Andheri never held still long enough for one photograph to define it, and that's exactly why I keep coming back with a camera and an old print tucked in my bag. Years at a hotel front desk taught me that guests after midnight always ask the same thing, half-joking: 'has this place changed as much as everyone says?' I never had a straight answer then, and I still don't - but matching an old frame against what's standing now in Andheri is the closest I've got to one. Here are the addresses I return to when I want to stand where an old photograph once stood.

What the Old Frames Held

The postcards of old Andheri show a low skyline against Sahar's airport road - a scatter of single hotels and open plots where towers now crowd the frame. I like starting a walk by finding out which of those old vantage points survived, and which now have a Marriott or a Hilton standing in their place.

The Vantage That Still Holds

Three hotels here still let you stand close to where the old airport-road photographs were taken - the terminal's just minutes off, but the view above has gone from tarmac to towers.

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   Moxy Mumbai Andheri West

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   Moxy Mumbai Andheri West - a rooftop pool, karaoke nights and an indoor play area make this one of the liveliest family-friendly hotels in Andheri, a few kilometres from Versova Beach.
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   Fairmont Mumbai

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   Fairmont Mumbai - the rooftop pool and executive lounges read like old five-star Bombay updated for now, a kilometre from the airport ->
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   Jw Marriott Mumbai Sahar Airport

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   Jw Marriott Mumbai Sahar Airport - interconnecting family rooms and a spa tucked 400 metres from the terminal ->

Where the Runway View Gave Way to Towers

Further along Sahar and Andheri East, the empty stretches in the old prints are the busiest now - this trio sits where the runway view used to run clean to the horizon.

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   Dragonfly Hotel - The Art Hotel

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   Dragonfly Hotel - The Art Hotel - concept rooms like the Cave Room and Forest Theme Room, plus free airport pick-up, make it the odd one that stands out from the cluster ->
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   T24 Residency Mumbai International Airport Hotel

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   T24 Residency Mumbai International Airport Hotel - an outdoor pool and sun terrace barely over a kilometre from the airport, simple and unfussy ->
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   The Lalit Mumbai

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   The Lalit Mumbai - six dining options and an outdoor pool along Sahar Airport Road, grand in the way old airport hotels used to try to be ->

The Pool-Deck Vantage

A rooftop pool is the easiest way to recreate an old wide shot of the district today - these three keep that angle alive from a few storeys up.

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   Radisson Blu Mumbai International Airport

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   Radisson Blu Mumbai International Airport - a rooftop pool, hammam and sauna two kilometres from the terminal, plush enough for a stopover that doesn't feel like one ->
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   Novotel Mumbai International Airport

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   Novotel Mumbai International Airport - a kids' club, games room and year-round pool a kilometre from the airport, built for families who land tired ->
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   Hilton Mumbai International Airport Hotel

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   Hilton Mumbai International Airport Hotel - five dining rooms and a spa five minutes from the terminal, scale enough to swallow a long layover whole ->

Sleeping Inside the Old Frame

Not every stay here is about height - some of these small, plainer addresses sit exactly where the older street-level photographs were taken, unglamorous and useful.

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   Hotel Lime Wood

   Hotel Lime Wood - a small guest house near Andheri Subway with tidy family rooms and a concierge who'll sort a car; it's my pick for a low-key night in the district.
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   Hotel Suba International Sahar Road Mumbai

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   Hotel Suba International Sahar Road Mumbai - tiled floors, a minibar and buffet breakfast two kilometres from the airport, plain and reliable ->
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   Jyoti Dwelling Hotel

   Jyoti Dwelling Hotel - a hundred metres from Solitaire Business Park, the kind of small family-run stay that never makes the postcards ->

The Quiet Corners Worth Printing

The last stretch is the one I'd walk slowest - three stays a little off the main cluster, worth pairing with whatever old print you're chasing. Wander a bit before you settle on one; Andheri rewards it, and you'll likely land on a favourite frame of your own.

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   The Paradise By Tunga

   The Paradise By Tunga - I don't have the room details to hand for this one, so ring ahead and confirm what's on offer before you book ->
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   The Mirador Hotel, Mumbai International Airport

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   The Mirador Hotel, Mumbai International Airport - four dining options and modern European furnishings, five minutes from the terminal ->
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   Hotel West Blue

   Hotel West Blue - soundproofed family rooms and a work desk six kilometres out, quieter than the airport cluster and priced like it ->