Being the only hostel in town, the Red Shield Hostel always pulls in a crowd. Staff are friendly and there's usually an interesting selection of people in the common room. You have a choice of dorms or private rooms but rates include basic vegetarian meals, so the rooms aren't...

Probably the best bargain stay in Mumbai, this neat city hotel is Bengali-owned and many guests are visiting traders from Kolkata. Appropriately, there's a Bengali restaurant on-site and you can choose from clean boxrooms with shared bath or private rooms with small en suites.

The arched concrete frontage of the Hotel Manama isn't all that appealing, but the hotel itself is decent enough. Behind its dubious facade, Hotel Manama is tidy, simple and good value. Come here for mid-range facilities at discount rates and proximity to CST station.

The hotels directly opposite Victoria Terminus are a motley bunch so stroll east for a few blocks for more comfort and friendlier service at the cheap and cheerful Railway Hotel. The decor is uninspired, but at this price you can't really complain.

Occupying two stripey blue and white buildings just down from Kemp's Corner, this isn't a bad choice if you want to be based near the attractions of North Mumbai. Rooms have mid-range facilities at budget rates.

Plenty of helpful staff lend a homely feel to this tidy business-class hotel in the middle of Fort. Rooms have TVs, phones and air-con, and there are several Parsi cafes nearby for a lunchtime dhansak (lentil curry).

This unpretentious seafront hotel shares the building and views with the almost identical Sea Green South Hotel next door. It's an good choice for budget travellers, with big, clean rooms and sea views that won't eat up too much of your travel money.

This unpretentious mid-range place has large tiled rooms with air-con, fridges and TVs and the sea views are the cheapest on the strip.

Fans of beige will love the rooms at the Suba Palace. It's a smart, business oriented place with unusual styling but above average facilities. The breakfast room overlooking the street is a big selling point and rooms have TVs, minbars and space-age air-conditioners.

Workers for foreign NGOs swear by this well-loved 1970s hotel near the Bombay Hospital. Styling could use an update to the 21st century, but facilities are good and the atmosphere is genial and calm. The roomy bedrooms come with TVs, tubs and blue vinyl chaise-longues.

Stealing the best of the views from the Strand Hotel downstairs, Harbour View benefits from a rooftop restaurant, gigantic rooms and panoramic sea views. You pay a premium for this, but the location, views and facilities add up to a good package.

Behind the chintzy mosaic frontage, lies a friendly, well cared for mid-range hotel. Rooms have all the expected conveniences, service is attentive and the sunken marble bathtubs are perfect for soaking away the stresses of a long-haul flight.

Set back from the action at the south end of Waterfield Rd, Metro Palace is a well-run hotel offering cosy, old-fashioned rooms with frilly curtains. It's a friendly place with a department store and cinema right across the road.

Every inch the business hotel, the Shalimar is a short hop from Chowpatty Beach and Malabar Hill. You may find the bright blue decor a bit much, but the air-conditioning is icy cold and the rooms provide a peaceful place to work away from the noisy streets outside.

The smartest mid-range hotel at the domestic airport, Bawa International offers free airport transfers, but you could easily walk to the check-in desks. You may need sunglasses for the brightly coloured rooms but facilities are excellent and the beds are piled with soft cushions.

Built according to strict ecological principles, the Orchid is surrounded by lush gardens and it's just a whisper away from the Domestic Airport. Despite the location, it's a serene place, and everything is modern and understated. There's a rooftop pool and restaurant with...

The glittering interior of the Ambassador could have been designed by an Indian Versace and the hotel is topped by Mumbai's only revolving restaurant. The glorious chintzy details extend to the rooms and you'll have the added satisfaction of staying in a Mumbai icon.

An unexpected find in the residential area south of Arthur Bunder Rd, Fariyas Hotel is a smart modern tower hotel, with a small pool, a bar and restaurant and tastefully presented rooms. Opt for an Executive Club room for the chance of a harbour view.

The most boutique of all Mumbai's boutique hotels, Gordon House offers three floors of stylish rooms with Scandinavian, Mediterranean and Country Cottage themes. It's a little over the top, but the rooms are memorable and the facilities - including the popular Polly Esther's...

Sharing a building with the Oberoi, the Hilton Towers lords over Nariman Point. Facilities are glorious and the hotel boasts a massive arcade of swish boutiques and several of the city's finest restaurants. Expect water features, bowls of floating flowers and picture windows...

The best of several beachside hotels at the north end of Juhu Beach, the Holiday Inn is a classic 1970s style beach hotel with a beachside pool and a patio full of whispering palms. The building is slightly dated, but rooms have huge beds, sea views and wi-fi Internet access.

More Miami than Mumbai, this glitzy hotel offers big hotel service on a boutique scale. Don't be put off by the chintzy lobby - things are much classier upstairs. Rooms have soft carpets, bathtubs and sea views and there's an English-style pub, several restaurants and a...

For the ultimate in luxury, head to the ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton near Mumbai's international airport. The hotel boasts the best spa, restaurants and arguably the best interior design in Mumbai - rooms are full of sumptuous fabrics and subtle lighting. Several rooms are...

The palatial Marriott looks like an Arabian fortress dropped into the middle of Juhu Beach. The airy foyer is set around a lily pond and beachfront pool and the rooms contain everything the international executive requires.

Le Royal Meridien offers a lot of hotel in a little space. Set around an operatic, chandelier-filled central lounge are classically decorated rooms matched with suitably attentive service.

Mumbai's finest Raj-era hotel has graced the waterfront in Colaba since 1903. When it comes to location and history, nowhere else in town comes close. The old building is a magnificent fantasy of arches and domes, or you can stay high above the harbour in the modernist Taj Tower.

The Leela has always been the grandest hotel in Mumbai, and its recent refurbishment has only confirmed this status. Facilities at the hotel are spectacular and rooms contain every imaginable luxury, including enormous plasma-screen TVs.

Rooms at the Apollo are fairly basic, but if you're just looking for a cheap bed for the night, you'll have few complaints. The location is conveniently central which makes up for the small, boxy rooms.

Hidden behind a modest Art Deco facade, this stylish concept hotel is full of glass, timber and marble. The futuristic rooms have every modern convenience and the bathrooms are gorgeous, with stylish sunken bathtubs.

This conveniently located, smartly refurbished hotel has immaculate rooms that almost live up to the promise of the sleek, modern lobby. Some of the abodes have room enough to swing two cats in and there's a restaurant with wi-fi.