We’ve stayed in New York Metropolis many instances now, throughout 5 Manhattan neighbourhoods plus an house in Brooklyn. Our stays have ranged from a points-burn Instances Sq. resort on my first ever go to (again earlier than Jess and I began travelling collectively), as much as a Fifth Avenue five-star reverse Central Park. We’ve carried out budget-end, mid-range chain, four-star historic, five-star treat-yourself, and house rental, and we’ve carried out them in numerous elements of the town in numerous seasons. So once we sat down to write down this information, we needed to place collectively the article we want we’d had on our first go to, and on our fifth.
The factor about New York is that selecting a neighbourhood issues greater than selecting a resort. Get the neighbourhood proper and many of the resorts in the correct tier will work high-quality. Get it flawed and even the perfect resort appears like a slog. The explanation this text is structured by neighbourhood somewhat than by resort is that that is how the choice ought to go: which space first, which property second.
Jess has a factor for historic resorts, particularly the high-end ones. That’s how we ended up at each the Warwick (constructed by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing magnate behind Hearst Fort) and at The Sherry Netherland on Fifth Avenue. We don’t keep on the five-star tier on each NYC journey, however often we’ll deal with ourselves for an evening or two, and the Sherry has been our choose when we’ve got. The Warwick will get us into the identical period for a fraction of the value.
A observe on disclosure: none of our NYC stays have been press journeys. All the things under is paid stays or factors stays, and we’ll flag which is which the place it issues. We’ve additionally linked to resorts by means of our Reserving.com affiliate, which doesn’t change your value however does assist help the location. Our regular rule applies: if we wouldn’t ebook it ourselves, we don’t hyperlink it.
NYC at a Look: The place to Keep Determination Shortcut
Should you’d somewhat skip the neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood walkthrough and choose one thing shortly, this desk is the quick model. Every row maps a visit sort to a neighbourhood and our choose inside it.
The remainder of the article unpacks every row.
Midtown Manhattan: The Default First-Timer Choose
If that is your first NYC journey, or if you wish to hold strolling distances quick and tick off the famous-name sights effectively, Midtown is the place to base your self. It’s central, the subway strains all converge right here, and you’ll stroll to the Empire State Constructing, Instances Sq., Rockefeller Centre, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, and Grand Central Terminal while not having transit. We’ve lined the principle Midtown sights in our 2 day New York itinerary and our 3 day New York itinerary for those who’re planning a visit round them.
Execs and cons of staying in Midtown
The professionals are apparent: it’s central, walkable to the headline sights, and the subway covers the remainder. There’s loads of meals at each value level and the realm is busy day and evening, which implies it feels secure strolling again to your resort after a Broadway present.
The cons are price flagging upfront. Midtown is loud, crowded, and tourist-heavy. The streets instantly round Instances Sq. particularly are a slow-moving sea of individuals and digital billboards, and the meals on these blocks tends in the direction of overpriced chain eating places somewhat than wherever you’d really wish to eat. The repair is straightforward: keep just a few blocks east or west of Instances Sq. itself, the place the crowds skinny out and the costs come again to earth.
The place to remain in Midtown
For our high choose, we’d level you on the Warwick New York, a historic four-star resort constructed by William Randolph Hearst within the Twenties. It sits on 54th Avenue and Sixth Avenue, which is much sufficient north of Instances Sq. that it’s quiet, however nonetheless contained in the Midtown strolling radius. We’ve stayed right here greater than as soon as and it’s one in every of my favorite resorts within the metropolis. Spacious rooms (which is an enormous deal in Manhattan, the place customary rooms can really feel like cabins), useful workers, a correct old-school foyer, and costs which can be very reasonable for what you’re getting. It’s not a five-star and doesn’t attempt to be, but it surely’s the sort of mid-range historic resort Jess and I each like, and we’d fortunately return.
For one thing extra modern at an identical value level, the Radisson Resort New York Midtown sits 200 yards from Rockefeller Centre and is a strong four-star at honest costs. It’s a series so you recognize what you’re getting, but it surely’s well-located.
