A Prelude
Shangri-La Hotel, Mumbai
A kaleidoscope of fuchsia, turquoise and yellow gold whirlwinds around as you shuffle through a cluster of colourful antique bazaars. A glistening skyscraper towers over crowded street stalls. Sophisticated cocktail bars nestle comfortably amidst art deco relics, colonial monuments and cacophonic temples. The heat is intense and all your senses are racing in overdrive. In this city that never fails to exhilarate, you want to take in more but the day must come to an end.
You head to the double doors of a magnificent glazed facade that swing open releasing a gush of cold air that could bring you to your knees. A doorman welcomes you with a smile that touches your heart. Inside, the air is chilled and crystal chandeliers glisten like extravagant ice stalactites. Contemporary lines and modern architecture incongruously compliment traditional Indian artwork. All around you, the cool air is filled with a familial warmth and you breathe a deep sigh of contentment.
At last you are home, at the new Shangri-La Hotel, Mumbai.
Like a sleepy old dragon, the Arabian Sea sighs another breath of salty air that meanders listlessly through the High Street Phoenix and eventually settles on the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel, perched unabashedly atop the ultra modern Palladium Mall. In years past, the area flurried with reams of intensely hued fabrics regurgitated from hundreds of cotton textile mills, since replaced with an eclectic mix of residential and corporate buildings. Nearby, Mumbai’s historical sites still remain. The Victoria Terminus railway station is perhaps Mumbai’s most outstanding architectural landmark with its medieval turrets, pointed arches and stone dome — a fascinating fusion of traditional Indian and Victorian Gothic Revival architecture.
At sunset, a fiery orange glow can be seen exploding over Mahim Bay casting the exquisitely constructed Haji Ali Dargah into silhouette. And when the moon pulls the Arabian Sea into low tide, a mysterious path is exposed leading to the famous Mahalaxmi Temple, dedicated to the Hindu Goddess of Wealth.
