[BenjiRoss]

I will be traveling to Mumbai and Pune this Christmas with family (Me, my wife and her parents). We need a budget place to stay in Mumbai (3 nights) and in Pune (1 night).
Rates at around Rs. 2000 per double room per night is what I have in mind. Will I be able to get a decent place to stay with this budget? Basic requirements are cleanliness and security - not a seedy place with rats or bedbugs. I am searching online, but such places are difficult to find. They all look and claim the same.
Any particular hotel that you can recommend. We are also considering guesthouses, paid guests or any other options for the mumbai part of the travel.
I hope to get some good recommendations.
I was looking at the YWCA and YMCA guesthouses and Hotel Manama.

[Akadian]

Hi BenjiRoss,

Which part of Mumbai are you looking at? With your budget it is definitely possible to get a decent place to stay. The last time I was there, I stayed at the MLA s guest house, which is situated very close to the Gateway of India. There are other decent choices as well close to Dadar station as I remember looking there as well before heading off towards the Gateway

[longford]

Hi Benji,

welcome to Mumbai and trust you must be here for sightseeing.
I picked a local city guide last night at a mall and I am mentioning some of the advertisements in the book. So should be fresh info.

typically people prefer to stay in the likes of Pritam Hotel in Dadar but that has become quite pricey.

you can try these options
1. Hotel Accord in Santacruz - Welcome to Hotel Accord India, Hotel Accord India in Mumbai, Hotel Accord India in India, Hotel Accord India, Hotel Mumbai, Hotel in Mumbai, Mumbai Hotel, Top Hotel Mumbai, Top Hotel in Mumbai, Top Mumbai Hotel, Best Hotel Mumbai, Best Hotel in Mumba

2. Hotel citypoint in dadar - www.hotelcitypoint.com

3. Yogi executive in Navi Mumbai - Yogi Executive

Also checkout Nivalink Consultancy Services - Event Manager - Travel Planner - Weekend Getaways as well

A lil rusty on this front since never needed to rent a room in this city since we live here

[privin]

If you come from mumbai to pune via express way (which continues as NH4 bypass), you will see three hotels before you get into Pune via Baner road.

- Ginger - Ginger hotels | Ginger Pune | Tariff plan
- Sayaji
- VITS at intersection of Baner road and bypass.

All these are new hotels. The only disadvantage would be that they are outside pune city.

[BenjiRoss]

Update:
My BIL found a serviced apartment through his office that kind of fits the budget in Mumbai so that is settled.
For Pune I am looking at this:
Hotel Sapna :: 2 star hotels, Hotels in Pune, budget hotel Pune, cheap pune hotels, hotel at J. M. Rd

Reviews on the net are quite favorable.

A few more queries.
We have an entire Saturday to travel in Mumbai - we were thinking of gateway of India and Elephanta caves. Any other suggestions.
On 27th we though we would go from Mumbai to L0navala, spend a few hours there and then go to Pune.
Is there any other better place to visit?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

Update:
My BIL found a serviced apartment through his office that kind of fits the budget in Mumbai so that is settled.
For Pune I am looking at this:
Hotel Sapna :: 2 star hotels, Hotels in Pune, budget hotel Pune, cheap pune hotels, hotel at J. M. Rd

Reviews on the net are quite favorable.

A few more queries.
We have an entire Saturday to travel in Mumbai - we were thinking of gateway of India and Elephanta caves. Any other suggestions.
On 27th we though we would go from Mumbai to L0navala, spend a few hours there and then go to Pune.
Is there any other better place to visit?

Well Lonavla is an ideal place to be in during the monsoons,otherwise nothing much there,during the rains the Bushy dam would be in full flow etc.You could check this place out called Upper Deck(Upper Deck Resort- A Lonavala's Hill Resort) if it fits your budget.in that case you could stay at this place in Lonavla instead of staying in Pune.

You could also check out Lavasa(LAVASA: Free India's Largest Hill City) a man-made hill station.

In Pune,Pride Biznotel is a good place to stay and it is on the Mumbai-Pune bypass,it would fit into your budget as well.(Mumbai Pune Highway Road, Opp. Big Bazar / D-Mart. Chinchwad, Pune – 411019.
Tel : 91-20-30622282/83, Mob : 9822117742)

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

On 27th we though we would go from Mumbai to L0navala, spend a few hours there and then go to Pune.
Is there any other better place to visit?

I would say that it depends on how you proceed from Pune. Like, if you are travelling down to Bangalore, then you can skip Lonavala / Pune and head straight to Panchgani / Mahabaleshwar. You may have to travel for about 3 hours more from Lonavala (roads are good). It will definitely worth spending a day there. And there are plenty of hotels there - it is off season time.

BTW, Sayaji is expensive. Ginger will be in your budget - it is on the Old Mumbai - Pune Road.

There is a new hotel near Wakad (which is about 3 kms from the Mumbai - Pune - Satara highway; you can avoid going to the city) called Asterix.

