Close to Mumbai - Bandra - TravBuddy

Bandra is within a 20 minutes drive ( depending on the traffic ) from the airport. It's called " The Queen of The Suburbs " and many of the Bollywood elite and prominent business people make their homes in the Bandra area. A very old community, founded by the Portugese, it's past is well represented in the older homes and bungalows, although sadly a number of those are making way for new high rises. As the photo in the profile will show you, everything is a mix in Bandra, as in the the whole of India. I've been to the region numerous times and will soon be returning. Bandra is a great place for the young set, to be honest. The clubs are terrific I am told. Shopping is a mix between the inexpensive and the prices one might expect to pay in a department store in the US -again, this reflects the everyday India. There are a few worth seeing sights in Bandra, aside from the old Portagee homes. Mount St. Mary Catholic church is amazing. Close to the church will be vendors with wax body parts for sale. It's said if you have an illness in whatever body part, to take a wax figure if the affected part to the altar and pray for healing. Also, the site if the Old Fort near the Lands' End is a lovely spot. The beaches are not suited for swimming, so I would avoid
at all costs. There is a joggers' park close to a private club, right on the beachfront. You'll find vendors all along the beach road. There is an active movement to clean up the beachfront and make it more family friendly, more safe ( in terms of accessibility ) and more pleasing to the eye. As noted, Bandra can be very expensive in regard to accomodations. Off-season prices are much better, but you do risk the monsoon season. The youth of Bandra seem to dress more and more like their Western counterparts. The older folks will frown upon it, but it's very obvious. Having said that, I would caution the travel person to be respectful of local sensibilities. The food can be amazingly good and very reasonable, if you stay out of the large hotels. I would refrain from buying from the street vendors, unless you are very careful. Water - bottled and sealed, always. There is a train station in Bandra and bus service is available - both local and long distance. Bandra is a nice place to stop either entering or exiting the county via Mumbai.