Mumbai: Phoenix Palladium mall and skyscraper-gazing around Worli

Date: January 16, 2025

After a tiring first day in Mumbai, where I saw Gateway of India and Elephanta Caves just a few hours after landing in Mumbai, I had a good night’s sleep and felt well-rested. I was staying at Pals Hotel in Parel.

Pals Hotel breakfast buffet Thepla Mumbai — I went downstairs to have breakfast. It’s a very basic buffet, so don’t expect too much at this hotel.

There was some poha, thepla (both Gujarati dishes), corn flakes, and tea. It was enough to get rid of hunger, that’s all.

Gutkha stain Pals Hotel Mumbai — The disgusting sight of gutkha spit stains. It’s everywhere in Mumbai — inside or out! Yes, this was by the stairs in the hotel 🤮

I went back to my room and did my work for a couple of hours. I didn’t really have anything planned to go see today so after I finished my work, I decided to head to Phoenix Palladium Mall — Mumbai’s most famous mall.

Pals Hotel Parel Mumbai — This is what Pals Hotel looks like from the outside

Mumbai Parel high rise buildings — I hailed an Uber as it only cost ₹169.91 to get there.

Just as with food, I’m shocked to see Uber cost a lot less in Mumbai than Bengaluru! I didn’t know how to get to Phoenix Palladium using public transport and the car ride only took some 20 minutes.

Old housing Mumbai Lower Parel — There are a lot of buildings like this all over Mumbai. Shops below, housing above.

Belleza store Mumbai — Some buildings make way for newer establishments

Mumbai roadside food vendor Parel — Street food is so common in Mumbai — can’t blame the locals. It’s so cheap and good.

Phoenix Palladium mall Mumbai India — This is the Phoenix Palladium mall — Mumbai’s most famous mall

Palladium is not Mumbai’s biggest, that would be Phoenix Marketcity in Kurla, but Palladium is the premier mall in what is considered ‘downtown Mumbai’.

Phoenix Palladium mall Zara Burberry Mumbai — From luxury brands like Burberry, Emporio Armani, to attainable brands like ZARA… Palladium has it all

Phoenix Palladium boss Emporio Armani Mumbai mall — You won’t find a Zudio in Palladium though. For that, you have to go to Phoenix Marketcity.

KFC zinger burger Mumbai — I popped into the KFC and had a quick bite since I haven’t had KFC Zinger in ages. Man, KFC has gotten expensive!

Open area Phoenix Palladium panorama Mumbai — Palladium has a wide open space where events and product launches often take place.

Uniqlo store Mumbai Palladium mall — The first Uniqlo store in India opened in Palladium mall

Phoenix Palladium Croma H&M Asus Mumbai — For fast-fashion lovers, Palladium has it all — H&M, ZARA, and Uniqlo

St. Regis Hotel Mumbai Phoenix Palladium — Rising high above Palladium mall is The St. Regis Hotel — one of the many 5-star hotels in Mumbai

St. Regis Mumbai hotel Palladium mall — The St. Regis Mumbai is a 38 storey high, 395 room hotel

Front of Phoenix Palladium mall Mumbai — After checking out a whole bunch of stores, I decided to leave.

I spent nearly an hour at Palladium mall. It’s a pretty good mall and offers a lot of variety in terms or stores, brands, and eateries — but the layout appears a bit messy. You can tell that’s a result of the phase-by-phase expansion.

Parel footpath street food Mumbai — I just walked from Lower Parel to Worli for some skyscraper photography

Construction skyline Mumbai towers India — With nearly 13 million people and limited space, Mumbai has no choice but to build upwards

From metro constructions to highways and skyscrapers, the unfortunate side-effect is pollution. My pants were covered in dust!

Nehru Science Centre Mumbai — Mumbai’s Nehru Science Centre — you won’t see a science anything named after a BJP leader!

Worli urban development project Mumbai — Saw a board for this Worli Urban Development Project

What’s happening across Mumbai are slum re-development projects. Long in the works, and much needed, it remains to see if these slum re-development projects will pan out the way we all hope.

Four Seasons Residences Mumbai India — But as of now, this sums up Mumbai — new glass & steel skyscrapers (that’s the Four Seasons Residences Mumbai) towering over dilapidated old buildings desperate for a new paint job

Four Seasons hotel Mumbai India — This is the Four Seasons Hotel

Indiabulls Blu towers skyscraper Mumbai — In the center are Indiabulls Blu towers — Tower A being the tallest at 220 metres — and to the right is Four Seasons Residences. I don’t know who Bhai Company is.

Palais Royale building Worli Mumbai — This is Palais Royale, at 320 metres tall, the tallest building in India

But Palais Royale’s story is quite sad. Construction began way back in 2008 but stalled for over a decade due to a court case allegedly filed by a rival construction company. It is finally getting completed now. Sucks for the buyers though.

I started to feel hungry again so I popped into a South Indian eatery run by Mangaloreans. Many natives of Karnataka run restaurants in Mumbai, especially South Indian eateries. I remember reading about actor Suniel Shetty’s father, who came to Mumbai and started out as a waiter in such a restaurant, and when Suniel Shetty became rich, he bought all the buildings that housed the restaurants his father worked at! 🙂

More than anything, once again I was seeing how much cheaper food in Mumbai is compared to Bangalore.