Lonely Planet Review

The Leela has always been the grandest hotel in Mumbai, and its recent refurbishment has only confirmed this status. Facilities at the hotel are spectacular and rooms contain every imaginable luxury, including enormous plasma-screen TVs.

The Leela is the realm of international jet-setters, businessmen in tailor-made suits, kids in tennis whites and elegant ladies with designer handbags. It's a palace of a place, with avenues of palms, Mughal-style pavilions and musicians plucking sitars in a sunken water garden in the lobby. Nowhere else in Mumbai feels quite so exclusive. The hotel is set in gorgeous leafy grounds just minutes from the international airport - handy for long-haul travellers but a long taxi ride from downtown. Rooms and suites have facilities to die for and the Leela's restaurants serve Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisine. Other facilities include boutiques, bars, a hot-to-trot nightclub and a pool and spa for relaxing scrubs, rubs and wraps. Resist the temptation to pack the hotel robe and slippers when you leave.