Anyone have a recommendation for a hotel in or around NYC?
Looking for something that'll take 3 people and doesn't cost an arm and a leg… so far it seems anything half decent and under $200/night is on the other side of the river with transport into town a pain in the rear.
Would be staying all up for 5-6 nights between 2/12/12-13/12/12. Will be flying up to NYC then busing it down to Philadelphia and Washington DC before going back to NYC.
Already took a look at them, they wanted about $190+taxes a night IIRC. Only problem was that they have a two queen bed room but only allow 2 people in. (Could not get a quote online for 3 people)
On some booking sites they show King + Sofa Bed and as there is two rooms that might work for you - I'd email the hotel directly and ask them - the staff were very helpful when we were there - good luck
If you want to send your travel dates I'll have a look at my favourite search sites if you like
Don't know the dates that we're actually in NYC as we're still looking at heading down to Philadelphia and Washington DC. But we'll be in that area of the country from 2/12/12 to 13/12/12.
Here is a very cheap tour that we did. We had a great time with n problems at all - despite the negative reviews.
http://www.taketours.com/new-york-ny/3-day-new-york-to-niaga…
Won't be doing that because one reason I'm heading down to Philadelphia is to visit a friend. That and I really hate tours, especially one that is done on the cheap and quick.
With Washington, so far the plan is to spend a whole day just at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
We were very impressed with the The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport - it is the companion facility to the Air & Space Museum on the National Mall but with many more exhibits
Transport into the city is very easy. I stayed in an apartment in Long Island City as well. 5-10 minutes by subway to get to midtown.
Check out Wimdu and Airbnb. Lots of options for apartments at a fraction of the price of hotels. I find cooking my own food for some meals is a refreshing change as much of the restaurant food is quite heavy. You also get the local experience rather than being in the bubble of a hotel.
I paid $100/night (via Wimdu) in June/July of this year.
The apartment idea is great and would have been our choice but web info like this made us reconsider - http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Travel-g60763-c147344/New-York…
That said perhaps through forums like this we can share legit deals
Wimdu and Airbnb are the middle men for renting apartments. They take a cut and in turn you pay Wimdu/Airbnb directly, they sus out the owner, etc. If there are issues then they will suposedly step in. The downside is you pay a bit more than you would by paying directly. I would be hesitant renting an apartment directly as you pointed out.
P.S. I stayed next to Court Square, right across the street from the diner and subway.
http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/gb/en/north-bergen/nycnb/hot…
We stayed there mainly because it costs an arm and a leg to stay in NYC with 3 kids. It was very good. The breakfast was excellent and the shuttle was a 15 minute trip and cost $3 each way into Manhattan.
I've taken a look at this hotel, it's ok and on the "use if desperate" list mainly because it's on the wrong side of the river and transport across the river is either expensive (taxi) or a PITA (trains). Only problem with shuttles is that they might not fit into our schedule nor run when we need it. We're probably going to be out late a few nights (despite it being winter…)
Staying in an airbnb apartment in new York overlooking central park (upper west side) right now. Would easily fit 3 (a double + single bed(, $100 per night. Definetely check out the site.
Did check out airbnb and wimdu… for some reason for the dates that we want, the prices skyrocket…
I'd recommend the Verve hotel in Long Island City. Yes it's across the river but its handy to 2 subway lines that take minutes to get to Northern Manhattan. The rooms are large by NY standards, the staff great and the prices fair. Check out the reviews on TripAdvisor.