Mother & daughter hotels in New York in April
March 10, 2015 12:34 PM Subscribe
Shhhh! We are trying to figure out whether a surprise mother-and-daughter trip to sightsee in New York is possible in the third week of April. What nice but budget-conscious (i.e., not luxury) hotels can you recommend in Manhattan?
The short version is: where would you send your niece and sister from out-of-town? We don't want a hostel nor to use AirBnB -- definitely a hotel. A B&B might work. Parking for the car during their stay is important. They are willing to walk (or, I guess, to ride the subway) to get around. Mother has been there before, but not in some time.
Yes, I saw this recent question, but we really don't want to do AirBnB.
Thank you for any positive recommendartions!
The short version is: where would you send your niece and sister from out-of-town? We don't want a hostel nor to use AirBnB -- definitely a hotel. A B&B might work. Parking for the car during their stay is important. They are willing to walk (or, I guess, to ride the subway) to get around. Mother has been there before, but not in some time.
Yes, I saw this recent question, but we really don't want to do AirBnB.
Thank you for any positive recommendartions!
Parking the car is a very big obstacle to affordability if you're aiming for Manhattan.
posted by spitbull at 12:44 PM on March 10, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 12:44 PM on March 10, 2015 [6 favorites]
Paying to park a car for several days in Manhattan is going to cost $$$ that's surely better spent on their room; would it be possible for them to take the train into town instead?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:44 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:44 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nthing the suggestion to leave the car. There's absolutely no reason to have a car in Manhattan, and parking can and likely will be at least $40 a day.
posted by holborne at 12:56 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by holborne at 12:56 PM on March 10, 2015
If you leave out the car, I can recommend Hotel 17 as a good budget-saving option. The bathrooms are shared amongst the floor, but it was clean, quiet, and close to the subway for site-seeing in Manhattan.
posted by jillithd at 1:01 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by jillithd at 1:01 PM on March 10, 2015
(Speaking as a daughter who stayed with her mother there! We got two twin beds in the room which worked out great.)
posted by jillithd at 1:02 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by jillithd at 1:02 PM on March 10, 2015
Yeah, parking is probably the biggest obstacle here. Would they be coming into the city from the North? What's worked really well for me a couple of times is to park at Union Station (Looks like current rates are $18/day) in New Haven CT and take Metro Rail into the city. It was about 7 1/2 years ago now so who knows what might have changed, but for what it's worth I had a decent stay at Union Square Inn. I shared a room with a friend... it was pretty small and a no-frills kind of place (how many frills do you really need when you're hopefully out sightseeing all day?) but it was clean and tidy.
posted by usonian at 1:06 PM on March 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by usonian at 1:06 PM on March 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
Don't stay in Jersey City! It makes a short trip much more of a pain in the butt. You can't pop home for a quick rest, or a shower before dinner-and-a-show etc. Really.
Is this for a whole week or a long weekend?
Can you park the car at one of the lots near a commuter rail station, and take the train in? That would allow almost anywhere in Manhattan to work rather well.
posted by barnone at 1:15 PM on March 10, 2015
Is this for a whole week or a long weekend?
Can you park the car at one of the lots near a commuter rail station, and take the train in? That would allow almost anywhere in Manhattan to work rather well.
posted by barnone at 1:15 PM on March 10, 2015
Response by poster: Yes, coming from Rhode Island.
A friend suggested pretty much anything around Times Square or Grand Central Station as being nice & safe enough.
It would be for two or three nights.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:19 PM on March 10, 2015
A friend suggested pretty much anything around Times Square or Grand Central Station as being nice & safe enough.
It would be for two or three nights.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:19 PM on March 10, 2015
My wife and daughter recently stayed in one of the Pod Hotels (I forget which one! but they're pretty similar and not far apart).
It wasn't too expensive, they liked it a lot and said it was fun. The rooms are small but hey, budget hotels in NYC. Anyway, you can even get bunk beds!
posted by GuyZero at 1:35 PM on March 10, 2015
It wasn't too expensive, they liked it a lot and said it was fun. The rooms are small but hey, budget hotels in NYC. Anyway, you can even get bunk beds!
posted by GuyZero at 1:35 PM on March 10, 2015
POD39 (of the POD chain GuyZero reccomended) is near grand central. Its fairly inexpensive, the rooms are nice. However they are TINY and have ZERO privacy. So tiny theres like 18" on one side of the bed between it and the "bathroom", and thats about it. You dont stay in your room other than to shower & sleep.
