February 26, 2008

Four Seasons Springs for Mumbai

By Nicole Cotroneo

India’s most densely packed metropolis is suffering from a dearth of upscale hotels. Can Four Seasons fill the void?

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When it comes to Mumbai, there’s no shortage of superlatives: the planet’s soon-to-be most populous city is also India’s capital of finance, fashion and entertainment. However, the crushingly dense metropolis — seven times denser than New York — has an alarming paucity of posh places for visitors to lay their heads: you’ll find a mere 6,500 five-star guest rooms. But don’t despair. Mumbai’s new Four Seasons answers the call in May, with 200 plush pads in a sleek glass tower set in the fast-changing Worli district. Overlooking the city’s mushrooming skyline and the Arabian Sea, the $100-million hotel offers respite from the metro-madness with an outdoor pool, cloistered with landscaped gardens, and come summer, a spa with whirlpools, steam rooms and ice fountains. But if it’s vibrant local life you’re after, then springtime is the right time to visit: starting March 22, Mumbai reveals its true colors — quite literally — as its residents, and even Bollywood celebrities, douse each other in dyed water and paint during the two-day Hindu festival of Holi.