Holiday to New York?

Buchanan0204

Buchanan0204

Buchanan0204

Soldato
Joined
10 Jun 2010
Posts
5,158
Location
Scotland
So I'm looking to head to New York.

However. I have no clue where to start. Tried looking online and what have you but it's all very vague on the details.

I'd like to be central and stay in a modern hotel (thinking Home Alone 2 here)

I'd also like to visit the main attractions and generally have a nice time.

Can anyone recommend a good place to book? Also how much am I looking at for a week... two adults, including spending money (no gifts or designer clothes will be bought)
 
well times square, or near abouts is quite central

cant remember the name of the hotel i stayed in , but i was right in times sq and within walking distance to eveywhere
 
I went to New York a while back (March 2010) and stayed in the Best Western Presidents Hotel. It was pretty much in the heart of Times Square, so walking distance to all the major tourist attractions. It was a nice hotel, even though the double room I booked was a bit small.
 
Buchanan0204 said:
So I'm looking to head to New York.

However. I have no clue where to start. Tried looking online and what have you but it's all very vague on the details.

I'd like to be central and stay in a modern hotel (thinking Home Alone 2 here)

I'd also like to visit the main attractions and generally have a nice time.

Can anyone recommend a good place to book? Also how much am I looking at for a week... two adults, including spending money (no gifts or designer clothes will be bought)
Click to expand...

This is the hotel me and my GF stayed, right next to everything really.

http://www.parkcentralny.com/
 
in NY you can literally spend as much or as little as you want. I'd just keep in that in mind as you can easily spend a bloody fortune there!
 
It'll generally cost quite a bit, so not a bad idea to go around feb or march time. I've always found staying just south of the park to be a pretty good area - most things nearby and it's easy to get to and from.

Food's not cheap, but if you scout out where you want to eat before you go (have a few restaurants in mind as you know their prices already) and don't just jump into the nearerst restaurant if you're hungry, then you should save a bit.

Also, if you get really hard up on cash, I know a diry little bar on 9th or 10th where you get a free hotdog with every beer you buy. I ran out of money for two days in NYC and still wouldn't eat their food!
 
I've stayed in the Helmsley Park Lane which is right over the road from the ice rink in Central Park. Fantastic hotel, great location and lots of good places to eat and drink at nearby. Not cheap but not massively expensive either :-

http://www.helmsleyparklane.com/default.aspx?pg=home

We were there in late November and it snowed heavily for the first time since we arrived on our third day. Waking up to it was amazing. There's something truly magical about being in New York and Central Park at this time of the year when the snow arrives. :cool:

Previous visit to that stay was the Wellington Hotel on 7th Avenue at 55th, just round the corner from the Helmsley Park Lane :-

http://www.wellingtonhotel.com/

It was the hotel that was featured in the Borat movie when he thinks the lift he is shown to is his room and starts unpacking in it. Not a bad hotel but at the time we stayed a few years ago there were two parts to it, the part that had been modernised and upgraded and the "old" part. I dare say it would be fully upgraded by now but we were unfortunate enough to be allocated a room in the "old" part and it was cold, not particularly pleasant looking and slightly grubby and unclean. The staff were pleasant enough and because we were only there for 4 days for a friends wedding, we initially complained but were not too concerned about the hotel falling below our expectations.

When are you planning the trip for?. NYC in the winter time and snow is absolutely awesome but wrap up well and take warm clothes, hat, scarf and gloves with you. A good, warm waterproof and breathable pair of boots would be an idea too since you will do a lot of walking around and those city blocks take longer than you think to cover ground on. Take taxis everywhere and you will miss out so do as much walking as you can. :)
 
Roughly how much are you looking to spend on your hotel for the week? There are various solutions dependant on budget.
 
Draeger said:
I've stayed in the Helmsley Park Lane which is right over the road from the ice rink in Central Park. Fantastic hotel, great location and lots of good places to eat and drink at nearby. Not cheap but not massively expensive either :-

http://www.helmsleyparklane.com/default.aspx?pg=home

We were there in late November and it snowed heavily for the first time since we arrived on our third day. Waking up to it was amazing. There's something truly magical about being in New York and Central Park at this time of the year when the snow arrives. :cool:

Previous visit to that stay was the Wellington Hotel on 7th Avenue at 55th, just round the corner from the Helmsley Park Lane :-

http://www.wellingtonhotel.com/

It was the hotel that was featured in the Borat movie when he thinks the lift he is shown to is his room and starts unpacking in it. Not a bad hotel but at the time we stayed a few years ago there were two parts to it, the part that had been modernised and upgraded and the "old" part. I dare say it would be fully upgraded by now but we were unfortunate enough to be allocated a room in the "old" part and it was cold, not particularly pleasant looking and slightly grubby and unclean. The staff were pleasant enough and because we were only there for 4 days for a friends wedding, we initially complained but were not too concerned about the hotel falling below our expectations.

When are you planning the trip for?. NYC in the winter time and snow is absolutely awesome but wrap up well and take warm clothes, hat, scarf and gloves with you. A good, warm waterproof and breathable pair of boots would be an idea too since you will do a lot of walking around and those city blocks take longer than you think to cover ground on. Take taxis everywhere and you will miss out so do as much walking as you can. :)
Click to expand...

That's exactly the time I would like to go. Winter... specifically Xmas time. Fancy doing a home alone and walking the streets of New York and standing in Central Park.

The prices on that first hotel are astranomical. No wonder Borat thought the lift was his room! I'd be doing (*spits in hand* "call it 85") if I was him too haha.

I'm all for the walking. Not sure the demanding one would approve however :( Walking isn't her forte!
 