I stayed in the room with the full bed , which might be the smallest with an in room bathroom, but the bathroom walls are glass with a sliding door, and only frosted up to neck height. Clear glass above that, so no bathroom privacy really. If you are comfortable with that then its a nice place, although you'd probably want the bunk beds instead of a shared bed.
Some of their rooms have a shared bath down the hall instead of in room.
The location is great and i would stay there again, but i was there by myself.
Dont try to park in manhattan, its expensive and breaks your budget.
posted by TheAdamist at 1:52 PM on March 10, 2015
I stayed in the room with the full bed , which might be the smallest with an in room bathroom, but the bathroom walls are glass with a sliding door, and only frosted up to neck height. Clear glass above that, so no bathroom privacy really. If you are comfortable with that then its a nice place, although you'd probably want the bunk beds instead of a shared bed.
Some of their rooms have a shared bath down the hall instead of in room.
The location is great and i would stay there again, but i was there by myself.
Dont try to park in manhattan, its expensive and breaks your budget.
posted by TheAdamist at 1:52 PM on March 10, 2015
There's a branch of Champion Parking near the Hotel Beacon.
posted by brujita at 2:35 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by brujita at 2:35 PM on March 10, 2015
X2 on staying in Jersey City and taking PATH into the city. We've done this with our two kids the last few years when visiting East Coast family, and it's been great and a relative bargain. We've stayed at Candlewood Suites on at least three occasions, and will stay there again this summer. Each suite is like a small apartment with full kitchenette, a bedroom w/a door, and a sofa bed in the family/TV room. Convenient, affordable, clean, and free wifi, too.
posted by mosk at 2:52 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by mosk at 2:52 PM on March 10, 2015
Look into the hotels in Long Island City. We like the Country Inn & Suites.
posted by misseva at 2:54 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by misseva at 2:54 PM on March 10, 2015
Seconding the person who said "park at New Haven and take Metro North into the city," simply because that'll be cheaper than "park at the train station in Rhode Island and take Amtrak into the city." But nthing everyone else who says not to drive into Manhattan, because parking in the city will probably cost you more than two round-trip train tickets. Metro North is about $20 per person each way at rush hour, $15 per person each way off-peak.
The few hotels that do offer free parking in Manhattan also tend to be the ones that are over $300/night; the last time we brought a car into a Manhattan hotel and parked (a couple of years ago), it was $50/night and our hotel was $200/night. When you say budget-friendly, what price point are you hoping to stick to?
posted by Pandora Kouti at 3:10 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
The few hotels that do offer free parking in Manhattan also tend to be the ones that are over $300/night; the last time we brought a car into a Manhattan hotel and parked (a couple of years ago), it was $50/night and our hotel was $200/night. When you say budget-friendly, what price point are you hoping to stick to?
posted by Pandora Kouti at 3:10 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
Must the hotel be in Manhattan? When my family comes to visit, they stay at a hotel in Brooklyn.
posted by ocherdraco at 4:11 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ocherdraco at 4:11 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
You're coming from Rhode Island? Take the non-Acela (slightly slower but MUCH less expensive) Amtrak train into Penn Station. You can watch the scenery, get a snack, go to the bathroom, use the slow free wifi or just chat.
If those tickets look too expensive, then take MegaBus or BoltBus. They have wifi and the seats are fine for such a short trip.
There's no need to screw around with traffic and finding the commuter parking lot and getting another train etc. if you're just coming from Rhode Island. We drive to NYC all the time and I'm not opposed to it, but this does not seem like the right solution for you at all.
Stay at any midrange hotel in Manhattan. You don't need a kitchenette and a PATH commute to go to NYC for a long weekend for a special trip! Get a smaller room in a decent location and have a blast.
What's your hotel budget? That will help narrow down the options.
posted by barnone at 4:23 PM on March 10, 2015 [3 favorites]
If those tickets look too expensive, then take MegaBus or BoltBus. They have wifi and the seats are fine for such a short trip.
There's no need to screw around with traffic and finding the commuter parking lot and getting another train etc. if you're just coming from Rhode Island. We drive to NYC all the time and I'm not opposed to it, but this does not seem like the right solution for you at all.
Stay at any midrange hotel in Manhattan. You don't need a kitchenette and a PATH commute to go to NYC for a long weekend for a special trip! Get a smaller room in a decent location and have a blast.
