Sterling Lonavala

This was my wife’s and my first time to Mumbai, and we were impressed with the professionalism, promptness and competence of the staff. Their hospitality towards us was of the highest standards: no request took more than a minute to be dispatched. I don’t remember receiving such service in the States, so we felt pampered and welcome. A few highlights: we wanted to honor a friend on his birthday, and given 3 day notice maitre’d Bhuwan mobilized his staff to prepare favorite dishes, a cake with candles, balloons and a personalized message in rose petals. Over the top. Extra bottles of water provided. Luggage transported, unloaded and loaded, no tip accepted. But a tip for future travelers: if you show respect and appreciation here, you’ll get a great response. Did not lose any weight here, and probably gained a few! I really liked the breakfast buffet, a mix of Western and various Indian dishes. The chef can make things to order, like scrambled eggs and I think pancakes. The dal makhani was creamy and tasted great with plain chapatis. We had chicken tikka masala and was great, and they can turn down the spice. They served lunch and dinner, and you can have it sent to your room. We appreciate staff Sayli and Musaibh for their constant and cheerful attention, and front office manager Ankush for training his staff so well. Our rooms were attentively cleaned by sari-robed attendants. As far as facilities go, they were adequate for our purposes. Our room was 204, 2 floors above ground level, and we had zero problems with mosquitoes and unwelcome critters .A/C worked, though I had to fiddle with making the temperature control and ceiling fan so one wasn’t too cold or hot. It was recommended to place soiled tissue paper in the bathroom trash can, which took us a bit getting used to, but that was emptied daily. We were there for 6 days and 5 nights, and we always looked forward to resting there.