Mumbai (14)

I've stayed in the Taj Hotel and even on business expenses, the non-Indian spirit prices are totally disproportionate to the food/other drinks. Find a local off license and buy Honey Bee Indian brandy. Not only is it cheap and delicious, it also stops any bad tummies - four trips to India and I can vouch for this. It also has the most fabulous retro label which I hope they never change!

If you're just in Mumbai for the day, passing through, stay at the Leela. It's a good five-star hotel two minutes from the international airport. Mumbai is a fantastic city but traffic can be a problem so if you don't have to journey into her, don't.

If you're a member of a club back in London, check to see if it has a reciprocal with the Royal Bombay Yacht Club - if not try blagging! Food and bar is very cheap - really nice views of the bay and it's got a 'last days of the raj' feel to it.

If you will be using your mobile a lot to speak to the UK, either to make or receive calls, then consider buying a local sim card. Remember you will either need an unlocked phone or to buy a local phone as well. Making calls to the UK is in the order of 10p per minute, local calls and texts are a lot less. The difference between these costs and roaming charges soon pays back the approx £12 cost of the SIM. Even if you buy a cheap phone in India then you start pay back after about an hour of calls. Watch out for Indian roaming charges because mobile rates are by the state you are in. So if you move from Mumbai to, say Delhi, you get into roaming charges on your Indian number. Still, though, very much cheaper than roaming with your UK number! Check out the calling abroad rates on your UK mobile - they are probably a lot less than roaming abroad so forward your UK mobile to the Indian number. You can usually do this via an internet connection. Finally, remember to divert both your personal and business mobiles. If you are not going to buy an Indian SIM forward your personal mobile to your business phone so that calls into your personal phone cost you at your contract rate.

For the best, fresh Indian food, try Mahet's Lunch Home on the Juhu Road. You can choose your own (huge) live crab and have it cooked in whatever way you like. All their fresh fish is fantastic. It's also very reasonably priced. You'll find it 100-200 yards from the JW Marriott, Juhu as you turn left out of the hotel.

Sunday night is a good time to walk along the beach. A lot of local families etc. go every week before sunset.

In India, when you hire a car you automatically get a driver included - which is a very good idea as I personally would not recommend driving in such a hectic town, especially if you're used to northern European/US traffic.

This is an ideal way to get from meeting to meeting, as the driver is at your disposal all day and will come and go as you require. It also works out to be a cheaper alternative to booking individual taxis, especially if your company has a set rate with a particular hire car company.

Be careful at Mumbai airport because porters will load your bags on to trolleys the minute you have your back turned and then charge you for the privilege. If you do want a porter it is always best to negotiate the price beforehand.

Because the traffic is so bad in Mumbai, it is a good idea to have your meetings and do your entertaining at the hotel you are staying at, rather than having to traipse around town. Most of the big international hotels have suites and meeting rooms and good restaurants attached to them.

There’s a restaurant called Indigo Colaba, which is just adjacent to the business district of Nairman Point, and it serves very good European food with pan-Asian influences and has a lovely ambience. It’s very popular, so get your hotel to book you a table.