What's your hotel budget? That will help narrow down the options.
posted by barnone at 4:23 PM on March 10, 2015 [3 favorites]
My favorite reasonably priced hotel for colleagues visiting for work (so usually on someone else's dime) is the Lucerne, at 79th and Amsterdam. By reasonable I mean ca. $300 a night. It's not in the center of things, so it's quiet and more personal. Rooms are small and not particularly luxurious, but that's why they are $300. It's one very short block from the 79th and Broadway 1 train, or a couple of longer blocks to Central Park West and a lot of museums (especially AMNH). I put people in it who have a reason to come up to the upper west side, which may not be your thing unless you want to see Harlem or St. John the Divine or Columbia or go up to the Cloisters even.
It's in a totally safe neighborhood, the staff are very competent and friendly, there's a ton of good restaurants right around there that are moderately priced (and some pricer ones too). You can grab snacks at Zabar's a block away. Two short blocks to Riverside Park and a nice way to see the Hudson. Easy walk down to Lincoln Center, too.
I personally would avoid Times Square unless that's what you want to see in New York.
posted by spitbull at 5:57 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's in a totally safe neighborhood, the staff are very competent and friendly, there's a ton of good restaurants right around there that are moderately priced (and some pricer ones too). You can grab snacks at Zabar's a block away. Two short blocks to Riverside Park and a nice way to see the Hudson. Easy walk down to Lincoln Center, too.
I personally would avoid Times Square unless that's what you want to see in New York.
posted by spitbull at 5:57 PM on March 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
My mom and I stayed at the Ace Hotel for a long weekend in April - with no car. I was comfy and quirky and centrally located. I booked us a bunkbed room but they moved us into a larger room for the same price.
posted by bendy at 6:21 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by bendy at 6:21 PM on March 10, 2015
Ditch the car and stay at Yotel. It's cute and safe and clean and cheap. It's the Ikea of hotels in midtown :)
posted by Susan PG at 9:27 PM on March 10, 2015
posted by Susan PG at 9:27 PM on March 10, 2015
I haven't stayed there for a few years, but recommend the Hotel Belle Claire on the Upper West Side. Convenient location on West 77th, reasonably comfortable rooms and very affordable. They have a range of flexible and good room configurations that would suit a mother/daughter or group of friends traveling together. Though.. the prices look expensive in April (I paid more like $150, I think), but you might find a deal if you shop around.
It doesn't have its own parking, but does have a parking garage across the street with validated parking or valet parking from the hotel for $48/24 hours.
posted by AnnaRat at 12:53 AM on March 11, 2015
It doesn't have its own parking, but does have a parking garage across the street with validated parking or valet parking from the hotel for $48/24 hours.
posted by AnnaRat at 12:53 AM on March 11, 2015
I go to New York for the weekend about once a year and I usually just look on a travel discount site like Travelzoo and pick any well-located, brand name hotel that is having a special. I've wound up at the Belvedere, the Lexington, a Courtyard by Marriott, and a Holiday Inn and they were all fine.
posted by interplanetjanet at 8:21 AM on March 11, 2015
posted by interplanetjanet at 8:21 AM on March 11, 2015
Most of NYC is safe so (with the same caveats that one would use for any big city about being aware of one's surroundings, etc.) so I wouldn't restrict them to Times Sq.--which is Loud and always crowded so a hassle to walk through and the nearby dining options are generally subpar.
FWIW, my sister, who is 20 years older than I am, so more like a mom than a sister, lives in Tiverton, RI and takes a bus (Peter Pan or Greyhound) to meet me in NYC and has never complained. I prefer Amtrak, but if they're trying to keep costs down, the bus is an option if they're not absolutely married to the idea of driving there and back.
Again, my sister prefers more traditional hotels with double beds and en suite bathrooms. Depending upon whether the mom in this duo had the same preferences, that would negate some of the otherwise fine suggestions that you've been given, such as Yotel (which also has frosted glass bathrooms and bunk beds), Hotel 17, and Pod. We've gotten deals at Park South, which is a lovely boutique hotel in the Flatiron district. They frequently have deals if you book directly on their website (we've gotten great deals - about $200/night for a room with 2 double beds and a bathroom, but I checked their site and I think you'd be looking closer to $300--including taxes and fees-- for a similar room). Otherwise, my sister has gotten us deals on similar rooms using various discount sites (Priceline, hotels.com, etc), just double check tripadvisor before booking.
