For those who love Mumbai, here are five homestays and apartments that give you a taste of our city in a new, yet authentic, way
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We have been eyeing James Ferreira's gorgeous home ever since the fashion designer opened it up as a homestay this year. Imagine this: instead of living in a regular apartment in one of our suburbs, here is a chance, if you are willing to part with your wallet a bit, to enjoy the susegad life that comes with Ferreira's neighbourhood, Khotachiwadi. We scouted around to get you five more properties, where guests can have an alternative, yet authentic, romance with the city, one room at a time.
Slum Homestay Mumbai, Khar East
Tightly knit with love
Earlier this year, David Bijl and Ravi Sansi opened a homestay that should challenge set notions of Mumbai. Sansi's family host guests at their home in an informal settlement off Golibar Road in Khar East. You get to stay on a loft (as in several chawls in the city) which is fitted with an AC and a TV.
There is a communal toilet. What's more, you get to share home-cooked meals with Sansi's family. If you are prone to prejudice, that a slum is unhygienic and unsafe, then Bijl and Sansi ask you to put your fears to rest, and experience the warmth of living in a community, where sharing is caring.
Cost: Rs 2,000 a night
Call: 9769525601
The Little House, Versova
Get some lawn time
With its proximity to Madh Island and the creative enterprises in Versova, The Little House has its loyalists. A lawn with fairy lights and a picnic table, if you want to have an open air experience with your bunch of friends and family, then you can find it here at this bungalow. The space is co-owned by sisters Priyanka Desai and Ananya Save, and is available on weekdays when the duo isn't hosting food pop-ups.
You can book for up to 20 people, for a mehendi, a sangeet or just a nightly picnic experience, right here. Desai says that since they do food pop-ups with a number of home chefs in and around Versova, you can check with them for an authentic Maharashtrian, Bihari or Goan culinary experience. You may be satisfied to find a farm house experience right in the heart of our space-crunched skyscraper locality.
Cost: Rs 10,000-20,000 per night (for 10-20 people)
Call: 9930360546
Fatsmeagol, Mahalaxmi
Creative minds come together
Five years ago, digital ad-man and writer Rayyan Shaikh decided to let out a part of his home on Airbnb for those looking to experience Mumbai like an insider. "Since my venture Fatsmeagol is also a co-working space, it offered a platform to exchange ideas for those who decide to stay here.
The idea stemmed from the need to collaborate," he says. Dotted with potted plants, exposed brickwork, high-ceilings and hi-speed internet connectivity, the space offers a breathtaking view of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. You'll also find two well-natured cats Sauda and Zahab, who, Shaikh says, are a hit with guests. He makes it a point to take travellers to South Mumbai's iconic landmarks, and has embarked on a culinary trail with them.
Cost: Starts at Rs 1,800 a night
Call: 23545231
Sea Shell Cottage Chimbai
For the beachside gaothan vibes
Every Mumbaikar has this love for the gaothans, where the traditional ways of the Koli community are kept alive. In Bandra's Chimbai, you can find a first floor home-stay that will give you an insider's perspective on things. Located in a downhill gully that opens out to a pebble beach, Sea Shell Cottage is owned by Davin Kandoria, a Koli fisherman. Kandoria was born and raised in this very house and the bustling lane that cuts through Chimbai.
The village charm is most pronounced on Sunday mornings, when the nearby St Andrew's Church and the markets draw the crowds in. You can watch the sunset from the little terrace of this cottage, and make a special request to Kandoria to prepare an East Indian meal for you. The best part, as Kandoria tells us, is that Chimbai is looking up these days, and not the smelly neighbourhood it used to be. The civic body and the residents have done their bit to spruce up the beach, and will gladly welcome you to it.
Cost: Rs 4585 a night
Call: 9819283727
Studio apartment with terrace, Mohammed Ali Road
Enjoy the best of both worlds
We have often scooted across JJ Flyover, gazing at the buildings on either side, and wondered what it must be like to look out of those windows. Here, in a 100-year-old building near Ruhani restaurant, is a studio apartment that offers you access to the area's eateries that boast of great culinary feats, and historical sites.
However, the thing that might blow your mind here is that the apartment comes with a 6,000 sq ft terrace garden with an organic farm set up by the Flyover Farm. Here, you will find a cool and quiet oasis in the midst of Mohammed Ali Road, and enjoy it. However, since the garden is maintained by the residents in the building, you may relish it as much as you like, so long as you don't harvest from it.
Cost: App Rs 4,200 per night
Look it up on AirBnb
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