New York - Long Beach area (Beaches, Shops, and new Hotel Allegria)
 

Hello,
We will arrive from the Europe in the first afternoon and We will stop in NY only one night, before to take an early flight from JFK Airport.
In alternative to the fast visit to Manhattan (already visited), We think to stay in the Long Beach area (15-20 minutes from JFK) where I have read that there are beautiful beaches.
A new hotel, the Allegria Hotel, will be inaugurated this August.
Do you recommend me this area for nice walking beaches, shops and restaurant or is always better a trip to the Manhattan ?
Thanks.

Long Beach is a nice place to be if you like the beach. As of this writing, I don't think the Allegria is opened yet, and it was supposed to open in May! LB has a nice boardwalk, nice beach, shops are OK, keep in mind it is a residential town. Me personally would rather stay in NYC, more to do, more restaurants, etc.

Sunset, as a follow up to the above, I checked with a friend who is scheduled to stay at the Allegria in August. It is not opened yet, and is now scheduled to open August 1. however, it was supposed to open in May, then pushed off til July, etc. When it does open (if), the rooftop bar and pool will not be opened, nor will the spa. Sounds to me like they are trying to open but there will still be alot of work going on. I would not stay there.

The beach is very nice in Long Beach but it's not a fancy area with trendy shops and restaurants. The prices on the hotel look very very expensive. If none of the services at the hotel will be up and running, it seems like a very pricey 1 night. When are you coming?

Long Beach is primarily residential and for day trips from people from the city. Not upscale, not for shopping or activities, just for the basic beach (and remember this is the north atlantic - cold water and often heavy surf). And is ounds like this hotel might not be open (and don;t know why they put a hotel there anyway - it seems an odd place for one).

I would defiitely do Manhattan instead.

If the hotel is open in Long Beach,based on the little time you have in NY, I'd go for it. LB is not far from JFK and would be a nice change from Manhattan and more convenient to get to/from the airport. Plus, you get to see the beautiful ocean / beaches from ground level.

x mclaurie..
We will arrive the second week of August.
Thanks to all for your suggestions..

Perhaps a stupid question..
Is Too much distant a trip to the Hamptons ?
Do you know good hotel next to the JFK ??

Unfortunately, yes, it's probably too far to go to the Hamptons (about 100 miles give or take)

And according to those in the know, there aren't any nice hotels near JFK (some better than others, but nothing "nice")

For hotels near the airport the best you will find is serviceable. And most are near highways and no services - restaurants etc - they're strictly for sleeping before a very early flight.

Reserve the Long Beach hotel if you want - but have a back up plan in case it isn't open yet.

Exactly what time do you arrive and what time the next day do you need to be at the airport?

We will arrive in NY around 1.00pm and the next day we have the flight at 7.00am.
Thanks.

My family lives in Atlantic Beach, right next to Long Beach so I have an affinity for the area. Since you're only in town for a night and have already been to Manhattan, then Long Beach could be a good option. It is a residential area but during the summer it's packed (in a good way), and has one long strip of restaurants and bars. Plus, it's really close to JFK, which is key since you're only going to be in town for one night.

If you do choose to go to Long Beach and stay at the Allegria (if it's open by the time you arrive) let us know how it is! Depending on when you travel, you might be one of the first guests and I'd be very curious to hear what it's like.

I think the bigger issue is if the Allegria isn't open, there are no other decent options there as far as I know.

It seems me that the Allegria Hotel won't open in time for our trip.
In alternative, to explorer a new area of NY, What do you think about the Lower Manhattan and could be the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park a good choice ?
Thanks.

fyi - we are invited to the wedding of a co-worker's daughter to be held on August 21st at - you guessed it, the Hotel Allegria. Two days ago, the hotel notified the couple to be married that they may have to 'move' their event to another location - a nightmare! Don't even think of staying at this place!

The Ritz is a beautiful hotel, but there's not a lot going on around it.

The Ritz is a great hotel with a wonderful bar on the roof with great views of Manhattan. Given the limited amount of time that you have you could head into the city, drop your bags, do a roundtrip on the Staten Island ferry (incredible views of the harbor and city skyline as well as the Statue of Liberty), relax and have a nice dinner, then drinks at the roof bar.

Thanks for your suggestions.
nytraveler has exactly guessed what we think to do.
Relax, cruises,lot of photos considering that I love the art of the photo and a rightful visit/tribute to Ground Zero.
From this Hotel to the JFK , How long time I must to consider with a departure very early to the morning ?

"From this Hotel to the JFK , How long time I must to consider with a departure very early to the morning ?"

It could be as little as 20-30 mins. but allow an hour to be safe. You might want to order a car service like dial7.com so you don't have to worry about finding a taxi very early.

Long Beach may not be trendy, but there are some very good restaurants and relaxing things to do. You could also stay at the Marriott in Uniondale and go to one of the local beaches, have dinner in Long Beach, Freeport, or even Babylon on the water. Babylon happens to have a cute little town to walk and its a short distance to the pier. Its not Manhattan, but as a stop-over, its different, nice, and safe. As far as hotels near JFK, do not do it.