A perfect location. A lot of information given at the reception. Wonderful owners who organized a beautiful Diwali celebration for us all with shared food, nice music, common activities. Good laundry service. The rooftop is perfect to get to know people, the vibe is very nice.

The beds are tooo short and the room is a bit too small. Staying in dorms in India never work.. there is always someone not caring at all about having other people in the room (eating at 2am, packing at 4am with lights on and as much sound as possible..and etc). The kitchen didn't look too clean.

Property is amazing in terms of location and room comfort. Gateway of India, Marine drive, Colaba Market and Local train station, all of them were at walking distance which made my travel and exploration easy. Hostel had a secure card checkin system and elevator. Sheets and blankets were on every check-out maintaining hygiene.

The information listed about shared and pvt washroom per room is a bit ambiguous, I booked a 4 people dorm considering shared washroom means it will be shared with 4 people, but actually there were 3 washrooms getting shared among 4-5 similar dorms.

Excellent location for tourists wanting to hit all the major Mumbai landmarks in a few days; the tea and biscuits on the rooftop were lovely. There are also books on the rooftop.

A/C wasn't turned on during the hottest hours of the day, or at least it was unclear if it even could be turned on; the air in the room felt a little stale. It's also quite impersonal - not unexpected for such a big hostel, but still.

First,the staff are nice here.I was trouble buying ticket but they helped me get the bus ticket and one of them called the driver and told me when and where I actually should come.I really appreciated that.Thank you so much! Also,the location is perfect to see around the main spot for traveling.I didn't take taxi, I enjoyed walking on the street. Lastly,I made some good friends here and ate lunch or dinner together.It was wonderful memories in my life.

I don't like the style of toilet. For some people,it's okay,but for me, I don't. It is a little bit less clean and useful.

The place was run by an older couple who kept everything running very smoothly, they run a tight ship. Their crew is also very efficient. All queries were answered immediately and every concern addressed. They even readily provided recommendations for nearby spots. We experienced a hiccup in the room and were immediately shifted to a different room without delays and plenty of apologies from them. The place is clean and well maintained. I was pleasantly surprised by the amenities and how young and colorful the vibe was. The common space was much appreciated and always seen with guests enjoying a good time. I particularly liked that they provided biscuits in our room and in the common area, along with a microwave. The building is old from outside but the interiors have been kept up to date, including a working elevator. I appreciate the location right behind a prime spot Colaba Causeway while also being in a very quiet neighborhood. It's the best place to be in SoBo.

Nothing.

Every single member of the staff at Cowies made my stay extremely pleasant. I can't say enough about how welcoming, helpful, friendly, kind and engaging they all are. I have to give a special shoutout to Avinash, who does maintenance, whom I ran into out at lunch at Shimla Canteen. He is such a nice guy and brightened my day many times. It was a pleasure knowing him and I wish him all the best in everything. The same goes for the gentleman host who made me smile and feel welcome everytime I passed him at the front desk or in the halls, and gave fantastic advice. His name is Kishin and he is a gem of a man; thank you Kishin for making me feel welcomed! Shashi, who works the front desk and gets things done all over the building, including washing dishes when people leave them unwashed, similarly brightened my day everytime our paths crossed on the property. He not only gave great recommendations but always had a kind word to say and a smile to share. Lastly, the security guard was always so king, smiling and greeting me at all my late night comings and goings, giving such positive energy as did everyone at Cowies. To the rest of the staff at Cowies--I greatly appreciated all of you as well! I actually ended up staying at Cowies for two weeks straight. Rooms are cleaned daily, my sheets and bedding were flipped regularly, and cold bottles of water can be purchased cheaply at the front desk 24h of the day, which I made frequent use of. I loved walking Mumbai--I regularly walked from Cowies to Babulnath Mandir, Marine Drive, Mumbadevi Mandir, Starbucks, Nature's Basket, Hornimann Square, the High Court building area park to watch the friendly pick-up cricket games, the Gateway to India to catch the ferry to Elephanta Island to see the caves, and many delicious restaurants like Bayview, Madras, Samrat, Bombay Brasserie, Effingut, and so many more. There is a big market area right outside Cowies with tons of cheap stuff, plus high end retail shops as well.

