Hi fellow Fodorites, this hotel has reasonable feedback on trip advisor, but I'm after your experiences, positive & negative, any recommendations for restaurants/cafes in the vicinity, and any interesting places close by that don't make the guidebooks. Thanks in anticipation!

I can't comment on the Hampton Inn but I stayed at the Holiday Inn Soho in March and found a really good Italian restaurant that was close by (although there are probably scores of other good restaurants close by). It's called Ama's and it is on McDougal Street. The food was very good and also liked the atmosphere. I also ate at Balthazar for dinner - another very good meal. Balthazar was very crowded both at the bar and in the dining room until quite late into the evening.

This may be helpful -
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...nn-in-soho.cfm

While it's not a bad location, it's not really SoHo ... more like the meatpacking district, which is gritty and industrial-looking, though also pretty safe. It's west of the area that forms the heart of Soho by a few blocks and about a 10-minute walk up to Greenwich Village. It is near the approach to the Holland Tunnel. You're within easy striking distance of Film Forum if you like more interesting movies and documentaries.

I don't really know that area well, but it's north of Tribeca, and there are a lot of good restaurants there. I suspect you are within walking distance of Daniel, for example. And you're very close to meatpacking nightlife and restaurants if you want a "scene".

This is a relatively new hotel, so I suspect it's in good shape, and it's not that far from transit. There are subway stops within a couple of long blocks, though it's a very quiet station. I've taken the subway there late at night, and it used to be pretty scary, so I'd recommend taking a cab (but scout out the subway there to see what it looks like now ... there's more nightlife and restaurants in the area now than when my friend lived nearby).

I don't know if Doug is mistaking the location of the hotel or just comparing the looks of the street with the looks of the streets in the meatpacking district, but the Hampton Inn Soho is definitely IN Soho and not in or near the meatpacking district. It happens to be on a block with traffic into the Holland Tunnel, but it's near many good restaurants in the area. Ironically, the Holiday Inn Soho is not really in Soho but in Chinatown.

Anyway, it's an excellent location for being in a less touristy area than midtown and one of the first decent affordable options down there. Some nearby restaurants include

Blue Ribbon Bakery
Zoe
Bistro Les Amis
Snack
Peep
Bar 89
10 Downing

You can find anything you want by plotting the hotel on maps.google.com and then using the search nearby function for whatever (ie restaurants, bars, museums). The NY Fire Museum is nearby and there's also a Museum of comic art and cartoons in Soho.

If you like chocolate, Marie Belle on Broome st. between Wooster & West Broadway has a lovely cafe. http://www.mariebelle.com/s.nl/it.I/id.3/.f

I sent friends there in December. The rooms are small, but everything brand new.

They loved the staff, neighborhood and there is a bus either across the street or very nearby.

Thanks everybody! I really appreciate your insights and suggestions. And yes mclaurie - I LOVE chocolate! Can't wait to try out Marie Belle

Ummm . . Doug? You don't mean Daniel do you? Maybe you are confusing Bouley (David) and Bouloud (Daniel)? The Hampton Inn Soho is within easy (but not scenic) walking distance of Bouley, which is in Tribeca on Hudson and Duane. Restaurant Daniel is Daniel Bouloud's wonderful uptown place . . . several neighborhoods away.

I work around the corner from the Hampton Inn - once you walk half a block east of the hotel, across 6th Avenue you are REALLY in Soho - that is, within a few blocks of Cafe Noir, Felix, Shorty's 62, and all the terrific places Mclaurie has mentioned. The uptown 6th Avenue bus stops across the avenue from the hotel - the downtown 7th Avenue bus is one block in the other direction. Except at evening rush hour, when the neighborhood is clogged with Jersey traffic, it's a terrific location for downtown, very accessible.

Thanks very much mp! My friend and I are great walkers so we really are looking forward to exploring the neighbourhood - if the roads are clogged we'll just put on our joggers and go.

Just to follow up, the Hampton Inn Soho was a good place to stay. The rooms were very clean and quiet, desk staff very helpful. It's a VERY short walk from the main Soho streets and I loved having the free internet booths in the reception area, very handy. Breakfasts were a bit of a bun rush, and I never noticed the HI's famed take-and-go breakfasts/water bottles, but the coffee was reasonably decent (the strong option). I would stay here again. Also, just beyond the nearby Canal St subway station there was a Chinese laundry which was extremely handy with a day bag wash service for about $10.

Thanks for posting back. Will we get a trip report? Where did you eat?