My girlfriend and I went to New York in 2009 for 5 days. Great City, loved it. We stayed here:

http://www.grandnewyork.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null

...Which was just outside Grand Central station. Don't worry about dining at the hotel, use the huge amount of deli's on every block for a great breakfast every morning.

If you want something which is more cost effective, stay at New Jersey and catch a bus in to the attractions.

You can cover the City in five days but you'll be busy every day. Are you interested in sports? Madison Square Garden is the home of the The Rangers (Ice hockey) and the Knicks (Basketball). There is also Baseball within decent travelling distance.
 
Don't discount further hotels.

The subway system is very cheap for a weeks pass.
 
TomWilko said:
My girlfriend and I went to New York in 2009 for 5 days. Great City, loved it. We stayed here:

http://www.grandnewyork.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null

...Which was just outside Grand Central station. Don't worry about dining at the hotel, use the huge amount of deli's on every block for a great breakfast every morning.

If you want something which is more cost effective, stay at New Jersey and catch a bus in to the attractions.

You can cover the City in five days but you'll be busy every day. Are you interested in sports? Madison Square Garden is the home of the The Rangers (Ice hockey) and the Knicks (Basketball). There is also Baseball within decent travelling distance.
Click to expand...

Would love to see all those, not so much the ice hockey, but the other two would be great, "Grab a dog at the ballgame" haha! Just me... owel :p

I'm a fan of "Man Vs Food" so looking forward to trying those diners with massssiveee portions :D

Cheers for the tips.
 
While I think a week is too long in NY, if you want to stay Central but not go mad you could do the lot ( flights/hotel/spends ) for about £3000 for the 2 of you, £4500+ if you want to live it up
 
Rotty said:
While I think a week is too long in NY, if you want to stay Central but not go mad you could do the lot ( flights/hotel/spends ) for about £3000 for the 2 of you, £4500+ if you want to live it up
Click to expand...

I disagree. We just got back from a week in NY between the 3rd and 10th december. We basically spent all day every day on the go and still didn't see everything we wanted to. But, I guess this depends whether you've been before or not and if you're a bit of an explorer, I think we could've easily done 10 days. Although I think Rotty is pretty much bang on for ballpark costs.

We stayed in the Staybridge Suites Times Square and I would thoroughly recommend it. Its not actually on Times Square, but just about 5 minutes walk away towards hells kitchen, which makes it ideally placed. We booked the flight and hotel through Thomas Cook and flew Swiss Air, which worked out at £845PP, with 4 people sharing a double double room. In your situation, I'd expect to pay around £12-1400PP.

To get around you can buy a 7 day subway pass for $29, which will get you anywhere you want to go fast and with no issues (little walking too). You dont need to buy in advance, you can buy them at any ticket machine. Taxis arent particularly expensive, but can be difficult to get hold of during busy periods, which can be frustrating. If you get a taxi to or from JFK, make sure you ask for the fixed rate or they'll nail you with the meter. Should be around $45 IIRC ($60ish including toll and tip).

I hadn't been in 10 years and my girlfriend (now fiance, after NY ;)) had never been, so we did pretty much all the major attractions and way more, which I wont list to save my fingers, but can draw up a list if you like. I think I ended up spending around £6-700 in spends including clothes and gifts.

One thing though, if you do like Man v Food, then you MUST go to Dallas BBQ. I would fly back just to have another of their BBQ Burgers.

You'll love it :)
 
Last edited:
Rotty said:
While I think a week is too long in NY, if you want to stay Central but not go mad you could do the lot ( flights/hotel/spends ) for about £3000 for the 2 of you, £4500+ if you want to live it up
Click to expand...

That sounds excellent! All the flights I looked at were nearly this price and same again for hotel.

I remember my sister went a few times years ago... she's skint and she managed it :p

Don't speak to her as she's flippin mental! So no chance on asking for tips or advice.
 
Burned_Alive said:
I disagree. We just got back from a week in NY between the 3rd and 10th december. We basically spent all day every day on the go and still didn't see everything we wanted to. But, I guess this depends whether you've been before or not and if you're a bit of an explorer, I think we could've easily done 10 days. Although I think Rotty is pretty much bang on for ballpark costs.

We stayed in the Staybridge Suites Times Square and I would thoroughly recommend it. Its not actually on Times Square, but just about 5 minutes walk away towards hells kitchen, which makes it ideally placed. We booked the flight and hotel through Thomas Cook and flew Swiss Air, which worked out at £845PP, with 4 people sharing a double double room. In your situation, I'd expect to pay around £12-1400PP.

To get around you can buy a 7 day subway pass for $29, which will get you anywhere you want to go fast and with no issues (little walking too). You dont need to buy in advance, you can buy them at any ticket machine. Taxis arent particularly expensive, but can be difficult to get hold of during busy periods, which can be frustrating. If you get a taxi to or from JFK, make sure you ask for the fixed rate or they'll nail you with the meter. Should be around $45 IIRC ($60ish including toll and tip).

I hadn't been in 10 years and my girlfriend (now fiance, after NY ;)) had never been, so we did pretty much all the major attractions and way more, which I wont list to save my fingers, but can draw up a list if you like. I think I ended up spending around £6-700 in spends including clothes and gifts.

One thing though, if you do like Man v Food, then you MUST go to Dallas BBQ. I would fly back just to have another of their BBQ Burgers.

You'll love it :)
Click to expand...

Sounds amazing!! Looking forward to this BBQ burger :D!!

Subway pass sounds perfect. Gives you a chance to explore quickly as you say.

Will look into where you stayed and check prices. I don't mind being a little out from the hustle and bustle... 5 mins is nothing if I can save a fortune!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom