my friends and i are taking our first trip o nyc at the end of march. i want to stay in midtown but a friend wants to stay in newark (cheaper). i personally want to be in the midst of it all--so my question is any advice on hotels in downtown nyc (i.e. best location, price, etc)? i know newark is slightly cheaper than staying in n.y. but is it really worth it? i don't mind spending a little more in order to stay in one of the worlds greastest cities.

Believe me - you don;t want to stay in Newark. The trek back and forth to the city would be a major pain - esp in the evenings if youwant to go out.

To help we really need to know our budget, who and how many of you there are - and how long you'll be here. For more than a few days an apartment is often the best answer.

And there are numerous modest hotels in the city. Without knowing what type of room(s) you need (many rooms in NYC have 1 double bed for 2 people only) it's hard to make recos. But- for reliable budget options you could look at Radio City Apartments (clean, basic, budget but in a great location) and the Pod Hotel. The latter has some rooms with bunk beds and shared baths - and gets very good reviews - if you really want to save some $ but still stay in the city.

Also -you need to be careful with Newark. The airport hotels often don't have good access to the city. And much of Newark is a VERY downscale area.

Newark is a big place. Are you saying your friend wants to stay at Newark airport (a really terrible idea)? or at the train station in Newark (the Hilton there is not a terrible idea) or somewhere else?

To help you, we need your travel dates and your hotel budget.

And how many people are traveling? Will you get multiple rms or try to all stay in one rm?


End of March I think rates are starting to go up (mclaurie knows better about that). If your friend is determined to get a really low rate and you are forced to go outside the city, you might be interested in checking out the hotel that is on a trip report recently posted (I just read it this morning, scroll down and you'll see it). the posters on that report, gard and his wife, stayed at the Quality Inn Long Island City. The AAA rates at end of March are about $150 for 2 doubles. Gard said it is close to the subway straight into Manhattan.

Sometimes as the date gets closer you might get a good deal on Travelzoo. I'd reserve something now and then keep looking on the discount sites like that one for a better deal/location.

For easy commuting from Jersey, you should also consider the hotels in Jersey City that are near the PATH subway stations -- the PATH trains are cheaper and more frequent than other NJ-based options.

I think your instinct is right-on.

Your first trip to NYC? STAY IN NYC.

Midtown is, in general, pricey. That's unavoidable. But you are truly in the middle of everything that people picture as being "New York".

For lodging bargains, the first place I'd look would be the Apple Core hotel chain. Clean budget properties. I can vouch for their Red Roof Inn-- it was the perfect crash pad for what turned out to be a romantic, unforgettable Manhattan trip, and it was cheap, which was a good thing since the shows and activities we chose were incredibly expensive (Café Carlyle, for one!). See:

www.applecorehotels.com

The Affinia hotel chain operates nice hotels in Manhattan as well, and they're not horribly expensive:

http://www.affinia.com/

NOTE: You CAN look outside Midtown for the perfect "New York" experience. The Red Roof is in Little Korea (32nd Street), just west of wonderful, residential Murray Hill. You'll be close to a neighborhood where New Yorkers actually LIVE. And you'll be between Midtown and Downtown, just north of the Village, the Meatpacking District, Soho.... All the hip parts of Manhattan.

Personally, I say GO FOR IT. Your first time is only your first time once. Have fun!!

Oh, and if you click on my name and scroll a bit, you'll find a Trip Notes report on my Manhattan adventure in 2005. A few hints in there to help enjoy yourself.

End of March looks like in the $180.- to $195.- per room pre tax, for the applecorehotels.com properties. Do whatever you can to stay in Manhattan.

thanks everyone for your suggestions. i should have been a little more specific earlier, there will be at least 3 of us sharing a room for 3 nights. i have also looked at booking the trip thru expedia and from what i've seen so far, we can fly in from seattle and stay at a 3-star hotel in midtown for an average of $560-$700 for each person----i am willing to spend around $650.

