Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental Review

The Mandarin's lobby, 280 feet above ground on the Time Warner Center's 35th floor, features dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows, setting the tone for the rest of the luxurious hotel experience. From two wonderful lounges and the restaurant, Asiate, you can soak in expansive views above Columbus Circle and Central Park. In the guest rooms, silk throws abound on plush beds, and the marble-clad bathrooms (with both soaking tubs and separate stall showers) prove the Mandarin's commitment to excess. Rooms also have a windowside chaise longue for kicking back in particularly comfy robes and admiring the skyline. Suites, however, are really what set this hotel apart, by creating enough stage space to make the hotel's Asian-influenced decor really dazzle. The swimming pool is one of the city's best in a hotel, with panoramic Hudson River views; and the spa, with a menu of lush treatments based on traditional Chinese medicine, is a destination for hotel guests and New Yorkers alike. If the $42 Japanese or $32 All American breakfast options are too steep, consider a pastry from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery or the Whole Foods buffet in the Time Warner Center instead.