The right hotel in Mumbai depends on the trip. For business near BKC or South Mumbai, stay central. For a family weekend, a celebration, a reunion or a team offsite, a resort style hotel by the sea often makes more sense. On Madh Island, The Retreat Hotel and Convention Centre offers exactly that, on Erangal Beach.
One City, Very Different Stays
Mumbai at 8 pm. In one part of town, someone’s ironing a shirt for a 9 am pitch. In another, a family is arguing gently over who gets the last kebab. And way up on the city’s north-western edge, a group of old college friends are cannonballing into a pool while the sea glows orange behind them. Same city. Three completely different hotel needs.
I learned this the slightly expensive way. I once booked a sleek business hotel for a family birthday weekend. Gorgeous lobby. Lovely gym. Absolutely nothing for a seven-year-old to do except ride the lift. Repeatedly. We now call it “the lift weekend”.
Mumbai’s Hotel Market, in Numbers
How tight is it? Very. Mumbai led every Indian city in hotel occupancy in 2025 at 77.1%, with a market-wide average daily rate of ₹12.3k, second only to Udaipur. In the city’s luxury and upper upscale segment, rates crossed ₹15k. And Central and South Mumbai, the business heart, ran at 80.7% occupancy with an average rate of ₹18.5k, according to Horwath HTL’s India Hotel Market Review.
But the same report has a telling line about the city’s gaps. It says Mumbai needs to expand its weekend and off-season leisure business, noting that the monsoon takes out roughly a quarter of the year. So if your trip is about rest rather than meetings, the smart move may be to look beyond the business districts altogether.
Choosing a Hotel in Mumbai by Trip Type
There’s no single best area. There’s just the right one for what you’re doing:
- Meetings in BKC or Nariman Point? Stay central and save yourself the commute. Worth the higher rates.
- An early flight? Anywhere near the airport, obviously.
- Sightseeing in old Bombay? South Mumbai, for walking distance to the heritage attractions.
- A break, a celebration, a reunion or a team offsite? Head for the coast. A resort with a pool, open space for the kids to run around, and event halls will do far more for you than a city hotel.
That last group is where Madh Island comes in.
Where The Retreat Fits
By the Sea, Still in Mumbai
The Retreat Hotel and Convention Centre sits on Erangal Beach, off Madh Marve Road on Madh Island. The hotel describes the setting as a quiet fishing hamlet north of the city, and says it has a private exit to the ocean. It has been in hospitality for more than 25 years, per the hotel.
Built for Groups
This is where it differs most from a typical city hotel. There are 12 conference and convention halls with a guest capacity of 700+, per the hotel, and it describes itself as a sought-after wedding venue with beachfront settings.
Plenty for Downtime
A lagoon-shaped pool, an open-air jacuzzi, a kids pool and play area, a toddlers room, volleyball, water polo, indoor sports, a gym and massage therapies at the health club. Nobody’s riding the lift for fun here.
Rooms and Restaurants
Five room categories run from the Deluxe Room to the Presidential Suite, which has a separate living room and views of the ocean and resort grounds. For food, there’s Tangerine, a 24-hour café; Oriental Bowl for Pan Asian with a bar; Lagoon, the pool-view café; and the Sunken Bar by the pool.
What Guests Say
The reviews featured on the hotel’s website lean heavily toward groups. Mickey, writing on behalf of the IHMCT batch of 1972, praised the standard of service across the hotel and food that was thoughtfully suited to senior guests and their international tastes. Shefali & Shivani, after a day there with their whole class: “Everything went off absolutely perfectly!!”
For a corporate view, Vikram Rao (DBS) wrote after a team offsite: “We are writing to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation for the outstanding experience we had at your resort during our recent offsite.”
Who Should Choose It Over a City Hotel?
- Families with young kids, because pools and a play area beat a lobby every time.
- Alumni groups, school batches and old friends planning a reunion.
- HR teams organising an offsite with room for everyone.
- Couples looking for a quiet weekend. Honeymooner’s Paradise and the Seaside Serenity Package are listed for that.
- Mumbaikars who want a staycation that actually feels like going somewhere.
At the time of writing, the hotel lists the Rejuvenation Package, Staycation Package, The Autumn Getaway Package (MAP), Getaway Package (CP), Seaside Serenity Package and Honeymooner’s Paradise, plus a Club Membership offer. These change seasonally, so check the official website before you book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which area of Mumbai is best to stay in?
It depends on the trip. Central areas suit business, South Mumbai suits sightseeing, and the coast around Madh Island suits family breaks, reunions and offsites.
Are hotels in Mumbai expensive?
They’re among India’s priciest. Horwath HTL put Mumbai’s 2025 market-wide average daily rate at ₹12.3k, second only to Udaipur.
Is there a resort style hotel within Mumbai?
Yes. The Retreat Hotel and Convention Centre sits on Erangal Beach on Madh Island, with pools, four dining venues and 12 event halls.
Can The Retreat host large groups?
It has 12 conference and convention halls with a guest capacity of 700+, per the hotel.
Where is The Retreat?
Erangal Beach, Madh Marve Road, Madh Island, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400061.