Details are :-
Asterix Hotel
S.No.122/(P) Plot A
Rahatni Road
Pimpale Saudagar
Pune - 411 057
Maharashtra India
Tel : +91.20.4077 0099
Fax: +91.20.4077 0011

www.asterixhotel.com
reservations@asterixhotel.com

[Seeler_Rebeiro]

Benji,
When in Mumbai, I would say skip Elephanta caves as it would consume your atleast 1/2 a day and with travel perhaps the entire day. I would suggest, head to South Mumbai and you can do the following
1) Visit Jehangir Art Gallery - If you like Art. Also on the opposite side of the road and next to Elphinstone college is another Art Gallery. Was earlier Institute of Science but now converted. Can't remember the name, think it is Cowasjee Jehangir Gallery.
2) Next to it, 2 mins walk, is the Museum - You can spend 30 mins or 1/2 a day there. Depends on your likes.
3) Next go visit Gateway of India. Click some snaps. Beware of beggars
4) Do some street side shopping near Regal Cinema and Colaba. This is 10 to 15 mins from Gateway of India. You can purchase trinklets or just do browsing.
5) A little drive away is the Asiatic library - imposing building. Good to drive by and click some snaps.
6) Also in the vicinity are the high court buildings and the Rajabai Tower (University tower). You can click snaps here.
7) Many eating options around this place.
8) Time permitting you can head towards Victoria terminus and catch a glimpse of the magnificent edifice and Victorian architecture.
9) More time on hands, catch a movie at Metro and dinner nearby.

In Pune, I suggest Ginger for stay and eat at Camp.

[Chevy_lover]

Hey Benji, I suggest you try for a hotel inside Pune city. That way you can visit the points inside the city easily and save on transportation. Staying near the highway is not too interesting, in my opinion.

I used to deal with Hotel Ashirwad and Hotel Sree Pancharatna, both three star hotels near the Railway station. Their tariff will be close to 3.5k for AC rooms. If interested, PM me. I can gaurantee their cleanliness and also the safety part.

Another alternative is Hotel Srimaan, Opp Pune Central, Bund Garden Road. This hotel will charge about 2.5K. Yet another option is Hotel Lotus, Lane 5, Koregaon Park, Pune.

I have dealt with all kinds of hotels and service apartments in Pune.

[Pragmites]

Benji
Seeler has given you a good idea of what to do in Mumbai. I would add a drive thru Marine Drive at night. Stop at Chowpatty and have bhel if you have a strong stomach. You might also want to drive thru the Worli-Bandra sea link. In Bandra there is a lot of shopping on Linking Road, and a street ful of restaurants in Union Park, and walk along Bandra Sea Face.

Also I second the choice of hotels recommended by Chevy_lover if you are coming in to Pune town. Hotel Lotus will charge about 1.5K. But a really good deal to be had in Dec is Le Royce ( also in Bund Garden) where you can negotiate a
rate around 3K. It is a 3 Star+ boutique hotel.

I also agree that Elephanta caves is not worth it. You might want to take a launch ride from the Gateway of India. It is quite nice, especially at night. And do have a look at the Taj Mahal hotel, site of the infamous terror attacks.

Lonavala too is quite over rated. It makes sense for the Mumbai dweller who wants to get away for a weekend. Mahabaleshwar/Panchgani are much better bets. But you need advance booking for that time of year.

[audioholic]

Request the Mods to please merge this thread if any similar thread exists.
Hey guys,
We are attending a techfest in IIT Powai starting from 2nd Jan 2014. As a group of more than ten people, we shall be arriving in Mumbai on the 31st of december as our train tickets are booked for that day since we wanted to avoid any problems with travel. However, we are in need of some accomodation facility for the night of 31st december and 1st january. We shall be accomodated inside the IIT campus for the remaining days but the organisers have not assured of extra stay for us as we are arriving early.

Hence, as a team we are five people. However the entire group will be more than ten members as people are divided into their own teams. Also, we have a limited budget of a maximum of 800-1k per person per night. Though there are a lot of hotels available online, I want some advise from Mumbaikars on what is the best option to choose. As there are people from different walks of life, though I may be able to stretch my budget, everyone is not willing to. Hence, please suggest if there are any alternatives, like serviced apartments, etc where we can stay. Our preferences are:

• Max budget per person, per night - Rs 800-1K
• Preferably close to Powai, but not a must
• Should be suitable for both guys and girls
• Should be safe and decent
• Should be available for at least five people, however if available then more people will join us

Please help us out in choosing the right place. We dont want to risk coming to the city and search for accomodation there, which I believe would be a huge risk that too in a city as big as Mumbai.

Your suggestions are welcome.

[NetfreakBombay]

You can try a 4 bedroom service apartment. Should cost around 18 - 22k for two nights.

http://www.lalcoresidency.com/
http://www.mumbaistay.com/

[audioholic]

Hi netfreakbombay
They havent put up tarrif. Also they have a limit on the maximum number of people that can stay. In case of their two bedroom apartment(Lalco residency) they have stated a maximum of four persons. If they dont mind extra persons then I am ready to book this. At least if they allow one extra person in a two bedroom apartment meant for four, it is kind of fine. We just want a nights sleep along with good refreshing facility. Other times we will be outside. Moreover on new years we want a good number of people to get together.

[NetfreakBombay]

These are not "organized" businesses so you need to haggle to bring down the rates. for 10 people, you will need to book 4 bedroom apartment.

Apartments are safe and clean but not luxurious.

[abeerbagul]

You can look at airbnb.com, search for Mumbai. There are lots of people renting out an extra bedroom from their homes. Might be a safe and cheap option for the girls in your group.