I personally prefer to stay within Manhattan, because I like the choices we have for dinner or drinks before heading back to the hotel, but that's just my preference. When my sister goes with her friend (who insists on driving) they usually stay somewhere in NJ, whereabouts depending on where they find the best deal, so no specific recommendations. Apparently some of the hotels offer free shuttles to the nearest train station, so that's something that they might want to inquire about before booking if they go that route.
posted by kaybdc at 9:54 AM on March 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
FWIW, my sister, who is 20 years older than I am, so more like a mom than a sister, lives in Tiverton, RI and takes a bus (Peter Pan or Greyhound) to meet me in NYC and has never complained. I prefer Amtrak, but if they're trying to keep costs down, the bus is an option if they're not absolutely married to the idea of driving there and back.
Again, my sister prefers more traditional hotels with double beds and en suite bathrooms. Depending upon whether the mom in this duo had the same preferences, that would negate some of the otherwise fine suggestions that you've been given, such as Yotel (which also has frosted glass bathrooms and bunk beds), Hotel 17, and Pod. We've gotten deals at Park South, which is a lovely boutique hotel in the Flatiron district. They frequently have deals if you book directly on their website (we've gotten great deals - about $200/night for a room with 2 double beds and a bathroom, but I checked their site and I think you'd be looking closer to $300--including taxes and fees-- for a similar room). Otherwise, my sister has gotten us deals on similar rooms using various discount sites (Priceline, hotels.com, etc), just double check tripadvisor before booking.
I personally prefer to stay within Manhattan, because I like the choices we have for dinner or drinks before heading back to the hotel, but that's just my preference. When my sister goes with her friend (who insists on driving) they usually stay somewhere in NJ, whereabouts depending on where they find the best deal, so no specific recommendations. Apparently some of the hotels offer free shuttles to the nearest train station, so that's something that they might want to inquire about before booking if they go that route.
posted by kaybdc at 9:54 AM on March 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you don't take the car into Manhattan, then I'd recommend the American Dream B&B. A friend and I stayed there in September and found the place is pretty good, considering the price. We've booked rooms there again for this coming September (Labor Day weekend) at roughly $100/night, so $508 each for five nights in Manhattan. American Dream is on 23rd and 3rd, roughly, near Madison Square Park, where Shake Shack has a location, and the Flatiron Building. There's a subway stop there.
Bonus to staying at AD: the Taproom is right around the corner and has a wall of craft beer on tap. Also, there are a number of good thrift stores in the immediate area where my friend and I bought some nice clothes and shoes for about $5 a piece.
The downside: AD's rooms start on the second floor of the building and it's a walk-up. We had rooms on the third or fourth floor.
That said, the rooms are nice: you get a sink and a mirror in the room. The first time we stayed there, we double-bunked it and the bunk beds were good sturdy large twin-size beds. The door to the room locked and we weren't sharing the room with anyone else. The bathroom and shower room (separate rooms, but each were intended for single occupancy) were two or three doors down the hall and were very clean and private.
For this year, we've 'splurged' and are getting individual private rooms so that neither of us has to take the top bunk.
AD lays out a really good breakfast spread with fruits, eggs, waffles, bagels, and all the fixin's. Beware, though: if there are German teenagers in the place, get to breakfast early!
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 11:14 AM on March 11, 2015
Bonus to staying at AD: the Taproom is right around the corner and has a wall of craft beer on tap. Also, there are a number of good thrift stores in the immediate area where my friend and I bought some nice clothes and shoes for about $5 a piece.
The downside: AD's rooms start on the second floor of the building and it's a walk-up. We had rooms on the third or fourth floor.
That said, the rooms are nice: you get a sink and a mirror in the room. The first time we stayed there, we double-bunked it and the bunk beds were good sturdy large twin-size beds. The door to the room locked and we weren't sharing the room with anyone else. The bathroom and shower room (separate rooms, but each were intended for single occupancy) were two or three doors down the hall and were very clean and private.
For this year, we've 'splurged' and are getting individual private rooms so that neither of us has to take the top bunk.
AD lays out a really good breakfast spread with fruits, eggs, waffles, bagels, and all the fixin's. Beware, though: if there are German teenagers in the place, get to breakfast early!
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 11:14 AM on March 11, 2015
Response by poster: Thank you, everyone! Lots for us to work with here. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:23 AM on March 23, 2015
posted by wenestvedt at 6:23 AM on March 23, 2015
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