Arrival/Check-In: Security is taken seriously in Mumbai: Entering The Oberoi, Mumbai requires passing through a guarded vehicle gate and a metal detector and having bags scanned. I was greeted, zipped up the elevator to the eighth-floor lobby and welcomed with a refreshing cloth and cool drink before being shown to my suite.

Guest Quarters: My 800-square-foot executive suite was deliciously spacious. It opened to a large living room with a sofa, bookended by mosaic-inset end tables, and chairs grouped around a glass-topped coffee table. Hardwood floors and white walls provided a neutral backdrop for sage-colored, patterned area rugs; upholstery accented with red silk pillows; and matted historical prints. A drawer in the executive desk was equipped with universal electrical and media outlets. A 40-inch LCD TV was positioned above a credenza housing a DVD, minibar and electric kettle. A walk-in closet, with luggage bench, shelving drawers and large safe, opened off the living room.

Silky white linens dressed the king-sized bed in the adjacent room, accessed via an oversized sliding door. An upholstered bench at the bed’s foot, a reading chair, a table, a wall-mounted TV and end tables topped with lamps rounded out the furnishings. Amenities included both bottled and fresh spring water, a pillow menu and an iPod dock as well as a bedside command-central panel with a universal outlet and switches for the reading light, bedroom light, night light, blackout blind and butler. In both rooms wall-sized windows with privacy drapes and blackout blinds framed views over Mumbai Bay and the sea.

The marble bathroom, cornered between the bedroom and the living room and accessible from both, was equipped with a huge soaking tub, an oversized walk-in shower, water closet and dual-sink vanity with a make-up mirror mounted by the mirror and a 17-inch wall-mounted LCD TV. A wall of glass with a privacy screen opened to the bedroom, allowing views out to the sea.

Services/Amenities: Oberoi service is meticulous, observant and detail-oriented, with employees from room attendants to waiters keen on warmly welcoming guests and making each feel as if he or she is the only one in the hotel. Both the living room and the bedroom had buttons to summon a butler, who was available for packing and unpacking, delivering beverages and continental breakfast and other tasks. Female guests have access to a female butler and a female concierge. Fresh fruit and flowers — amaryllis in the living room, roses in the bathroom — were tended twice daily. Evening turn-down includes cushy slippers; both terry and silk robes are provided.

The Oberoi’s 287 guestrooms ring a 14-story atrium, rising from the lobby to a roof with skylights. Two-starred Michelin chef Vineet Bhatia presides over the contemporary Indian restaurant, Ziya. Other dining venues include Vetro, an excellent Italian restaurant; Fenix, with an internationally inspired menu; a lounge with nibbles; and a Champagne/tea bar. The Oberoi has a full-service, 24-hour spa directed by a naturopathic doctor, a 24-hour fitness room, an outdoor sea-view pool and access to the facilities of the adjacent Trident Hotel and two shopping arcades.

The Experience: With a primo location on Marine Drive in Mumbai’s business district, The Oberoi, Mumbai delivers lap-of-luxury indulgence complemented by exemplary staff members who are eager to fulfill every request and often go beyond by offering extras such as a mint soda poolside or creating a towel elephant in the room.

GT CHECKLIST

[checklist]
[item check=yes]Doorman/valet[/item]
[item check=yes]Less than 10 minutes for check-in[/item]
[item check=yes]Separate tub and shower[/item]
[item check=yes]Large vanity[/item]
[item check=yes]High-quality towels[/item]
[item check=yes]Powerful, unattached hair dryer[/item]
[item check=yes]High-quality bed linens[/item]
[item check=yes]Large, flat-screen television[/item]
[item check=yes]Large desk with convenient outlets[/item]
[item check=yes]Large, complimentary laptop safe[/item]
[item check=yes]Complimentary in-room WiFi[/item]
[item check=yes]Complimentary bottled water[/item]
[item check=yes]Stocked minibar[/item]
[item check=yes]Ample lighting[/item]
[item check=yes]In-room coffeemaker[/item]
[item check]Iron and ironing board[/item]
[item check=yes]On-site restaurant[/item]
[item check=yes]24-hour room service[/item]
[item check=yes]24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center[/item]
[item check=yes]Turn-down service[/item]
[/checklist]

The Oberoi, Mumbai

Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021
Maharashtra, India
tel 9122 6632 5757
oberoihotels.com