I, Melachi ibn Amillar, being of unsound mind and body, did stay at the Seashore Hotel in Colaba, Bombay, in September 2014. It is a great location, if you have to stay in Bombay, just down from the Taj hotel and the Gate of India, though up rather a lot of stairs in extreme heat. The place was very clean; about 20 rooms with 3-4 shared designer sinks and 3-4 wash cubicles each of which contained a WC, a shower and a urinal, though the number of those requiring all three facilities per session would be rather low, indeed this is the first time I have seen such. Of the bathroom cubicles in one the flush did not seem to work, and in another one the curious WC-spraying nozzle was disconnected. All three of the flush control panels were not actually present, which caused me some confusion until I ascertained which rod to press to activate the plumbing mechanism.The residents were foreign backpackers, as the locals are not permitted. Often they would sit on the stairs, smoking. Initially I was placed in a cell-like enclosure, without window or AC, of about 4ft by 10ft, though it had a TV which I did not try as I find it difficult to understand new remote control handsets. Indeed, as Nabokov remarks of the individuality of faucets in the facilities of the motels of the United States, so would I remark on the singularity of the remote controls of the televisions of the hotels of the world. Later in the day, prior to my dinner, I was invited to move to a double room with a window, for a discount to 1000r (about £10) which I accepted, and could lie on my bed with an extraordinary view of the oil tankers in Mumbai harbour, and, since this was a previously unknown to myself 9-day festival of the Hindu people, on the pier a hundred metres opposite during the hours of 8-10pm admire a great party of women very beautifully dressed, and the men, well, not. Thus I was blessed with very loud Hindi dance music. I will reserve my review of this for elsewhere, but it is a sort of jazz on a Hindi scale and not at all as godawful as one might expect. Yet with the balcony open and the fan whirling in the night it was still so hot and humid that I was even too exhausted to apply the anti-mosquito lotion, resulting in several bites. There was a wifi which generally worked. The proprietor was very friendly and even offered to help change some money for me at a rate he said was better than the banks as there were no fees or commission! He was kind enough to let me leave my bags there after checkout time. I ate breakfast each of the three mornings of my visit in one of the little restaurants in the street underneath, and picked up bottled water there at 30r for 2L. There was no safe for the valuables (I do not have any except my passport). Would I stay there again? Well, I, Melachi, would probably choose somewhere with AC and a private bathroom and pay a bit more. But for the price-werth traveller wanting a beautiful view, it was excellent.
Thursday 23 October 2014
Seashore Hotel in Colaba, Bombay
I, Melachi ibn Amillar, being of unsound mind and body, did stay at the Seashore Hotel in Colaba, Bombay, in September 2014. It is a great location, if you have to stay in Bombay, just down from the Taj hotel and the Gate of India, though up rather a lot of stairs in extreme heat. The place was very clean; about 20 rooms with 3-4 shared designer sinks and 3-4 wash cubicles each of which contained a WC, a shower and a urinal, though the number of those requiring all three facilities per session would be rather low, indeed this is the first time I have seen such. Of the bathroom cubicles in one the flush did not seem to work, and in another one the curious WC-spraying nozzle was disconnected. All three of the flush control panels were not actually present, which caused me some confusion until I ascertained which rod to press to activate the plumbing mechanism.The residents were foreign backpackers, as the locals are not permitted. Often they would sit on the stairs, smoking. Initially I was placed in a cell-like enclosure, without window or AC, of about 4ft by 10ft, though it had a TV which I did not try as I find it difficult to understand new remote control handsets. Indeed, as Nabokov remarks of the individuality of faucets in the facilities of the motels of the United States, so would I remark on the singularity of the remote controls of the televisions of the hotels of the world. Later in the day, prior to my dinner, I was invited to move to a double room with a window, for a discount to 1000r (about £10) which I accepted, and could lie on my bed with an extraordinary view of the oil tankers in Mumbai harbour, and, since this was a previously unknown to myself 9-day festival of the Hindu people, on the pier a hundred metres opposite during the hours of 8-10pm admire a great party of women very beautifully dressed, and the men, well, not. Thus I was blessed with very loud Hindi dance music. I will reserve my review of this for elsewhere, but it is a sort of jazz on a Hindi scale and not at all as godawful as one might expect. Yet with the balcony open and the fan whirling in the night it was still so hot and humid that I was even too exhausted to apply the anti-mosquito lotion, resulting in several bites. There was a wifi which generally worked. The proprietor was very friendly and even offered to help change some money for me at a rate he said was better than the banks as there were no fees or commission! He was kind enough to let me leave my bags there after checkout time. I ate breakfast each of the three mornings of my visit in one of the little restaurants in the street underneath, and picked up bottled water there at 30r for 2L. There was no safe for the valuables (I do not have any except my passport). Would I stay there again? Well, I, Melachi, would probably choose somewhere with AC and a private bathroom and pay a bit more. But for the price-werth traveller wanting a beautiful view, it was excellent.
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