It’s the beautiful staff in bright red saris and their heartfelt “Namastes” that will win you over first.

Then there’s the welcome garlands to ward off bad luck (not that they’re needed) and the grandiose common areas which carry the hotel’s signature scent of mandarin oil and the Arabian Sea… Compared to the bustling streets outside, the Taj Mahal Palace is another world. International travellers and the city’s well-to-do love to call it home, adding their name to an illustrious guest list which includes the likes of George V, Queen Mary and more recently Angelina Jolie. Its history is just as remarkable. Open since 1903, this landmark building overlooking the Arabian Sea is a legend not only in India, but in the whole world. Its designs are a potpourri of cultures and epochs - Moorish, Oriental, Florentine and gorgeous colonial interiors of alabaster ceilings, and chandeliers - and a testament to how long it’s been wowing the international elite coming to the city. For a bit of pub ammo and bragging rights, stay in the hotel’s Ravi Shankar Suite, where the Indian pandit taught George Harrison how to play the sitar…