Mumbai

India’s most cosmopolitan city, originally built over seven islands, is at the cutting edge of film, fashion and business.

Mumbai – known as the Maximum City for its fast-paced lifestyle – is the country’s second largest conurbation, boasting a thriving nightlife, plenty of colourful attractions and the hub of Bollywood.

When your private charter jet lands at Mumbai Airport, it’s a 30km drive to the city centre.

The iconic and elegant Oberoi Hotel provides flawless service from personal butlers, a fabulous spa and a luxury retail arcade.

Enjoy views over the Mumbai skyline and the Arabian sea while you have a drink at the pool bar, or choose a bottle from the Italian restaurant’s wine library.

For more relaxed, easy glamour, the Soho House chain has a beachside branch in Mumbai, blending English country style with Indian materials and craftsmanship.

With a swanky screening room, four restaurants, library, and rooftop pool and bar, there is plenty to do while adhering to the hotel’s strict privacy policy (no mobile phones or photography in public areas).

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, meanwhile, is a little piece of history with old-fashioned grandeur – the place where the well-heeled of the city celebrate their milestones.

With the best pool in Mumbai, a view of the Arabian sea, four restaurants and two bars, the original Taj is a treat.

Mumbai has some of the best street food in the country – look out for he popular vada pav, a spicy deep-fried ball of mashed potato in a bun – but if you want a proper dining experience The Table is a romantic, split-level restaurant which is a pioneer in the city’s farm-to-table revolution.

International dishes such as red wine risotto, spiced Norwegian salmon and miso-marinated fish grilled over charcoal are on the menu.

For Indian cuisine, The Bombay Canteen – set in an old colonial bungalow – gives its own twist to traditional local specialities such as cilantro and coconut masala, or red chilli and peanut curry.

Or book a table at the seafood restaurant Bastian. It’s a favourite of the Bollywood A-listers who enjoy butter-poached lobster and snapper carpaccio.

For a cocktail recipe that dates back to the 1880s, try London Taxi – a three-story bar that serves Prohibition-era drinks.

Mumbai doesn’t just have some of the best nightlife in Asia, it also has the second largest collection in the world (after Miami) of Art Deco buildings along a swathe of seafront and boasts three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, the rock-hewn Elephanta Caves and the Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble museum.

Enjoying the buzz of the city’s streetlife, markets and food stalls is an attraction in itself.

The best time to hire a private jet charter to Mumbai is between November and the end of February, when the weather is relatively mild and dry before the temperatures creep up in March.

But whatever time of the year you visit, you’re sure to have maximum fun in the Maximum City.