1st time in New York Hotel help

Hi,

I am planning a trip to New York not until January 2007 but I want to book everything early as I like to be organised) I am looking for advice on hotels.

We are usaed to staying in nice hotels (4 or 5*) and was wanting a nice hotel in New York but at a good price, about 拢100 a night (more money for shopping!!) We would like to be central but am unsure what part of New york is best to stay in? We are looking to stay for 5 nights and want to see all the famous sites (Statue of liberty, Empire state, the zoo, Chrysler building etc) as well as all the shops. We dont really want to use the subway but dont mind walking so long as it isnt miles!!

Any advise would be really appreciated as I keep looking at hotels but there are so many to choose from so I was just looking for reccomendations.

Many Thanks

Michelle

1st time in New York Hotel help

Really sorry for posting it twice, I didnt think it had worked the 1st time. I also forgot to mention we would like to be near cetral park.

Thanks Again

Michelle

1st time in New York Hotel help

January is a great time to get hotel deals but 100 GBP might be asking a bit much for 4 or 5*. Your biggest problem is there are few hotels that will take a reservation more than a year in advance without charging you ';rack rate'; which is the highest. I can give you a list of hotels that I think fit your request and you can check them out.

The Michelangelo is very nice and is sometimes available on a special offer for $199/night.

The Westin Essex House is across from Central Park.

The Barclay Intercontinental is not as close to Central Park but a lovely hotel in a good location. They%26#39;re currently running a special for this Jan (%26#39;06) for $175/night. Look here

eleisurelink.com/danay/SPECIALmailform_ParkC鈥?/a>

Travelzoo.com is a good website for discounts but they only show up a month or 2 before you can use them. The other option is to try bidding on Priceline.

To be ';central'; most people stay in midtown either west (this encompasses the Times Square area) or east which is a bit saner. The Michelangelo %26amp; the Westin Essex House are both in midtown west but not in Times Square. The Barclay is midtown east. Other hotels that sometimes have specials are the Drake Swissotel and the Omni Bershire, both midtown east.

Saying you don%26#39;t want to use the subways is a bit like saying you don%26#39;t want to use the sidewalks. The subways are fast, safe, and convenient -- which is why we depend on them so heavily!! Manhattan is a long, narrow island whose geography makes walking miles impossible to avoid if you don%26#39;t want to take other forms of transportation (for example, it is at least seven miles to get from the ferry teminals at the Battery to the middle of Central Park...)

Asking ';what part of New York is best to stay in'; is much like asking ';what part of London is best?'; or ';What part of Paris is best?';: it depends on what kind of neighborhood you want. Do you want touristy? business district? trendy? quiet and residential? upscale? funky? youthful? -- you get the idea.

Once you decide what kind of neighborhood you want, you may want to either raise your budget or lower your sights regarding that hotel. 100 pounds = $175 these days; while you can get an adequate hotel room for that price, it would be grossly unrealistic to think you can get a 4-star, let alone a 5-star (!) hotel for that price in NYC.

Michelle, whilst I admire your commitment to shopping, I think that it is unreasonable to think that you could get a 4 or 5 star hotel for the price you are wanting to pay. Think of it from the other way - would you be able to get an equally good hotel in London for that price? The answer is obvious.

The good thing is that there are plenty of hotels - some really classy right down the line - and January is cheap for accommodation. If you want to be near Central Park, then enter Upper West Side or Upper East Side into the search box.

I love the fact that you are planning so far out from your expected arrival date - a huge majority of the excitement and anticipation of any trip is in the planning stages.

Have fun.

Helen

Thanks to everyone who has replied. OK so I realise now that I am unlikely to get a hotel in New York for 拢100 a night, I think I have just been really lucky with hotel prices in the past as I have had them in London and Amsterdam for under that but I have probably just been in the right place at the right time.

All the info has been really helpful and I now have a good idea of what locations to look for.

In reply to GreenWhiteBlue I would like to be in a trendy part of town but it isnt essential. The only reason I asked for locations is that I know there are areas and neighbourhoods in my town that I would steer clear of myself and would not advise people to go to. I have seen a hotel I like in Murray Hill but was unsure of the area as I have asked friends who have visited New York who have never heard of the area.

Nywhiz I love all the links you gave me and I have had a look at them, I love the look of the Barclay Intercontinental. My flights arent out until February so hopefully the hotels will be on sale then. I would just like to know which hotel I want so I can book it all as soon as my flights are out. I wish I didnt have to wait so long as I cannot wait to come and visit your great city. I have only visited Orlando and I love it there so I cant wait to discover even more of your wonderful country.

Many Thanks to everyone for all your help

Kind Regards

Michelle

Murray Hill is a nice area and there are a number of good hotels there. It%26#39;s a nice mix of business and residential and less chaotic than Times Square. It%26#39;s part of midtown in the east 30s.

If you want a ';trendy'; area, that%26#39;s probably south of midtown, areas like Chelsea, Union Square, Soho, the village and Tribeca. Some of these would not be as central to the typical tourist sights as staying midtown, and there aren%26#39;t many 4 or 5*s. Those are very pricey. The hotels tend to be either very pricey or very budget with not a lot inbetween in these areas. The W Union Square would be a top hotel in a trendy area within decent access to midtown. The Giraffe is a smaller boutique hotel just south of midtown that gets great reviews. The Four Points Chelsea is a moderate hotel in a fun, trendy area.