Exploring Mumbai: Things to do in the Suburbs (Shop and Relax)

Cheers!

With its palpable energy, warm people, and chill vibe, Mumbai in Maharashtra has always been a favoured travel destination for me. Over the years I’ve visited different parts of Bombay (as I prefer to call it). However now that my brother, Anhad Singh, is pursuing the silver screen; I hung out with him in the Lokhandwala suburbs he’s currently camping at. This will be a series on my recent experience of Bombay. It’s an account of some gems I discovered, not a definitive travel guide. The first post is about things to do.

Family trips are the best! Pictured here with my brother Anhad Singh

Shop:

My mother, Harleen Anand, and I spent two of our four days in Bombay, scouting the best deals!

Lokhandwala Market:

Shopoholic!

This bustling marketplace seems endless. With boutiques, tech places, general stores, and café’s; it caters to all needs. My focus was on clothes and accessories, sold in abundance. My favourite discovery was Snazzy shoes (some of my favourite styles pictured below), which had two branches in the same market. The vast variety of stylish shoes and bags were trendy, durable, comfortable and reasonably priced.

Address: Lokhandwala Complex Main Road, Andheri West

Timings: 12:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. (Sundays Closed)

Snazzy shoes- Click to buy. Picture courtesy: http://www.amazon.in

Snazzy shoes- Click to buy. Picture courtesy http://www.amazon.in

Phoenix/ Palladium Mall:

A mall is an easy way to cover territory under one roof. Our shopping was limited to the likes of H&M, but we witnessed an Arabic cultural performance in celebration of Kuwait week. Bombay never fails to surprise!

Mall rat

There were many stores and restaurants of note and an interesting architectural design with a large open courtyard and stage. Beautiful artworks were on display as part of an ongoing exhibit. On a weekday afternoon, it wasn’t very crowded.

Kuwait Week Celebrations at High Street Phoenix Mall

Address: 462, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel

Timings: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Beautiful Cosmo Products Pvt. Ltd.:

Makeup haven- Beautiful

This unassuming general store is a make-up lover’s haven! Along with prominent beauty brands, an entire section is dedicated to imported makeup not usually available in India. For a beauty junkie, no trip to Bombay is complete without a trip to Beautiful! Some of the products I bought are linked below.

Address: Shop no. 4, Grenville Chs Ltd. Plot no. 98A, near Lokhandwala Bridge, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri (W)

Timings: 9:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette- click here to buy. Picture courtesy- http://www.amazon.com

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer in Light Neutral- click here to buy. Picture courtesy- http://www.amazon.com

Relax:

The Waterstones Club:

This resort located near the airport is popular with the expat community. A gorgeous infinity pool, gym and multi-sport courts are a draw for many; as are the spa and salon services. There is no scope for boredom with the game rooms, billiard, music and movie lounges. A well-stocked library and sundeck are also on offer. A plethora of bars and restaurants serve delicious food (I personally wasn’t disappointed with anything we ate). There are also conference rooms for those interested, as well as a lovely kid’s play area supervised by a trained nurse/ educator.

Ready for a day of relaxation

The gorgeous property

The service was amenable and the space was fantastic. My only gripe was that nannies weren’t allowed anywhere other than the kids playroom on weekends; making it rather awkward for our group. Fortunately my son’s nanny was given an empty business room and made comfortable while she waited for us.