For finances travellers who nonetheless desire a Manhattan handle, Resort 31 is a well-located two-star resort 650 yards from the Empire State Constructing. Some rooms have shared loos at decrease charges, which is a good commerce for those who’re spending most of your time outdoors the room. Don’t anticipate frills.
Decrease Manhattan: Walkable Hub for Downtown Sights
Decrease Manhattan is the realm south of Canal Avenue, and it has two distinct sub-neighbourhoods we’ve stayed in. They really feel completely different and serve completely different sorts of journey, so we’ll cowl them individually.
FiDi and Wall Avenue: quiet downtown with the financial-district really feel
The Monetary District sits on the southern tip of Manhattan and is walkable to many of the headline downtown sights: the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Statue of Liberty ferry from Battery Park, the Brooklyn Bridge stroll, and Wall Avenue itself. The world additionally has the Oculus, which is price a couple of minutes even for those who’re not catching a practice.
The professionals are walkability to downtown sights and surprisingly honest costs given how central it’s. The cons are the realm’s character: FiDi is constructed round finance, which implies it goes quiet on weekends and after 6pm. In order for you a buzzy night scene proper outdoors your resort, this isn’t it. In order for you to have the ability to stroll to the ferry terminal within the morning and have a quiet road to return again to at evening, it’s precisely proper.
Our choose right here is Gild Corridor, A Thompson Resort. It’s a four-star resort on Gold Avenue, strolling distance to Wall Avenue and the Statue Cruises ferry. We loved our keep right here. The rooms are comfy, there’s an on-site restaurant, and the placement is an actual power for a downtown-heavy itinerary. It’s the sort of resort the place the placement is the headline profit, and the room delivers precisely what you’d anticipate from a Thompson property.
Funds choices are skinny in FiDi. Should you’re on a decent finances however wish to be downtown, the higher play is to have a look at Greenwich Village (lined under) or commute in from Brooklyn.
Decrease East Facet and Chinatown: meals, nightlife, downtown grit
A number of blocks east, the character adjustments utterly. The Decrease East Facet and Chinatown sit proper subsequent to one another, and collectively they make up one of the vital food-led, vigorous, and characterful corners of Manhattan. Chinatown’s slim streets are dense with dim sum, hand-pulled noodles, and bakeries; the LES has the bars, eating places, and music venues that the Monetary District doesn’t. The Manhattan Bridge entrance is a brief stroll away if you wish to stroll over to Brooklyn, and the F, J, M, and Z trains all cease within the space.
The professionals: an actual meals scene, nightlife, and a way of being in a working neighbourhood somewhat than a vacationer district. The cons: the walks to the headline downtown sights are a contact longer than from FiDi, and the streets can really feel busy late at evening (extra vigorous than unsafe, however if you’d like quiet this isn’t it).
Our choose is the Fairfield Inn & Suites Manhattan/Downtown East at 95 Henry Avenue. It’s not an thrilling resort and we received’t faux in any other case, but it surely was reliably good. The rooms are clear and well-equipped, the included breakfast is an actual money-saver in NYC the place breakfast pricing in eating places is steep, and the placement places you a brief stroll from Chinatown’s meals, the LES nightlife, and the Brooklyn Bridge. That is the journey we did once we needed a no-stress mid-range chain keep in a neighbourhood we’d really wish to stroll round in, and it delivered.
It’s additionally price flagging that this a part of Manhattan is a structural blind spot for many NYC lodging guides, together with ours till now. We’ve lined Midtown and FiDi extensively in our current itinerary articles, however the LES and Chinatown aspect of downtown deserves extra consideration than it often will get.
Greenwich Village and Chelsea: Cool Neighbourhood, Nice Meals
Should you’ve been to NYC earlier than and also you’re on the lookout for someplace with extra character than Midtown, Greenwich Village and Chelsea are the plain solutions. The streets are tree-lined, the structure is generally low-rise brownstones somewhat than skyscrapers, the Excessive Line runs alongside the western edge, and the meals and bar scene is nice somewhat than tourist-priced. It’s additionally a brief stroll to Washington Sq. Park, the West Village, and Chelsea Market.
