I would do a park view room at the Essex House! Awesome location and the new rooms are fabulous!

Cheapest room at fancy hotel or nicer room at lesser hotel is really a matter of personal preference and how you plan to use the hotel. Do you realize hotel tax in NYC adds about 15%?

Precisely. If you want your total cost to be $600 you need to get a room that's about $525 before tax.

Are you saying that the Ritz on CP is under 600 for that time period? (you say you might go with oneof the Ritzs). In that case, IMO, i would def go with the Ritz CP. If you can get a room there under 600 then that's an easy choice for me. The Spa at the Ritz CP is quite nice. (I wouldn't personally stay at battery park b/c of the location, but that's me).

As to your question about cheapest room in nicer hotel, I would say it depends on the hotel. the "cheapest" room at the St. regis and the Ritz CP is still an amazing room. Conversely, I think the nicest room at a lesser hotel might not have that luxury feeling your seeking.

Also, if you book the cheapest room, there is a chance if the hotel isn't booked up, that they might give you a complimentary when you check in. (esp if you tell them ahead of time that it is a special occasion for you and yoru DH.

meant to say complimentary upgrade

Is everyone's recommednations from staying at the hotel or other sources?

well, I can only speak for myself-- mine are from actually staying at the ones I suggest. If i recommend a place i haven't stayed, i usually use that disclaimer.

In my opinion, the best room at a really nice hotel is often better than the least expensive room at a luxury hotel. The nicest suite at the Benjamin, for example, has a private terrace, though I suspect that would cost more than $600. I don't want to complicate things, but it's just a thought.

I'd choose the Ritz-Carlton over the Peninsula, by the way. But the Mandarin-Oriental is the best hotel in town.

Thanks so much, everyone. We booked a suite at the Ritz Battery Park with a harbor view. We are VERY excited.

Couldn't have done it without you!

Many thanks.

Doug - I'm with you. We stayed in precisely the suite you described at The Benjamin and loved it. The location is terrific, too. The only complain we had was from our teen daughter who found the sofabed mattress to be so uncomfortable that we had to have 5 down duvets be placed on top of it because they did not have extra featherbeds.