Going to New York in July for 4-5 days. Any cheap and cheerful hotel recommendations? I'll be travelling alone for this leg of the journey.
NYC hotel recommendations?
the.piemaker on 14/05/2014 - 19:10
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Yeah, I saw that! Did you get the room with the shared bathrooms? What were they like? Was it in a good location? The hotel, not the bathrooms…
Location was good - Lexington/53rd was the closest subway, 10 minutes from Grand Central.
Shared bathrooms were pretty clean and good quality. There were neat little lights in the room so you could tell when they were free - no need for creepy lurking in the corridor waiting to pounce on the next free shower.
Don't bother with hotels. Book an apartment on airbnb.
Upper West Side or Upper East Side will be a bit cheaper but still great value.
I've looked at apartments on Airbnb but most of them are about the same price as a hotel (some more so). I pretty much only need a bed and a clean bathroom and I'm good to go.
we stayed at The Jewel, perfect location and good little hotel
is this some sort of camp you speak of?
I stayed in the Larchmont hotel in Greenwich Village which is a lovely location. It's only a 2 minute walk to the subway and extremely close to union square. Shared bathrooms but not once did we ever have to wait, room costs between $90 - $109 for a single room, also includes a simple breakfast. Extremely cheap for new york. (almost half of what the other hotels posted cost, other than airb&b!)
The rooms are not fancy at all, but they were clean and had all the basics you will need.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g60763-d112041-Re…
You need to book through their website http://www.larchmonthotel.com/
I would not hesitate to go back there next time I go to New York :)
I stayed at Hotel 17 recently - tiny basic rooms but very clean, cheap and in a great location close to Union Square (hey when in NYC you want to spend as little time as possible in your room!) I had a shared bathroom but there were a few on each floor they were very clean and never in use when I needed them.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g60763-d93379-Rev…
Thanks for all your suggestions. I'll take a look at them!
Being July and summer up there, most everywhere have jacked up their prices or are booked out (in Manhattan). Did anyone stay outside of Manhattan? Is it a long commute?
Just a small point, I stayed a hotel 103rd ish, on weekends the subway stopped at 96, and we had to walk the rest each time. But blocks are small anyway. More off topic, try source $1 and $5 notes and budget for tipping subway performers and giving to homeless. The street entertainment is amazing but they expect good tips. you will be asked for money constantly. Ny has the best vibe
Don't be put off looking in the boroughs for a good deal.
There is plenty to see and do in Brooklyn, which is only a 10 min subway ride from downtown Manhattan. The are good restaurants and hotels there but the better neighbourhoods (like Park Slope) can be almost as expensive as Manhattan. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is something you must do.
Staten Island is further out still but offers the option of commuting to and from the south end of Manhattan via ferry. It takes longer but the trip is great and the views of downtown and the Statue of Liberty are unsurpassed. And, best of all for OBers, it's free!
I am not that keen on Queens, but Harlem is great, and being renewed more and more year by year. It was a no-go zone 20 years ago but it is fine now, I have stayed there with wife and kids and never had any problems.
If it's Manhattan or nothing, I recommend the Chelsea Lodge Hotel. Not fancy, but well-placed, cheap and clean, in a safe neighbourhood. Be aware though, I have read negative reviews by people who are spooked by seeing same-sex couples in the area, so if that offends, best to look elsewhere.
And, one more thing; be a real New Yorker and use the Subway. It is just brilliant, and once you figure it out, it can be faster than any cab, and clearly cheaper. I have met folks that go to NYC over and over and never use it because they are worried about safety, but I honestly feel safer on the NY Subway than I do in some cities in Aus. In summer, its gets a bit hot and sticky on the platforms, but most of the train carriages have AC.
Get a multi-day pass. I usually get a 7-day pass each and, if we have days left over on it when we check out of the hotel, we leave it in an envelope at reception with instructions to pass it on to the next cheapskates!
The Subway also connects with JFK via the AirTrain, so it is the cheapest way of getting into Manhattan. There is a train from Newark that will bring you to Penn Station, and it also connects into the PATH train network. If you are landing at La Guardia, it's cab or bus.
I stayed in The Pod Hotel (now Pod 51) - it was pretty cheap for New York. The room was not much of a step up from a good European youth hostel.