The Best Incentives for Hotel-Hopping
Best Hotel Suite: Town-House Suite in the Kitano New York, 66 Park Ave. (http://kitano.com; tel. 800/548-2666 or 212/885-7000). Each of the three one-bedroom suites in the town house that is part of this hotel features a hallway leading to a sunken living room with original art, a state-of-the-art stereo system, and a tea maker with green tea.
Best Inexpensive Hotel Restaurant: Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien, 118 W. 57th St. (www.parkermeridien.com; tel. 800/543-4300 or 212/245-5000). Hidden off the lobby, this joint has been discovered by locals, so the lines are long, but worth it. The burgers are fabulous and under $6.
Best Hotel Bar: Bemelmans Bar, in the Carlyle, 35 E. 76th St. (www.thecarlyle.com; tel. 800/227-5737 or 212/744-1600). Named after illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans, who created the Madeline books and painted the mural, this romantic, charming bar features white-gloved service and classic cocktails.
Best Hotel for a Romantic Tryst: Hotel Elysée, 60 E. 54th St. (www.elyseehotel.com; tel. 800/535-9733 or 212/753-1066). This lovely old hotel, a favorite of mid-20th-century writers and actors, is discreetly ensconced between two mammoth office buildings and is the perfect romantic hideaway in the middle of Manhattan.
Best Hotel Swim-Up Bar: Room Mate Grace Hotels, 125 W. 45th St. (www.room-matehotels.com; tel. 212/354-2323). There is much to like about the Grace, but I love the fact that it has a swimming pool—in the lobby—with a swim-up bar. You can’t ask for much more in the middle of Manhattan.
Best Hotel Pool: The Greenwich Hotel, 377 Greenwich St (www.thegreenwichhotel.com; tel. 212/941-8900). Robert DeNiro’s baby features a Japanese-inspired pool housed under a bamboo roof from a 250-year-old farmhouse.
Best New Hotel: The Setai, 400 Fifth Avenue (http://setaififthavenue.com; tel. 212/695-4005): In a 60-story tower, this combination residences and hotel offers five star service, large modern rooms, views galore, a Michael White-run restaurant, and one of the top spas and salons in the city.
Best Hotel View of New Jersey: Ink48, 653 11th Ave. (www.ink48.com; tel. 212/757-0088) This new Kimpton property on the far west side of Manhattan offers typically good Kimpton service and unobstructed views of the USS Intrepid battleship, the Hudson River, and the hills of New Jersey beyond.
Best Hotel View not in Manhattan: Hotel Le Bleu, 370 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn (www.hotellebleu.com; tel. 718/625-1500). Look past the nearby U-Haul garage and the murky Gowanus Canal just below and you’ll see the skyline of lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, the F train as it snakes into Manhattan, and, looking east, the rooftops and churches of Park Slope.
