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A
decade ago the
luxury hotels fronting this long stretch of sandy beach were as
glamorous as it got among Mumbai's filmi crowd. Stories
of wild pool parties at at the Holiday Inn and illicit tete-a-tetes
at the Sun 'n' Sand Hotel were an essential ingredient
of every film magazine's gossip columns. Juhu's allure
is a little jaded these days, but its reputation is still strong enough
to make it 
must-do for every Indian tourist visiting Mumbai. When there was nothing
more substantial at Juhu than a sprinkling of weekend
bungalows, the Juhu airstrip used to be Bombay's
international airport. JRD Tata landed here on his inaugural
flight from Karachi in 1932, an event that marked the
begining of what was to become Air India. It Was an
achievement that wasn't blitzed until Bombay socialite
Protima Bedi hit the headlines when she streaked on Juhu Beach
in 1960s. Today the area is home to decently dressed, legendary film
stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri
Dixit.
It's
a pleasant beach if you're not expecting a quiet sunbathe
or a swim. The real attraction is the carnival
atmosphere that develops on weekend afternoons and evening.
Huge crowds paddle in the sea, stroll
along the shore, play beach cricket and enjoy the fresh
air. They're serviced by a mobile army of snack sellers and
fruit vendors, entertained by fairground rides, and sweet talked by toy
sellers, fortune tellers and yarn spinner.
During
the rest of the week it only 1 a short stroll from the hotel strip to be
alone with your thoughts. If you fancy heading off into the wild blue
yonder, Mumbai largest Koli fishing community
is at the northern end of the bay in Versova.
Juhu's
secondary attractions include lounging poolside at the beach
front hotels checking out the Hare Krishna ISKDCON
complex downing a coffee at the Prithvi Theatre and shooting pool at
Raspberry Rhinoceros.
GETTING
THERE :
Juhu is 25km
north of the city centre, not far from Mumbai's airports. Catch a
suburban train from Church gate or from VT using the Harbour Line to
either Santa Cruz train station or Vile Parle station.
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