Definitely STAY in new york city! All of the above suggestions are great. Also, check out www.quikbook.com for some good suggestions. Have fun.

My daughter and I are staying at the Comfort Inn Midtown next month. I see on-line rates for about $150 per night. To read some opinions on this place, go to tripadvisor.com and type in that hotel name along with nyc so you won't be looking at Comfort Inn Midtown somewhere in the mid-west!

Granted, they specify 2 to a room but you could get two rooms (if not connecting, hopefully next to each other) for probably less than a room for 3 would cost elsewhere!! And having two bathrooms would be nice I should think.

JMHO Good luck!!

I followed my own advice to see what happened, lest I mislead someone. Yikes! The March rates are higher than February rates. Even the rates for the days I'll be there are higher than what we booked at several weeks ago!

The best rates for March dates seem to be on 'choice hotels' website and requesting the online rate opposes to the rate that pops up first.

My thought is that if this hotel is higher than the other hotels I checked for our visit, than the other hotels will be more in comparison so it may still be a decent - if not great - choice.

I do agree with others who say stay in the city if at all possible. If you want to sightsee all day and then, say, see a show in the evening, that would be a very long day away from where you'd be staying.

$650 for what? If you're looking for help finding a hotel for 3 nights for 3 people, give us a budget and exact dates. If you want to buy a package from Expedia, then you'll deal with the hotels they have at whatever budget you set and we can't really help you. I assume you realize that a regular hotel will have 2 double beds that 2 of you will have to share unless you stay at more of a hostel where they may have twin beds or bunks. The Pod hotel is a good budget place that may have a room for 3 with bunkbeds. The Cosmopolitan is another budget hotel in downtown Tribeca that could work.

Without knowing who the 3 of you are (age etc.) it's hard to guide you, but for sure, for such a short visit, it's much better to stay in Manhattan and not waste time getting to and from the hotel. Staying outside Manhattan will also put a crimp on evening activities if you plan any.

PS It's been my observation that buying an air/hotel pkg. for a party of 3 if often not economically efficient. Many hotels don't charge more for a room for 2 vs. 3 yet you are paying 1/3 more for the hotel in a pkg. deal. Do the math before you buy any package and make sure the savings make sense.

I assume you know there are reviews of virtually every hotel on tripadvisor.com and you should read them carefully. When looking for a bargain, you can really find some terrible flea bags.

once again i have left out pertinent information...my friend's and i are all in their mid-thirties, we are looking to travel 3/27 to 3/30. i should also specify that we are willing to pay between $200-$250 a night for a hotel room. also, in response to mclaurie's question, i did go to a couple of hotel sites to check out their prices and so far a package deal seems more reasonable, however, i will definitely keep looking. by the way, any suggestions on shows, best place to purchase tkts, shopping, eating, etc.

I just thought of something!! You might check out a place called "second home on second avenue". It seems reasonable (within your price range) and they have rooms for three. Plus it gets very good reviews. It's not in midtown but beats Jersey!!

Weeks ago I checked into it myself for our trip next month but they only had a room with one 'double' bed available. I called and spoke with the gentleman who owns/runs it and he seemed very nice. He mentioned that they were just days short (then) of doing some renovating which assured each room to having it's own bath. (I think they listed two rooms that shared a bath which was another reason I called them to ask specifically).

Anyway, it might be worth looking into. They have a website and an email address listed on it.

Good luck!!

Hi

I went to NYC in December with my wife. We decided to stay in Long Island City but it was only 2 stops to Manhattan on the subway so it was not a problem at all and we saved a lot of money Here is my trip report with pictures and links: http://gardkarlsen.com/NYC_travelogue_2007.htm . Here you will also find a review of the hotel.


Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Gard,
You did a fantastic job with your NY report/pictues. Thank you. I am making it a favorite so that I may refer to it before we go to NY in the later part of october, 2008.

Jay

Hi

Thanks for the kind feedback

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures