Mumbai, West India, India

Located at the smart, affluent, southern end of Marine Drive, in a high-rise district known as Cuffe Parade, the President occupies a plum position close to the heart of the city. It’s essentially a business-oriented five star, but offers elegant comfort for leisure travellers only a short transfer away from CST station, departure point for the Maharajas’ Express. The rooms are extremely spacious for the price, and facilities as sophisticated as you’d expect from India’s flagship hotel chain, Taj Group. They include the wonderful Konkan Café, whose crab dishes are famous across the city, a wood-fired pizza restaurant and wide choice of bars and boutiques. The rooms are chic and modern, with Taj’s trademark mix of shimmering silk and neutral, soothing colours. Aficionados of colonial history may wish to visit the British-era ‘Afghan Church’ nearby, which holds the blood-stained regimental flags from the ill-fated Afghanistan campaigns of the 19^th century.