I travelled to Mumbai on Christmas Day and I came back on New Years Day 2026 without my kids.
I co-parent my children so I am away from them quite often but this was the first time I was SO far away from them.
But I’m really glad I made it happen and I’m glad I did something for myself that felt nurturing, uplifting and energising.
I hope that sets the energy and theme for my 2026!
Travelling to India in December was great because the weather was perfect, reaching 30 degrees in the day.
I stayed in the Bandra area which is in the middle of the city so it was easy to get to the north and the airport as well as easy to travel to the south of the city.
Bandra is also one of the trendier parts of the city with many cool cafes, restaurants and bars to explore.
I stayed at the Hotel Trident Bandra Kurla which I highly recommend as it was in a great area and the facilities were really good.
The roof top pool was also a nice treat and a good way to relax in the afternoon.
The breakfast was amazing and probably the only time I ate traditional Indian food and drank chai as the rest of the city offers so many multicultural cuisine options.
The hotel is next to the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre which has lots of cultural events and shows and it’s worth a short visit to walk around.
Alongside the centre is the Jio World Plaza which is good if your looking for high end shopping.
There are so many other malls around Mumbai to explore too including the Phoenix Palladium and Phoenix Marketcity.
For more local shops I went to Linking Road and I loved exploring the Kala Ghoda area in the South of the city.
One of my favourite shops here was the Nicobar Design Studio.
Very close to here is Burma Burma which is a great Burmese restaurant and I would highly recommend the Khowsuey.
A couple of other restaurants I recommend include;
- The vegetarian tasting menu at Avatara. This was incredible and a really beautiful experience!
- Earth Cafe
- Suzette
- The Farmers’ Cafe
I also went to a supper club hosted by Punam from Khao Suppers and Prarthana from Buova Care at the Greenr Cafe. This was such a unique evening and menu and I’m glad I was in Mumbai at the time to experience it and meet new people from the city.
Mumbai is definitely great for these kind of events so there is always something new to experience.
I travelled everywhere using my Uber app which you can also use to book rickshaws. Therefore I didn’t hail a rickshaw and if I did I only used the meter.
NEVER use a rickshaw if the driver charges a flat rate which I learnt is actually illegal and means the driver is pretty much taking advantage of you!
There are no rickshaws in the south so instead I definitely recommend using the Uber local taxi. It doesn’t have AC but the experience is fun especially if you get a good driver!
I love Indian chai but I have to admit in Bandra there is definitely a strong coffee culture.
Mokai is a great fun cafe which does the best Matcha. The shop’s exterior is fun was dressed up like an advent calendar when I went and I here they change it often.
The night life in Mumbai is big but my preferred option was listening to good music while the sun sets at a roof top bar. I would definitely recommend booking in advance. Here are a couple I liked…
Finally in regards to yoga there are many yoga studios and classes to explore. The Yoga Institute is the most well known yoga school in Mumbai.
I would recommend this one if you are visiting Mumbai for an extensive period of time and can sign up to one of their long courses such as yoga teacher training.
Kaivalyadhama is also another great yoga school which is particularly known for its pranayama courses.
They have many other branches around India too including the headquarters in Lonavla, Pune. I visited this site back in 2017 and it definitely had a campus feel that felt secluded and miles away from anything else.
While I was in Mumbai I went to a yoga and sound healing workshop hosted by Kavi Kanani. I would definitely recommend her classes and workshops which are also especially good for trauma healing.
Dhawani Ghala took us through the sound healing session which was also really beautiful and insightful. We then went through an art session where we could draw what came to our minds following the session.
If I had more time I would love to study more in India. Hopefully that can happen at some point in the future.
For now this experience was so much fun and it made me realise I can get to Mumbai and back within 7 days and still have a great time!
Do you feel a call to travel to Mumbai soon? Let me know your plans and when you’re thinking of going in the comments below.
Or perhaps you have recently travelled to Mumbai. If so share your recommendations below.
Much love,
Jaina x