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I shop online for bulk items (as I gave up my car when I moved to Bristol) and then supplement with fresh items from local shops every day or so.
I am lucky to have a little local high street four minute walk away with a butchers, bakers making bread and cakes from locally milled flour http://eastbristolbakery.co.uk/,
And Sweet Mart a Bristol institution with an amazing selection of exotic fruit, vegetables, spices, flours, rice, pickles, a deli counter and its own range of Indian takeaways https://www.facebook.com/SWEETMARTBS5/
Thank youā¦I know I am so happy to have this as a resource and they have just opened an M&S Foodhall in the nearby shopping centre, so I am now in food heaven
In the central London M&S i noticed the food/grocery were on the first floor (Like a poor mans Harrods, haha) but to us Americans this is a really cool store layout. Not common here either. The Tesco in Prague by our hotel had similar. Incredible store with great prices!
@faheem, I can only imagine the amount of hand-holding you probably have to do with guests to ensure they have a good time. If I ever rented my place out here (Iām also an Indian resident/OCI) then my guidebook would have to be quite a bit thicker!
On the other hand, our cook makes the most magical food that Iād love to share with guests, and our maid could easily clean every dayāthose are two things I definitely canāt offer guests at our US property
Are you saying you are Indian? And do you live in India? Your message wasnāt clear.
No, they donāt require much handholding, really. Though I try to warn them against getting robbed in India. But they donāt necessarily pay attention.
But yeah, she isnāt missed. All of my staff miss her, though, probably because she gave out so many freebies (which likely admitted to a pittance compared to what she amassed illegally). Unfortunately I donāt think her replacement is much better!
Iām sure thatās true. Unfortunately,. thatās India. The ādreadfulā bit is redundant, really. Theyāre all dreadful.
So, whereabouts in the US are you from? I suppose you are minding your rental remotely? Sounds tricky. Unless you have good support locally (in the US).
@Faheem, yeah, I manage my Arizona rental in the US remotely. Real estate development is in my US familyās blood, and thankfully itās one of the easier ājobsā to have long-distance. I thankfully have amazing support there and a strong network, so itās all good!
Iām actually more apprehensive about hosting locally here in India than remotely in the States, precisely because even though Iām here, I donāt have any clue how to tell an electrician something needs to be fixed or stuff like that (I leave that to my spouse). Plus I donāt have the head for the financial feasibility here since I donāt know things like market rates, costā¦ it all feels foreign to me, no pun intended. Plus, I prefer AirBnbāing out space where I donāt live, and rental prices are kinda crazy (to say nothing of buying a place).
If I recall correctly, youāre in Mumbai? Iāve been fortunate to visit many places in beautiful India, but surprisingly havenāt made my way there yet!
Sorry for making this such an India-centric thread, @KKC! I canāt help itāIām always happy to chat up a fellow Indian resident.
Yes, Iām in Bombay. My listing is linked in my profile.
I can certainly understand if you are hesitant to rent in India, especially if you are not familiar with the place. India is a crazy place, and stuff is certainly different from the US - thereās a lot less you can take for granted. Though you didnāt say that you didnāt have a space available, so it might be worth considering, depending on the market, of course.
Plus, I prefer AirBnbāing out space where I donāt live, and rental prices are kinda crazy (to say nothing of buying a place).