In Bombay, it really is fun to stay at the YMCA (or in our case the YWCA) but it's even more fun to stay at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower! There is much to discuss about my new fave city, I'm not really sure where to begin…

Firstly, I did the unthinkable & turned down my big break in Bollywood - I was asked to be an extra in a TV Show called 'Cum Cum' but I declined, partly because it wasn't the kind of work I was looking for & secondly because I would have had to give up an entire day & we only had a few days in the city anyway. It turned out to be a good thing in the end as fate brought me an even better story!

Mumbai really is a city of extremes, it is a playground for the rich & famous, but also has one of the largest slums in Asia, home to over 1 million people. We arrived by train & stayed in Colaba, home of the 5 Star hotels, so were somewhat sheltered from the slums. Staying in the Taj, it was hard to believe that that level of luxury can coexist with such poverty, just a few kms away.

Bombay is a beautiful city & resembles a tropical London! If it wasn't for the Palm trees
& Banyan Trees that surround the gothic Victorian buildings, you could almost be in Westminster! Wandering round Colaba, I felt like I'd just stepped out of the pages of Shantaram. Our first stop was Leopald's for a beer, sadly Lin baba wasn't there - apparently he left the city the day before, so we just missed him, but the beer was good!

Mumbai Vs London

CST Terminus Vs Kings Cross St Pancras

Mumbai's central station is the largest British building in India and it is just as grand as it is big! An amazing building, it is the St Pancras of Bombay! The only drawback to the CST is that there is no Peyton & Byrne selling those delicious cupcakes!

Malabar Hill Vs Primrose Hill

Home to the elite of Mumbai & with beautiful views across the city's Marine Drive, Malabar is the Primrose Hill of Bombay! We went to hang out at the Hanging Gardens, but were disappointed to find it full of elderly people exercising, there were no Camden Caners or Yummy Mummies dressed in Boho Chic here!

Chor Bazaar Vs Portobello Rd

The Thieves Market in Mumbai is a Vintage treasure trove of delights! The array of antiques on offer here is amazing and if I knew anything about antiques I would probably be raking in the pounds on ebay at the moment as everything was about a tenth cheaper than back in the UK! The shops were full to the rafters! One store had about 8 rooms piled high with stuff - I don't know how they got it all in there! The only thing missing here was clothes, although I'm not exactly sure how a Vintage Sari would work back in London town!

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai Vs The Ritz, London

OK so I've never actually stayed at The Ritz, so I'm really not qualified to judge this, but the Taj is obviously the best! If its good enough for John & Yoko then it's good enough for me! This hotel is amazing! We stayed in the Tower, which is the newer part & had the most beautiful view looking right out over the Gateway of India & the Arabian Sea. The room was classic but contemporary, in keeping with the theme of the hotel & the level of service was completely overwhelming; at 8pm they have a concierge knock on your door to draw the curtains, pull the covers on the bed down & fluff your pillows! I'm sure if you asked them to tuck you in & read you a bedtime story they wouldn't hesitate! It was a world away from the 3 pound a night hostels we were crashing in Rajasthan, with bucket showers & squat toilets! It was definitely good to have a bit of luxury & pampering in the Spa & get back to the G&E lifestyle we have grown to know so well!

Wasabi Vs Nobu

Most of the nightlife & restaurant action happens in the 5 Star hotels, so it would have been rude not to indulge ourselves whilst staying at the Taj. Wasabi is Mumbai's only Japanese restaurant (ran by Morimoto of NY Nobu fame) & it was certainly nice to escape the curries for a night! The food was absolutely amazing, the Sushi was the freshest I have ever tasted & this is the first place I have seen them grate the Wasabi into a paste in front of you! It s***s all over Nobu in London, (which I was never overly impressed with) and even beats my beloved Roka! We ordered way too much, but I don't regret getting both the Chilean Seabass & the Blackened Miso Cod, as they were fit! The Credit Card did take a beating though, as hotel dining in Mumbai = London prices, which was the only drawback, but still divine regardless!

Swati Snacks Vs S&M Café

The S&M Café is the only thing I could think to compare with Swati Snacks, but in reality nothing can compare to this modern minimalist cafe, which specializes in South Indian street food, like Dosa, Idli, Vada etc. Our very first meal in Mumbai was at this place & I nearly died it was so good! We ordered Pani Puri which is a Mumbai speciality, small thin crispy puris filled with goodness and Dhai Patata Pani Puri which is the same thing but filled with potato & topped with Yoghurt, Chutney, Chilli Powder, Coriander & Sprouting Mung Beans! Oh My God this stuff is so good - it has even taken on the Masala Dosa as my favourite food! London needs a Swati Snacks!

Mumbai is officially up there with Berlin, NYC & London and although the nightlife isn't quite on the same level yet, it has a lot of potential! We did sample a few 'trendy' bars around Colaba, which were OK but grossly overpriced and all the bars close at 1.30am so no 24hour Bombay benders for me! Most of the hipster action goes on in Bandra, which was a bit of a mission away from where we were staying, so we gave it a miss. Although, on our last night we went to a cool little music venue called the Blue Frog, which was hidden down a back street in an industrial area. Not only was I surprised to find the DJ playing House Music, but I was even more surprised to find that the DJ was a girl & she was actually pretty good! (There is a lot more to tell you about this night, but it deserves a whole story of its own). Western culture is dominant in the city especially with the bright young things, so I think it will only get better, one thing is for sure, I want to move in!