain. About 200m (west) down the road.
  • Sweetish House Mafia – Odd name for a bright little spot for cookies, cakes, and coffee. Across the junction from Charcoal Eats.
  • Plate & Pint – Unassuming entrance leads to a bakery serving world-class quiches and croissants. At the back, the stylish café provides a wide range of tasty Western food. Bar attached. Across the junction from Charcoal Eats.
  • Doolally Taproom – Finest among several chic bistros/bars sprouting up in the area. Local craft beers, finger food, hearty meals, and chatty patrons. First floor, next to Starbucks on the other side of the flyover.

Nearby Shops

  • Along the nearby streets are some surprisingly fine places, including Crossword, an excellent bookstore on the other side of the flyover from the hotel, and under Doolally Taproom and Starbucks.

Nearby Attractions

  • The popular Chowpatty Beach is about 2 km by taxi. While the sand is clean and views, impressive, the water is not suitable for swimming. Plenty of food stalls during the evenings.

Shalimar – The Hotel

The mid-range Shalimar hotel is located within the city.

The Shalimar is an affordable mid-range hotel in a convenient inner-city location.

The hotel building is prominent in the neighborhood.

The hotel stands out as one of few high-rises along this stretch of road.

District Lounge bar at The Shalimar.

On the ground floor of the Shalimar is the fashionable District Lounge bar.

District Lounge bar is good value.

The District Lounge sells a wide range of imported spirits, and prices are not high.

Intimate sitting at District Lounge bar.

The District Lounge at The Shalimar provides some intimate sofas and other tables in a brighter area.

Yo! The Deli at The Shalimar is extremely popular.

Hugely popular among local workers is Yo! The Deli. It is within The Shalimar, but also has another entrance along the side of the hotel.

Yo! The Deli sells sandwiches and drinks.

Yo! The Deli offers a tempting array of sandwiches and drinks to take away or eat-in.

Gulmurg is The Shalimar's refined restaurant.

Also in The Shalimar is the refined Gulmurg restaurant.

Gulmurg offers excellent street views.

The Gulmurg restaurant is also excellent for watching the street below, but the setting is quiet.

Spacious rooms at The Shalimar.

All rooms are comfortable, clean, and reasonably spacious.

Large desk in the room at The Shalimar.

Many rooms also feature sizeable desk areas.

All rooms have full-length windows.

Some rooms are larger than others, but all feature full-length windows.

Nice bathroom at The Shalimar.

The bathrooms are nicer than those at most rival hotels in the vicinity.

The neighborhood around The Shalimar is very interesting and busy.

The streets outside the hotel are packed, but always interesting to wander about. And some sidewalks are provided.

Sweetish House Mafia nearby is a cool respite.

A cute respite from the traffic is the oddly-named Sweetish House Mafia, just down the road from the hotel, away from the flyover.

Sweetish House Mafia is popular for its cookies and cakes.

The Sweetish House Mafia sells tasty drinks, cookies, and cakes, which can also be eaten inside.

Plate & Pint café is excellent for dinner and drinks.

An excellent place for meals and drinks (including beer) is the Plate & Pint café, about 500m down the road.

Plate & Pint has seating in the back.

Plate & Pint also offers a range of cakes, pastries, and quiches which can be taken away or enjoyed in the café at the back.

Charcoal Eats close by sells meaty goodies.

For kebabs, wraps, and other meaty meals, this little eatery is only a couple of minutes down the road.

Doolally Taproom is just a few minutes from the hotel.

Hugely popular among local workers, Doolally Taproom is a fashionable bar/bistro next to Starbucks on the other side of the flyover from the hotel.

The neighborhood is very busy.

The area around The Shalimar is usually clogged with traffic, and will be until roadworks elsewhere are completed by about 2021.

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

With no auto-rickshaws in the area, and the metro not yet reaching this far, the only option for long distances are the black-and-yellow metered taxis.

Chowpatty beach is about 2km from The Shalimar hotel.

About 2km by taxi from the hotel is the prime inner-city beach, Chowpatty. Check rates and availability: The Shalimar

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