The professionals: character, walkability, meals. The cons: resort choice is thinner right here than in Midtown (the realm is generally residential), and what resorts exist are typically both boutique-quirky or apartment-style. That is additionally a neighbourhood the place an house rental may make extra sense than a resort, particularly for longer stays.
Our choose on the finances finish is The Jane Resort, a unusual two-star resort in Greenwich Village with rooms styled like ship’s cabins (it was initially a sailors’ resort) and views over the Hudson River. The cabin rooms have shared loos which is the trade-off, however the charges are superb for Manhattan and the constructing has actual character. Value realizing about for those who’ve been to NYC earlier than and need someplace completely different.
For mid-range and high-end choices right here, we’d counsel taking a look at house leases through Vrbo or Plum Information somewhat than resorts. The character of the neighbourhood lends itself to staying in a brownstone or a transformed loft, and the stock on the apartment-rental tier right here is robust. Extra on that within the residences part under.
Fifth Avenue and Central Park: Particular Event / Luxurious
Should you’re in NYC for an important day, an anniversary, or a treat-yourself journey and finances isn’t the constraint, the realm alongside Fifth Avenue reverse Central Park is the place the grand-dame resorts are. That is the New York of the postcards and the movies: Central Park views, the Plaza, Tiffany & Co flagship, the Apple dice, Saks Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower, and the lengthy stroll south down Fifth Avenue from the museum finish to the buying finish.
The professionals: the placement is iconic, the rooms (in the correct resorts) are big by Manhattan requirements, and the stroll into Central Park very first thing within the morning is an actual second. The cons: costs are significantly excessive, mid-range choices are skinny (it’s principally five-stars and ultra-luxury), and the realm itself goes quiet within the night as soon as the patrons depart (which could be a characteristic or a bug relying on what you need).
Jess has all the time had a factor for historic resorts, and in the event that they occur to be high-end luxurious too, even higher. The Sherry Netherland suits each. The Sherry Netherland is a Fifth Avenue grande dame reverse Central Park, the sort of resort the place you possibly can really feel the constructing’s age within the foyer’s marble and the brass elevator fittings. Pretty rooms, useful workers, and a improbable location: you possibly can stroll straight throughout the highway into Central Park, and also you’re a couple of minutes’ stroll from Bergdorf Goodman, the Plaza, and the Fifth Avenue museum stretch.
We don’t keep at this tier on each NYC journey. 5-star Fifth Avenue just isn’t the place most of our nights have been spent. However often we’ll deal with ourselves for an evening or two, and the Sherry has been our choose when we’ve got.
Should you just like the historic-hotel really feel however the five-star value isn’t going to work, the Warwick (lined within the Midtown part above) is a four-star different. Additionally historic, additionally Hearst-built, at roughly half the value.
Brooklyn: For Your Return Go to (or Your First, If You’re Courageous)
Brooklyn is the place the good return-visitor tends to go, and it’s the place we’ve spent extra nights than wherever else within the metropolis. We stayed in an house proper in DUMBO, close to the spot the place each photograph of the Manhattan Bridge framed between two buildings is taken (the nook of Washington and Water Streets, if you wish to discover it your self). It’s a couple of minutes’ stroll to the Brooklyn Bridge, the East River stroll, and the F practice into Manhattan, and the realm has extra good eating places per sq. block than most of Midtown.
The professionals: more room to your cash than Manhattan (residences particularly), higher meals, an actual neighbourhood really feel, and the views again throughout the river are the views you’ve really come to NYC to see. The cons: you’re throughout the river, so think about 20-Half-hour every manner on the subway to get to most Manhattan sights. This provides up over a brief journey.
The Brooklyn house sample
We stayed in an house in DUMBO throughout a number of visits. We’re not going to level you at a selected itemizing as a result of house listings rotate quick on any platform, and a suggestion that’s strong this week is gone subsequent 12 months. The best transfer is to suggest the platform somewhat than the property.
