The Taj Mahal Palace

Taj’s 5-star hotel in Mumbai, as the official site presents it, which opened on 16 December 1903 on Apollo Bunder in Colaba, facing the Gateway of India; it is run by IHCL, part of the Tata group. It has 243 rooms and 42 suites, 285 in all, in the historic building. The Tower next door, opened in 1973 with 258 rooms and suites, is sold by Taj as a separate hotel, Taj Mahal Tower. After the attacks of 26 November 2008 the Palace wing reopened on 15 August 2010.

The Palace is the 1903 building with the red dome: all 10 categories of The Taj Mahal Palace are here, according to the official factsheet. The Tower, 23 storeys from 1973, has its own rooms (26 m² Superior, Deluxe and Apollo rooms, 52 m² Apollo Suites) and is booked as Taj Mahal Tower, Mumbai. Restaurants such as Loya and Shamiana serve both hotels; Rendezvous is at the top of the Tower.

Luxury Rooms (33 m²) have no windows; Luxury Grande Rooms, the same size, have a bay window over the pool or the city, or over the sea. Taj Club Rooms (37 m², up to 2 guests) add the lounge, breakfast and an airport transfer. Among the suites: Executive 70 m², Luxury 83–92 m², the sea-view Grande Luxury 121 m² with a balcony, Signature 121–139 m², the Tata Suite 465 m².

Google Hotels, read on 17 October 2026 for 2 adults, showed INR 25,697 for 10 November 2026, INR 36,372 for 8 December 2026, INR 59,680 for 31 December 2026 and INR 38,732 for 12 January 2027; in summer the calendar drops to INR 28,021 for 19 July 2027. These are calendar prices for individual nights: the calendar names neither the room nor breakfast and does not establish whether taxes are included.

Loya (north Indian, noon to 2.45pm and 6pm to 11.45pm), Golden Dragon (Sichuan and Cantonese) and Wasabi by Morimoto (Japanese), both 12.30pm to 2.45pm and 7pm to 11.45pm; Shamiana is open round the clock; the Sea Lounge from 7am to 11.45pm; Aquarius by the pool, for resident guests only; La Patisserie 9am to 9pm; the Harbour Bar from noon to 1am.

It depends on the rate: Taj sells the room-only Best Available Rate alongside breakfast rates; Taj Club rooms include it, as a buffet at the Sea Lounge or à la carte at Aquarius. Shamiana lays out a breakfast buffet every day; Agoda lists breakfast at INR 2,500 when bought separately.

Yes, every day in 2 sittings, from 2pm to 4pm and from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, by prior reservation only. The official menu prices the tea buffet at INR 3,200, the Maharaja with sparkling wine at INR 4,500 and the Champagne Afternoon Tea at INR 7,000, plus taxes. Taj Club guests have tea in the lounge from 3pm to 5pm.

The outdoor courtyard pool is temperature-controlled, with a separate Jacuzzi and lifeguards, according to the spa menu; it opens 6am to 10pm.

J Wellness Circle has a couples’ suite with a soak tub, 5 single rooms facing the pool with their own shower and steam, a magnesium soak pod, a hammam and the Ayurveda sanctuary. From the official menu: a 90-minute Abhyanga INR 9,000, a 120-minute Vishramā INR 15,000, the 240-minute Spa Day Package INR 30,000, plus taxes. The spa opens 8am to 10pm; the gym never closes.

The spa menu read on 17 October 2026 sells no day pass: you pay for treatments, and the Spa Day Package costs INR 30,000. In-room treatments cost INR 1,500 more; the spa is closed to under-16s.

Yes. The official FAQ offers cots; according to Booking.com they are free up to 2 years, an extra bed costs INR 5,000 per person per night and children from 13 pay as adults. The pool has lifeguards; under-16s cannot use the spa.

No: the official FAQ says pets are not permitted.

On Apollo Bunder in Colaba, facing the Gateway of India at the southern tip of Mumbai; according to Taj’s page on the surroundings the Asiatic Society is 1.6 km away and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus 2.6 km. The Gateway square is crowded: a guest writing in April 2026 mentions pushy vendors and taxis outside the hotel, and others a lobby full of visitors.

About an hour by car, according to the official site; transfers are requested by email at least 24 hours ahead, and Agoda lists them at INR 4,950. Parking is on the official facilities list; Agoda and Booking.com give it as free, and Agoda mentions valet parking.

Standard Wi-Fi is part of the room amenities; premium Wi-Fi carries a small charge the room cards do not state.

Check-in from 2pm, check-out by noon; early arrival and late departure are on request and charged extra, says the official FAQ. Taj Club rooms include check-in from 9am and check-out until 6pm, subject to availability.

Yes: 11 banquet rooms. From the official venues page: the 686.7 m² Crystal Room up to 550, the 495.6 m² Ballroom up to 400 (300 theatre-style and 150 at round tables in the brochure), Rendezvous at the top of the Tower and the Gateway Room up to 120, the Prince’s Room 50, the Golden Room and Emerald & Jade 40. The site publishes no prices: venues are quoted on request.

Neither the official pages nor Booking.com’s fine print, read on 17 October 2026, publish a New Year’s Eve dinner or a compulsory supplement.

It is open all year: on 17 October 2026 the site was selling that night and Google Hotels showed prices into September 2027. In the calendar the dearest nights fall between December and February; the cheapest between late October and November 2026 and from May to August 2027. For Elephanta, Taj recommends winter and advises against the monsoon.

Google showed 4.7/5 from 33,927 reviews on 17 October 2026, Tripadvisor 4.7/5 from 11,665, Booking.com 9.3/10 from 2,365. On Google guests return to the staff, the view of the Gateway, the heritage walk and tea at the Sea Lounge; some write of a lobby that is always crowded and of cars parked in the street.

On 17 October 2026 the offers page listed Festivals of India for members (until 10 November 2026), Suite Surprises, Taj Club with breakfast and cocktail hours, Advance Purchase with breakfast, the Breakfast Inclusive Rate, Perfect Staycations, Stay a Bit Longer, 4D with all meals, Innergise, City Woyage, Wellness Woyage and Queen’s Woyage.

The official experiences include the heritage walk with the hotel’s historians, the Taj Art Gallery, a cocktail-making session at the Harbour Bar with the Beverage Master, electric-carriage rides past the monuments, poolside yoga in the morning, the sunset lamp ritual and, in season, sunrise and sunset cruises across the harbour.