Kids access to Oberoi Club (Qantas Club) Mumbai

[eshan]

Hi All,

My first post so hope I am posting in the appropriate area.

We (me, wife & 2 kids) are flying back from UK using Qantas FF points; our route is London – Mumbai – Sydney.

Our issue is that we have a 10 hour layover in Mumbai.I’m a FF Gold member hence has access to the Oberoi Lounge and can take one guest (the wife if I want to live!!).

The question is, can I wrangle the two kids in (ages: 9 & 12)? Or can I purchase passes or any other ideas?.

We are quite desperate as the Mumbai airport is not the best by a long shot, we investigated going to a hotel but it’s a hassle beacuse we need to get visa etc.

Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Eshan

 

[Anna]

I suggest that you should check your visa requirements. For Aust citizens I believe that even transit passengers to India require a visa. A Transit Visa costs $20 as I understand it.

Also last time I was at Mumbai Airport the 'lounge' was more like a cafeteria and all food and drink had to be paid for. It may have changed now.

 

[eshan]

I suggest that you should check your visa requirements. For Aust citizens I believe that even transit passengers to India require a visa. A Transit Visa costs $20 as I understand it.
.

Thanks Anna, the visa cost is now $35 and is only valid 15 days from issue. As we willl be Europe for over a month it does not work out. A full tourist visa is $90, hence 4 visa + hotel is around $700 which is not worth it.

 

[mzy]

I was in Mumbai a few weeks ago. I was travelling alone but there were certainly families in the lounge - can't say for sure whether they were in there as a result of being in QC members or whether they just paid.

10 hours is a long time in Mumbai, even in the lounge. They do provide a small buffet and free soft drinks, and they serve alcohol from the bar but I didn't partake so not sure whether it is extra $$$. There are no showers.

There isn't much to do in the lounge and there are extremely few 'shops' at BOM. I would suggest you pack enough stuff to occupy the kids. The lounge itself does have a wireless hotspot which you can pay for but you may also be able to access the free wireless hotspot which has a slightly weaker signal than the lounge one. The lounge also has a wide screen which was permanently on Star Cricket when I was there - not bad if you like cricket but otherwise...

Good luck...Mzy

 

[eshan]

I was in Mumbai a few weeks ago. I was travelling alone but there were certainly families in the lounge - can't say for sure whether they were in there as a result of being in QC members or whether they just paid...........

Thanks for the info MZY

 

[Febs]

eshan - FWIW, I'm here now (8pm, Sunday night) and the place is crawling with kids (kind of glad I'm only here for an hour...though they're not too noisy thankfully).

Good luck.

Cheers,
- Febs.