The 2 we’d counsel are Vrbo and Plum Information. Vrbo (owned by Expedia Group) is the broad-inventory possibility with 1000’s of NYC residences listed, and is what we’d use if Airbnb have been nonetheless our default (it isn’t, for numerous causes we received’t get into right here). Plum Information is the curated possibility: they hand-check their listings and the stock is smaller consequently, however the high quality is extra constant. We’ve lined the apartment-rental panorama extra broadly in our alternate options to Airbnb information if you’d like extra choices.
For longer stays (something 4 nights or extra), an house often beats a resort on price per evening and provides you a kitchen (which issues extra in NYC than in most cities, given restaurant pricing).
Brooklyn resort picks
For travellers who need Brooklyn however desire a resort, listed below are 4 we’d think about, ranked roughly by tier:
1 Resort Brooklyn Bridge is the posh anchor in DUMBO. Reclaimed-wood interiors, a Bamford spa within the basement, a rooftop pool with views again throughout the river to Manhattan, and the placement is similar one we stayed in through house. In order for you the DUMBO space however don’t need an house, that is probably the most direct swap.
The William Vale in Williamsburg is the opposite luxurious possibility. Glossy fashionable design, floor-to-ceiling home windows, one in every of NYC’s largest out of doors resort swimming pools (open seasonally, Could to early September), and a rooftop bar with skyline views. The L practice at Bedford Avenue connects you to Manhattan in just a few stops.
The Tillary Resort is the mid-range choose, well-positioned on the foot of the Manhattan Bridge with easy accessibility to DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, and Downtown Brooklyn. A 174-room resort with a rooftop backyard bar, a foyer café, and rooms that fuse mid-century fashionable and art-deco influences. (Value realizing: it was branded as Dazzler Brooklyn, therefore the marginally old-feeling URL on Reserving.com.)
Moxy Brooklyn Williamsburg is the design-led mid-range possibility in Williamsburg. We’ve stayed at Moxy properties in different cities and located the model constant: small however well-thought-out rooms, a bar-led communal foyer, and costs which can be affordable by Manhattan requirements. Value a caveat although: the Moxy aesthetic could be very of its second, and we wouldn’t be shocked if the format feels dated in 5 or ten years. Value realizing for those who’re reserving it for an extended keep otherwise you desire a extra conventional resort really feel.
When Brooklyn isn’t the correct name
Skip Brooklyn in case your journey is brief (one or two nights) and Manhattan-heavy, you probably have early-morning flights from JFK or LaGuardia (the transit logistics get awkward), or for those who’re travelling with somebody who’d discover the additional subway time hectic. For a five-day journey with a mixture of Manhattan and food-led wandering, Brooklyn is the correct name. For a two-day blitz of the Manhattan headline sights, keep in Manhattan.
Higher West Facet and Uptown: Quiet, Park-Facet, Funds Pocket
The Higher West Facet runs alongside the western fringe of Central Park, north of Columbus Circle. It’s a residential, leafier a part of Manhattan with the American Museum of Pure Historical past on its jap edge and Central Park itself just a few blocks east of that. Our 3 day New York itinerary begins on this aspect of the park.
The professionals: quieter than Midtown, walkable to Central Park, good eating places, and finances choices exist right here that don’t exist additional south. The cons: you’re a subway experience from many of the headline downtown sights, and the realm itself is extra about lengthy walks and weekend brunches than headline tourism.
Our choose on the finances finish is HI NYC Hostel, a strong dorm-style possibility ten minutes’ stroll from Central Park. It’s a Hostelling Worldwide property so the requirements are dependable, and on the costs NYC prices for resorts, a hostel mattress is typically the one strategy to make an extended journey work financially.
Queens: Funds Throughout the River
Queens borders Manhattan to the east and is linked by a number of subway strains. You received’t come right here for the famous-name sights. But when finances is the constraint and also you don’t thoughts a brief subway experience, Queens is a strategy to make a NYC journey occur at a value level that Manhattan received’t permit.
The professionals: considerably cheaper than Manhattan, usually inside 10-Quarter-hour of Instances Sq. or Grand Central by subway, and the meals scene in Lengthy Island Metropolis and Astoria is robust. The cons: you’re commuting in day-after-day, the neighbourhood character is residential somewhat than tourist-friendly, and you must plan round subway logistics.
