New York City has no shortage of hotel options and while I visited twice before I moved here, as a resident I hardly get to experience them! I always wanted to make staycations a regular thing but it wasn’t until last year I finally started to make it happen. I needed a place to stay between moving out of my apartment and going home for an extended visit, so I booked a room at the Ludlow for a couple nights! Since then, I’ve made it a goal to slowly check out some of the amazing hotels in the city so read on for my recommendations – whether you’re visiting the city or are in need of a staycation yourself.
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The Ludlow Hotel
I’ve always admired this super hip hotel and have long been attracted to their STUNNING bathrooms and great city views. Their restaurant, Dirty French, is also a favorite of mine so I was already sold on the experience based on that alone and was really excited to check it out in fall of 2020. Full disclosure: I stayed there October 2020 and the hotel was still impacted by COVID (no room service, the restaurant had not re-opened, common areas were also not open). Read on for all the details…
- Location/Neighborhood: super hip, Lower East Side; close to a ton of great bars and restaurants.
- Comfort: the bed was so comfortable – almost like sleeping in a cloud.
- Room size: I stayed in a Loft Skybox room and it was a good size but only because it had the extra seating area. I think a normal size room would be fine for one person but any more than that and you’ll want to upgrade the size.
- On site restaurant: I absolutely love Dirty French, cannot recommend it enough.
- Noise level: no street noise that I heard, and the hotel was also pretty quiet (but per my note above, it was during COVID so not sure what the occupancy % was during my stay)
- Room service: N/A but they had coffee and pastries in the lobby each morning.
- Amenities: lobby bar/lounge (with a garden in warm months), and gym.
- City view? In the Loft Skybox room the view was amazing and the rest of the rooms have super large windows.
- How ‘grammable? I think the Ludlow is gorgeous and between the lobby/lounge, bed, the balcony and the bathroom, there’s plenty of places to snap a good pic for the ‘gram.
- Overall? I highly recommend the Ludlow if you’re looking to mix it up from the main touristy parts of the city and experience a cozy, yet edgy luxury hotel.
The Standard, High Line
I’ve always felt The Standard is the ultimate in cool and edgy so I was super excited when I won a free night stay at The Standard, High Line (from a raffle at their summer movie series in 2021). I grabbed my friend Jackie and we made a whole experience out of it – checked in, had happy hour at the Biergarten, dinner a The Standard Grill, drinks at Le Bain and room service the next day.
- Location/Neighborhood: Meatpacking neighborhood – one of my favorites in NYC. It’s super hip, right on the West Side Highway and right above The High Line (if you’re into checking those out). Also surrounded by great bars and restaurants and good night life.
- Comfort: the bed was an 7.5/10 for comfort level (not fluffy like a cloud but also not super firm but it got the job done).
- Room size: we had a standard room and it was tiny but that’s par for the course for most NYC hotels. We each had a suitcase and they took up a decent amount of space.
- Noise level: everything was great until we tucked in for bed at midnight and I could hear the music from the rooftop bar. And then I heard it again when I woke up around 3:45 AM. So if you’re looking for a good night’s sleep, maybe don’t count on that here…
- Room service: pretty standard but good overall!
- On site restaurant: the Standard Biergarten is a really chill place and on the flip side, I highly recommend The Standard Grill for a nice dinner. The food and service were really great
- Amenities: a few dining/bar options on site, a gym
- City view? we were on the 12th floor and had amazing views of downtown. If you want a view, ask for a room on the south side of the building
- How ‘grammable? The rooms are pretty sleek and of course you can’t go wrong snapping a pic with the view from your room or the roof top.
- Overall? I’m honestly not sure I can recommend The Standard, High Line… I feel awful saying that but when I stay at a hotel I need to be able to sleep and even earplugs weren’t working for me. Otherwise the staff and the food were great. And a pro tip: if you want to go to the rooftop make sure you tell them you’re a hotel guest so you don’t have to wait in the main public line to get in!
My NYC Staycation Wishlist
[in no particular order and not exhaustive because yes, it’s pretty extensive!]
- The Plaza Hotel
- The Carlyle
- The Lowell
- The Pierre
- The Four Seasons
- Baccarat Hotel
- Lotte New York Palace
- Equinox Hotel
- The Pendry
- PUBLIC Hotel
- Arlo (SoHo or Midtown)
- Intercontinental New York
- The Highline Hotel
- 1 Hotel (Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge)
- The William Vale
- Greenwich Hotel
- The Marlton
- The James
- The Bowery Hotel
- The Walker (Greenwich Village or Tribeca)
- The Williamsburg Hotel
- Gansevoort Meatpacking
- Andaz 5th Avenue
- Conrad New York Midtown
- Park Hyatt New York
- The Evelyn
- The Hoxton Hotel (in Brooklyn)
- The Beekman Hotel
- The Roxy Hotel
- The Kimberly Hotel
- Kimpton Hotel Eventi
- Crosby Street Hotel
- The Langham
- Le Méridien New York
- The St. Regis
- The New York Edition
- Loews Regency
- The Mark Hotel
- Thompson Central Park
- JW Marriott Essex House
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