10 Amazing Things to Do in... Mumbai

5. Stay in the cutest colonial house

Boutique hotels are a rare thing in Mumbai, so the opening of the hip, 20-room Abode was a welcome addition to the scene (it calls itself 'Bombay's first luxury boutique hotel'). Located in the buzzing Colaba neighbourhood, it's a throwback to old, colonial Bombay, with handmade floor tiles, restored vintage furniture in cane and carved wood, and gymkhana-inspired chilli-cheese toast. The staff are fantastic, too - ask and they can arrange unique experiences, from organising personalised yoga classes to drawing up a scenic route for a morning run.

6. Catch a gig at Blue Frog

Among the former warehouses of Lower Parel, which are being given a new lease of life as industrial-chic hotspots, is Todi Mills. It houses various restaurants, cocktail bars and the Blue Frog concert venue, which puts on the most fun gigs in town. Performers range from indie bands to a-cappella groups (Talvin Singh and T-Pain have both performed here), and the crowd is a musical, creative bunch whose enthusiasm for good music is infectious.

7. Party at the cocktail bar with the best view in the city

Go up, up, up to the Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai's sexy rooftop bar, Aer, which overlooks the iconic Sea Link bridge and the whole of the glittering new city skyline. Go for their famous Professor cocktail, made with prune-infused Blue label whiskey. Things liven up on Sunday afternoons, when DJs host Sundowners on Sundays, from 5.30pm onwards.

8. Hang out in a cutting-edge hood

Artsy Kala Ghoda is an old-meets-new heritage neighbourhood and Mumbai's own Shoreditch. Within its 1860s stone buildings you can find galleries, cafés and some stellar shopping. Browse cool, Indian design at Filter Shop (www.filtershop.in) and tunes at Rhythm House, a music store and a Bombay institution. Lunch at Trishna (+91 22 22703213), and get down and dirty with their legendary butter garlic crab. The best time to come is during the Kala Ghoda Festival in February, when the entire district turns into a gigantic, car-free arts market, and artists and makers from all over India set up stalls to sell their wondrous wares.

9. Slum it

Completely fascinating and very rewarding, for those willing to risk the shoe leather. To see what life in a slum truly looks like, take a down-the-rabbit-hole trip around Dharavi, a vast, sprawling, labyrinthine hutment area - the biggest in Asia. It bustles and buzzes with small-scale industries - it has its own economy and even its own GDP (around US$665 million last year, in case you were wondering). One moment you'll be deep in scent in a soap factory, the next at recycling plant or a charity-funded school, where beaming students cannot wait to show off their English-speaking skills. Go with locals who know the area; Reality Tours (www.realitytoursandtravel.com) does an excellent guided tour.

10. Eat at the city's hottest tables

Mumbai is going through Asian bistro phase right now. Its current tables to book are Fatty Bao (+91 22 2600 5220) in Bandra, where the salmon carpaccio and pork belly is the talk of the town; and in Lower Parel, Pa Pa Ya (+91 22 4347 5454) has just opened, part of celebrity chef Jiggs Kalra's Massive Restaurants group. It's a cool spot for interesting cocktails and Asian fusion fare, such as soft-shell crab sliders with squid-ink buns, lobster sriracha baos, and a lamb rendang with prata that is out of this world.

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