Our choose is The Native Hostel NYC, a finances hostel in Lengthy Island Metropolis with a kitchen, a rooftop terrace, and each personal rooms and dorms. Instances Sq. is eight minutes by subway. It’s good worth for what you’re getting, and the realm itself is okay.
Residence Leases in NYC
We’ve already touched on residences within the Brooklyn part, however the identical logic works in Manhattan too. For journeys of 4 nights or extra, or for teams of three or extra travellers, an house rental is commonly the higher financial name than a resort. You get more room, a kitchen (which saves you a fortune given NYC restaurant costs), and the choice of a multi-bedroom format that doesn’t exist in any affordable resort room.
Our two go-to platforms are:
Vrbo has the broadest stock, owned by Expedia Group, and lists residences throughout all 5 boroughs. You’ll discover every part from studio walk-ups to multi-bedroom Brooklyn brownstones. Filter by neighbourhood and value.
Plum Information is the curated possibility. They ship individuals to bodily verify listings earlier than approving them, which retains the stock small however the high quality excessive. Should you’ve been burned by deceptive itemizing photographs earlier than, Plum Information is ready as much as repair that downside.
We’ve written a extra normal information to alternate options to Airbnb masking the rental panorama extra broadly. And our journey assets web page collects the lodging instruments we use throughout all our journeys.
A few sensible factors on residences in NYC particularly:
- Brief stays (1-3 nights) often don’t pencil out. Many NYC residences have minimum-stay necessities of 3-4 nights, and for a one-night keep a resort is nearly all the time cheaper as soon as cleansing charges and platform charges are factored in.
- Examine the precise handle earlier than reserving. NYC has neighbourhoods which can be completely different in character from one block to the subsequent, and a list described as “Williamsburg” can generally be on the sting of a wholly completely different space. Drop the handle into Google Maps and see how far you really are from the subway.
- Verify the elevator scenario for those who’re packing heavy. NYC has loads of walk-up residences, particularly within the older buildings.
The place NOT to Keep in NYC
A information that solely tells you the place to remain is half a information. Listed here are the areas we’d actively steer you away from, and why.
Instances Sq. itself (particularly the resorts proper on Instances Sq.)
I stayed on the New York Marriott Marquis on my first ever NYC journey, again earlier than Jess and I began travelling collectively. It was a points-burn reserving (I had Marriott factors to make use of up), and as a vacationer anchor for a primary go to it was really high-quality. The rotating restaurant on high was a second, the in-the-thick-of-it Instances Sq. power is a one-time-experience sort of factor, and the lifts that open onto a thirty-seven-storey atrium are spectacular.
I wouldn’t pay full value for it now although. At Marriott Marquis nightly charges you’re paying a Instances Sq. premium for the placement, not the room. The room itself is a superbly affordable upper-mid-range enterprise resort that you would discover wherever. In order for you the Instances Sq. expertise, stroll there from the Warwick (5 minutes east) and stroll again to a quieter road to sleep. When you’ve got Marriott factors to burn otherwise you particularly need the Marquis for the constructing somewhat than the worth, it’s a high-quality choose. At full value it isn’t.
The identical logic applies to many of the resorts proper on Instances Sq.. You’re paying for the handle.
The Penn Station / Madison Sq. Backyard space
Penn Station is a significant transit hub however the streets round it are a mixture of theatre crowds, vacationer site visitors, and not-much-character business blocks. The resorts on this strip are principally priced for vacationers who wish to be close to the practice station somewhat than close to wherever good, and the realm can really feel uncomfortable late at evening. In case your journey entails Amtrak in or out of Penn, a resort just a few blocks east in Midtown is a greater play than one proper on the station.
Far outer-borough resorts listed as “in NYC”
Reserving.com (and different websites) will return resort outcomes an hour out from Manhattan whenever you search “New York Metropolis resorts”. These can seem like good offers on value, however think about the actual price: subway/cab fares each methods day-after-day, time misplaced to commuting, and the experience-cost of not having the ability to stroll again to your resort for a break in the midst of an extended day. If a resort is in deep Queens, far southern Brooklyn, or wherever on Staten Island, deal with it as a distinct class from “NYC lodging” and value accordingly.