The hostel is in a brilliant location close to the main sites, many of which you can walk too. Our private room was very clean and a good size. We found the service exceptional and better than some of the luxury hotels we’d recently stayed in. The staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. We were very impressed and appreciated how friendly and approachable they were.

Very minor but as we had a premium room we had the benefit of being given water whenever we wanted it which was a great perk. To reduce plastic, I’d suggest initially giving a few free bottles and encouraging usage of the filtered water available on each floor. The hostel could also organise more social events on the rooftop to encourage more of a social atmosphere.

Welcoming, friendly and helpful staff who spoke good English and always happy to help - area felt safe Room was clean and comfy bed, good WiFi, efficient AC & fan, spacious with plenty of room for luggage Replenished tea, coffee, biscuits, water bottles & toiletries in the (private) room daily Good water pressure and temperature in the shower Provided you can get good rest, it’s a good base for Mumbai, good restaurants nearby - Madras Cafe, New Apollo Restuarant, Bagdadi Restaurant, Kebab Gunj They arranged for a SIM card seller to come shortly after check-in, approx £9 for 1.5GB per day for 28 days, he was friendly and helpful with general Mumbai recs Recommend Amaze Tours for AM group tour Dhobi Ghat & Dharavi, also PM private car tour of Mumbai sites, total £70 through online payment for nearly 10 hours - ask for Loki he was great! Elephanta Caves are over rated and over priced, we stayed an extra day in Mumbai to do this, but wasn’t really worth it (not accommodations fault, just some advice to consider)

Unfortunately the close proximity of room 402 to kitchen area was a bad design and could’ve been put in the common area This resulted in inconsiderate noise from people scraping plates and washing dishes multiple times from 2-6am, which is very unfair and frustrating on sleeping guests 2 out of 3 nights we got bad sleep due to this, we shouldn’t have to sleep with uncomfortable ear plugs, regardless of what you pay for a room/ bed, just because of other people’s rudeness Mumbai is a common starting point in travellers route arriving in India, people will be jet lagged and want to get some rest (…that is the whole point in accommodation after all!) Having said this I would still recommend Cowies due to positive points

Run by a sociable and proactive old couple who really go the extra mile to make sure you have everything you need, without being weird about it 😂 When you need something outside of the hostel, they'll know someone and will make a call. There is tea to use in the kitchen, which is a human right but many places seem to forget about it. Kitchen has a fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle and water purifier, which were sufficient for me as I'm not in Mumbai to eat dinner in the hostel. Showers decent. they are an individual toilet-and-shower wet room setup. You'll be wet once you've got into your clothes but that's the climate. Laundry is in machines on the premises, but you need to go through the desk, who get someone to do it for you, so it won't be quick. Friendly place with travellers. You can make friends. I don't know what other hostel locations in Mumbai are like, but this place is on a street with trees and the view from the roof is of houses with colonial architecture and gardens. Fast internet.

The communal space is a semi-open terrace. There are plenty of fans, but it can be hot. There is a roof terrace above that that they could do way more with. The housekeeping staff come into the rooms pretty frequently and are not particularly friendly. You need to seep with the loud A/C on or you will wake up sweaty. With A/C, you'll still wake up sweaty, but in the morning instead of the middle of the night. Mumbai is a big city. If you are leaving to the airport, make sure you leave in time 😭

Location is perfect - everything worth seeing is literally a short walk away. The building itself has a chill, cozy vibe, especially the wooden staircase (walking barefoot on it was unexpectedly nice). Place was super clean and well kept. Would definitely stay again.

Everything was great, but I’d prefer not to be woken up if I’ve already told staff I’m staying an extra night. Not a big deal, just a note. There’s a price list on the wall anyway - if I oversleep, I’m clearly aware of the late check-out fee and I’m happy to pay it.