New York City Travel Forum

We're a family of four (parents + two grown kids) that will travel to NYC in September for a week. We're looking for something along these lines:
* Price <$4000 (incl tax) for a week.
* On Manhattan, preferrably not above 80th street or so.
* Two bedrooms with separate beds for the kids in their room.
* Hotel, apartment, B&B, whatever, we're open to everything.
* Clean.

For that price we expect a little extra of some kind. Among those *could* be: spacious, charming, nice view, great location, doorman/concierge, two bathrooms, etc.

Thanks in advance, Peter & Helena

$4000 for seven nights, for two rooms, is $285/night/room. That's not much at all for NY, unfortunately, especially during the month of September--one of the tightest months of the year for hotel rooms (there are a lot of reasons why this is true).

I think you will be better off with an apartment than a hotel. I would also advise you to book NOW. That time of year really is extremely hard to deal with. I have been a very frequent business traveler to NY for many years, and September is one of the hardest times to find a room (not to mention a reasonably priced room).

Do not rule out staying above 80th St. or even in Brooklyn. It is easy to get where you need to go by subway, and once you get out of midtown/downtown Manhattan, the prices can drop dramatically.

Considering that there have been numerous news reports about scams being conducted on unknowing tourists for rental of apartments that do not exist, the above suggestion about renting an apartment is terribly risky.

And, yes, $4000/week in NYC does not get much. You'll be lucky to get a room with 2 double beds.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, we were fairly close to get scammed as well. But boy did it sound nice! :-)

A clarification: $4000 actually get you fairly much.

Apartments: As an example, 2 bedroom apartments in the area we are looking for from a reputable(?) agency can be had for around $3000, and for an additional $1000 you can get some of the perks we think is nice. The problem here is that the ones that we have found and then tried to book so far don't take reservations that far in advance. :-(

Hotel Rooms: Or $3000 will get us a family suite (2 bedrooms, no living room) at well rated (at Tripadvisor) Belleclair Hotel. The trick here seems to be that judging fom the reviews some rooms are fairly bad by comparison and how do you know that you won't get one of those (on the other hand I guess that goes for most private hotels)? Also, we would like to find a hotel where we can get a living room/kitchen and/or some other amenities for those extra $1000.

Location: Brooklyn (or Queens?) could work I guess, certainly with regards to the journeys, but it is the kid's first trip to the Big Apple, and we really are looking for a proper "NYC feeling" for them. But hey we're open for other suggestions (we know pretty much nothing of Gotham above 80th or outside Manhattan)!

If the apartments you're seeing don't take reservations that far in advance, then what I suggest is that you find out the day they start taking reservations, and call right then. I do still think that an apartment will probably suit you best, given your requirements--and there are certainly reputable agencies that will not scam you. Keeping in mind the saying "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" will serve you well here.

I haven't heard of the Belleclaire (I normally do not stay in that part of town). The location is good. Why don't you call the hotel and book with them directly, asking for a "good" room? If you are booking a family suite, there probably aren't that many of them--and those rooms probably aren't the tiny, bad ones that get sold for rock bottom prices anyway. Don't book through a third-party website if you want to pick a good room.

Please recall also that TripAdvisor comments on NY hotels are often from people who have no understanding of the fact that almost without exception, ALL hotel rooms in New York are tiny by most people's standards, and they are all really expensive, too. Someone who is used to staying in other US cities, and who has no idea of how expensive New York real estate is, is always going to be disappointed by how small the hotel rooms are. It's just the way it is.

Another hotel group you might check is the Affinia chain. I stay at these a lot and they are reasonably priced, extremely comfortable, well-appointed, and friendly. I have had rooms with small kitchens, and I know they have suites. There are a number of hotels in this chain, in several locations throughout Manhattan.

One other thing I would say is that staying outside of Manhattan certainly does not mean you are not getting the "NY feel." Quite the contrary, the outer boroughs are just as much New York as Manhattan is, and you'll probably get a more down-to-earth view of how the city actually lives if you stay in one of them. If you have no experience of the city outside Manhattan, now's your big chance! New York is a great, HUGE place and there is a lot more to it than Fifth Avenue and Times Square! And you will get quite enough of Manhattan anyway during the day--might as well sleep someplace quiet.

Hi Peter and Elena,

i have some websites gathered for NY accommodation. I selected the B&B. Dont forget that in most places you may reserve the rooms from now as their cancelation policy is about 72-24 hours before your arrival without any charge.


http://www.1871house.com/
http://www.iloveinns.com/bed_and_breakfasts/new_york/414inn.htm
http://www.gvhabitue.com/
http://www.abingdonguesthouse.com/
http://www.colonialhouseinn.com/intro.htm
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/photo-new-york-ny-inn-elegant_retreats.html
http://www.incentravillage.com/index.html
http://www.ivyterrace.com/index.html
http://secondhomesecondavenue.com/
http://www.staythenight.com/
http://www.innon23rd.com/
http://www.suttonresidence.com/index.html
http://www.west-eleventh.com/

Regards
Katerina

I used nyhabitat.com for my loft last summer and it worked out fine. It's booked through a broker so I felt like there was some recourse if there were problems. We stayed at a place in Soho for a month and it was $4000 + utilites ($100). It slept 7 and was in a great location. We are staying in the same place this summer.

Hi Peter & Helena,

I just came across this site and thought that it might be helpful.

http://www.lanierbb.com/New_York/_New_York_City/

Regards, Carmen