Airport resorts for something apart from a pre-flight evening
A resort close to JFK, LaGuardia, or Newark is okay you probably have a 5am flight and wish to crash close to the terminal. It’s not a NYC resort for the needs of a NYC journey. The transit time between JFK and Manhattan is commonly over an hour every manner, and the fee per day in misplaced time and transit fares makes the value benefit disappear shortly.
Steadily Requested Questions
What’s the perfect NYC neighbourhood for a first-time customer?
Midtown, nearly with out exception. It’s central, walkable to the headline sights, the subway strains all converge right here, and you’ll ease into the town from a base that’s simple to search out your manner round. Keep just a few blocks east or west of Instances Sq. itself somewhat than proper on it, and the expertise is significantly better. Our choose is the Warwick New York.
Is Brooklyn a great place to remain for a first-time customer?
It may be, but it surely’s not the plain selection. In case your first NYC journey is brief (two or three days) and headline-sight centered, the time you’d spend on the subway every day provides up shortly. Save Brooklyn for a return go to, or for an extended first journey the place you possibly can afford a day within the borough itself.
How a lot ought to I finances for a resort in NYC?
Manhattan mid-range resorts run roughly two to a few instances what equal resorts price in most different US cities. Funds hostels begin meaningfully cheaper, and luxurious resorts go meaningfully increased. NYC pricing can also be seasonally and event-driven (a Knicks residence sport or a New York Trend Week evening will bump charges). The cleanest play is to set your most nightly charge up entrance, search round it, and settle for that the placement will slim as the speed will get tighter. We’ve been deliberate about not quoting particular 2026 nightly figures right here as a result of resort pricing in NYC is extra variable week-to-week than nearly wherever else we’ve stayed.
Is it price staying close to Instances Sq. particularly?
For a primary NYC journey, no. The resorts proper on Instances Sq. are paying a Instances Sq. premium that doesn’t translate into a greater room or a quieter evening. Keep just a few blocks east or west and you’ll stroll to Instances Sq. everytime you need it with out having to dwell inside it.
What’s the perfect space to remain for households with children?
For households, we’d counsel the Higher West Facet (near Central Park and the American Museum of Pure Historical past, with the quieter residential character that travels nicely with youthful youngsters) or Midtown just a few blocks east of Instances Sq. (central to the headline sights however sufficient off the principle drag to be habitable). An house rental through Vrbo can also be price a search for households, particularly for stays of 4 nights or extra, as a result of the kitchen and the multi-bedroom format usually make extra sense than two adjoining resort rooms.
Ought to I get a resort or an house for a week-long NYC journey?
For every week, lean house. The associated fee per evening drops when you’re previous three or 4 nights, the kitchen pays for itself throughout the first two breakfasts at NYC restaurant costs, and the additional area issues extra for an extended keep. The exception is for those who’re travelling solo or as a pair and worth not having to do any housekeeping in any respect, by which case a mid-range resort is the easier possibility.
A fast shut
Selecting the place to remain in New York Metropolis is the only greatest choice you’ll make for the journey after selecting the dates. Get it proper and the town does the be just right for you. Get it flawed and the times get more durable than they should.
Should you got here to this text and also you’ve already picked your neighbourhood, go to the part that covers it and ebook the choose to your tier. Should you’re nonetheless deciding, the desk on the high is the quick model. And if it is a first NYC journey, the reply is nearly all the time Midtown just a few blocks east of Instances Sq., in a resort just like the Warwick the place the room is larger than the cliché Manhattan sq. footage and the placement permits you to stroll to most of what you got here for.
We’ve lined what to do when you’re right here in our 2 day New York itinerary and our 3 day New York itinerary. For getting round, our NYC transport information covers the subway, ferry, and taxi choices. And for those who’re selecting sights, our New York attraction passes article walks by means of which cross really pays for itself.
Have enjoyable. New York rewards a little bit of preparation greater than most cities, and getting the where-to-stay choice proper is the only most helpful factor you are able to do up entrance.
