travelswithtish.com

How About a NYC Room with a View? Penthouse, Please!

June 17th, 2008

by tish

You just can’t beat a penthouse view of the New York City skyline. We checked in to an Upper West Side boutique hotel, On The Ave Hotel, not expecting a penthouse suite — but we did book a room with a terrace (at an unbelievable special rate!) Imagine our delight when our room key opened up to a penthouse suite with this spectacular view!

We wanted to sty on the Upper West Side, near Central Park. A gorgeous, very upscale area known for being home to the folks with “new money.” I found a great special seasonal rate at On the Ave Hotel. And needless to say, we were very happy with the accommodations.

Not only was the hotel elegant, its staff was friendly and attentive — even when you crossed paths with them in an elevator or hallway. The suite had a full wall of windows, a huge terrace with lounging furniture, a massive bath (with floor-to-ceiling window as well) and more room than several typical New York hotel rooms might have if put together! (You know, NYC hotel rooms are notoriously small!)

A split of wine was waiting for us in our room. We had turndown service (with great chocolates) and a complimentary breakfast. It was a good hotel choice!

The location was at Broadway and 77th Street — just a few blocks west of Central Park. Elegant shopping and good dining options were all around. A nice area for strolling. I would stay here again in a minute! And I’d highly recommend it as a hotel choice for anyone who wants to stay in a totally nice area.

TIPS:

Lock in a Good Rate. I believe I found this hotel on kayak.com. Checked out the hotel Web site and discovered some seasonal special rates. $215/night for our visit. Look on the hotel’s Web site for current specials — $215 was incredibly low, but I think anything under $300 for this kind of quality, comfort and neighborhood is well worth much more.

Great Neighborhood. Well, for example, Yoko still lives a few blocks away at the San Remo (known as The Dakota) where John was shot. Tom Cruise, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, Celine Dion live in the neighborhood, too. (They’re what’s considered “new money.”) Denzel will soon be moving in nearby, too — so we were told.) It’s a nice neighborhood in which to stay while visiting New York!

Good Transportation to Other Parts of Manhattan. Of course, you can cab it anywhere. But you have two subway lines (one under Broadway and one a few blocks east under Central Park West). Those will get you everywhere! We took advantage of them, spending only $2 each to get all the way to Brooklyn.

Need a Custom-Made Bra? Now how often do you run across a neighborhood shop that fits you with a custom-made lingerie? Well, we found one just across the street from our hotel! Now that’s class for the ladies who need it!