There are days when I try to be everything to everyone and do more than I can reasonably accomplish, but I know there’s only so much my body, mind, and spirit can take. Sometimes all I want to do is “nothing” and just lay in bed all day watching silly reruns of “Friends” (I never tire of that TV show). Now, I can’t do that at home as the “Monica” in me would be fluffing up a cushion every now and then or I’d be worrying over what dish to prepare for the evening. Then there is the option of planning a vacation but considering the busy life that this city has, an instant vacation is more like a far fetched dream. So the next best thing is a Staycation of course.
With a staycation, I can let go the humdrum of daily life and check into a fancy hotel for a luxurious stay, good food and maybe even a spa treatment. In short it is having the best of a vacation while not being too far away from home. So when JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar extended an invitation to indulge in a staycation at their hotel, I jumped at the opportunity. Along with my husband in tow, we set off for a weekend of relaxation and bliss.
JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar is located in Andheri East and is right next door to the Mumbai international airport. Infact the hotel is designed as a luxury hotel for business travelers and boasts an extensive indoor and outdoor convention space along with 11 meeting rooms and state of the art conferencing facilities. This is the second JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai and is fairly new (around 2 years now). Having stayed in most of the luxury hotels in Mumbai, the one thing that I think sets them apart is the chic-stylish design. The marble flooring, geometric light fixtures, metallic curtains, and cut-glass artwork all combine to give the hotel a very modern & stylish look.
I realized we were in for a luxurious time as soon as I stepped into the lobby. The lobby is opulent with a gigantic crystal chandelier suspended from the first level descending into a large ceramic pot. While the leaves on the chandelier symbolize the leaves of spring, the swirling matrix on the ceiling represents the course of the wind. Infact, you will notice these leaves in many places throughout the hotel engraved on the walls, furniture, wall hangings, etc.
Check in was a breeze and we were quickly ushered to our room on the 15th floor. My first impression of the room was WOW! The room was huge with a King size bed, a mini bar, wall mounted flat screen TV, and floor to ceiling windows that gave me a marvellous view of the grand Mumbai international airport (Oh and don’t worry about the noise of planes taking off as the room is sound proof). What really got my attention though was the ornate sliding door that separated the bedroom from the bath and a cute bath tub. I found myself making a mental note to do up my home in this style should I ever plan to renovate.
After checking in and scouring our room, it was time to head to the JW Café for lunch, a casual all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant with an alfresco seating area where they also host their buffets along with an array of international fare such as Japanese, Thai, Arabic and Continental. My personal favorite of course was the dessert counter spread out with lip smacking options from truffle cakes to custards, tarts and drool worthy waffles.
After settling down at our table, we decided to start with a round of sushi before filling our plates with other fare. The food was really good and what I liked most was that everything was light, fresh and organic and did not seem mass produced. Certainly the healthy way to go.
Time for dessert! I was too full by now but I did have room for some waffles. JW Café serves some of the best waffles in town! The even have a sign that says “Best Waffles in Mumbai” and I certainly agree.
After a rather heavy meal, I needed to burn some calories and what better way to do so than walk around and marvel at the grandeur of the hotel. The JW Cafe sits on the left of the lobby level, while you have the JW Lounge on the right which serves as a cafe in the day and a bar at night. The huge floor to ceiling glass walls in the lounge lets in natural light during the day that exudes a warm & cozy feeling while it is artistically lit up in the evening to turn into a sophisticated and stylish lounge.
Right next door to the lounge, you also have the hotel’s deli and Romano’s. The JW Baking Company is where you can get some freshly baked breads and pastries. Unlike other five star hotels where you have different speciality restaurants, the selected options at the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar only include Romano’s, an Italian restaurant that serves both Italian and Mediterranean flavors .
After exploring the lobby, I headed up to the 10th floor that housed the spa, pool and fitness area. The pool was an open air pool surrounded by wooden cabanas that gave it a very Arabian-esque theme. There was a fitness centre opposite the pool complete with top of the line gym equipment and a big open space on the upper level where you could get your dose of zumba, yoga, etc.
Romano’s – I highly recommend this place for a date night. Romano’s takes you to the heart of Italy with its simple and freshly sourced Italian fare. Chef Roberto is at the helm and he whips up a very fine meal indeed. We ordered the Polpette which is sautéed chicken dumplings slow cooked in tomato sauce; Malfatta Della Casa, a fresh pasta made with chicken sausage, mushroom cream, truffle and parmesan; and a slow braised lamb shank with mushrooms. Needless to say we were impressed by the symphony of flavors created with the simplest of ingredients.
Romano’s is spread over two floors with the bar and private dining area on the upper level and the dining area with open air kitchen at the lower level. I found the design very chic and stylish yet warm and inviting.
As part of my stay, I was invited to try out a luxurious spa massage. I was told that this property hosts the first Spa by JW in Asia Pacific which offers an assorted menu of holistic spa therapies based on four benefit states – Calm, Renew, Indulge and Invigorate. After filling out the usual consultation form, I was advised on the various massages they offered and quickly selected the Balinese massage. You have a choice of picking your aroma oil and I chose lavender and mint. Dorji, my therapist was a professional to the core and kneaded away knots of stress from my neck & shoulders and by the end of It I felt I could cry. I was not sure if it was because I was sad the massage was over or if it was because I felt more relaxed than I did in ages. A soothing cup of herbal tea made me feel even better (not that I wasn’t already).
Regulars at the JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu would know that they have some of the best breakfast spreads in town. JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar did not disappoint too. They had almost every breakfast item on the menu from eggs, cold cuts and cheese to flavours from across India such dosa, Kanchipuram idli, upma, poha, meetha boondhi, pongal, etc. They also did take made to order requests for piping hot puri bhaaji and bhatures. I went the South Indian way with a masala dosa.
So to wrap up my review, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar ticked all my checkboxes for a relaxing weekend staycation. Life can be hard and stressful and a stay here is the best way to remind yourself that you deserve to a luxurious break. So slow things down, pack that small suitcase and head here for that much needed relaxation.
Rates:
The price for a one night stay in a Deluxe King room starts from INR 16500 ++ for two adults.
A 60 minute Balinese massage costs INR 5850 ++.
Where: JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar
IA Project Road, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Andheri East, Mumbai 400099, India
Phone: 022 2853 8888
