Peace, Quiet, and What a View!. Review on Lakeside Chalet, Mumbai

I had been in Mumbai for a couple of months and needed an escape from hotel life and figured the Renaissance Lakeside Chalet in Powai may be what I needed?an executive apartment with a kitchen sounded just right.

The first two weeks of my four-month visit, I had stayed at the Hyatt Regency (big rooms, postmodern elegance, but very limited dining selections) and had been at the JW Marriott (reviewed elsewhere) for a couple of months and just didn?t think I could take another evening of room service. It was time for some home cookin?, and besides, I?m a little old to be terribly enthralled by being in proximity to the hottest club in Mumbai.

From the rooftop of my office building in Andheri (E.), I could see the cluster of skyscrapers that was Hiranandani Gardens, just across Lake Powai from the Chalet. It was a huge, recently-built high-end residential and shopping complex that, it was rumored, had actual sidewalks! Now it may seem like a small thing to you, but being a New Yorker, sidewalks are near and dear to my heart. V.S. Naipaul has commented on the essentially unfinished nature of Indian architecture, and it is a mystery to me why builders erect giant modern behemoths without any underlying infrastructure that at the very least includes sidewalks. I mean, they ARE the most efficient way for pedestrians to get around without being creamed by double-decker buses. But back to the Chalet.

I was enthralled by the Renaissance complex from the moment we turned off of the highway?a steep drive ascends through the forest, through a massive gateway, and enters a land of peaceful, beautiful gardens which surround two brilliantly white, curved towers overlooking the lake. The further tower is the Hotel, but my destination was the Chalet?s executive apartments. The lobby of the Chalet is fairly small and intimate, and through large windows on the opposite wall, one can glimpse fountains, flowers, and beyond, the lake.

I had reserved a one-bedroom lake view apartment for the reasonably good price of Rs. 4000/night (cheap when compared with the JWM); regular rates are closer to 5500. I wasn?t in the least disappointed. When I entered the apartment, I was immediately struck by the floor-to-ceiling windows framing a spectacular view of Powai Lake and Hiranandani Gardens beyond. There was an Indian eagle nesting in the palm tree below my window, and flocks of bright green parrots darted hither-and-thither through the trees.

The apartments are fairly simply, but tastefully furnished?there is a reasonably large living room and sizeable bedroom, with a TV in each room, and DVD player in the LR. The bath and kitchen are lined with granite and have the usual amenities. The latter comes equipped with kitchenware and tableware, but if you plan on having visitors or doing any complex cooking, you?ll have to do what I did, and purchase a big pot and a sharp knife. Additional tableware can be had from the management.

Food selections are fairly good: In addition to my own cooking, I had the choice of the coffee shop in the lobby, or the several restaurants at the Renaissance Hotel nearby. McDonald?s, Pizza Hut, and Smoky Joe?s in Hiranandani all deliver as well. In addition, there is a (very expensive) grocery store in the lobby, but if you don?t plan on spending Rs. 200 for a can of tuna, you?ll want to do your shopping in Hiranandani Gardens. I went there to Haiko, a large (for India) supermarket which has all of the veg entries you?d want, plus a sizeable selection of imported goods. I developed a fondness for ?instant? Indian meals?throw ?em in boiling water and you have a nourishing meal in 5 minutes. If you have a hankering for meat, the bakery at the Renaissance can supply you with fresh chicken or beef if you phone in advance. The chef there, I found, was also willing to put together a spread for a group, if you?d like?he made a huge quantity of terrific Italian arrabbiato sauce and all the fixin?s for me for only Rs. 300.

Most of the guests at the Chalet are there for longterm stays?generally 3 months to a year or more. Possibly because I was a shortterm guest, I found it hard to break into Chalet society. However, since I work late hours generally, this wasn?t an incredible hardship. Mornings I basked in the fountain-filled gardens, lingering over a cup of coffee and croissant, content to read the Times and gaze out over the gardens to the water buffaloes bathing in the lake.

If it wasn?t for one drawback, I?d probably stay there on my next trip: The Lakeside Chalet doesn?t honor the Marriot Rewards system, and I?m a points junkie. However, on my next trip I?m sure to get to the point where the JW Marriott grows a bit stale and I get tired of the Enigma crowd and need some peace, quiet, and my own cooking. And besides, I still have the cookware and instant pav bhaji I bought on my last trip.