NY Accommodations
 

My 22 yr. old and myself will be spending 3 nights in New York at the end of July. I/we would like to stay in a cute boutique hotel under $200 per night. Preferably Soho. Any recommendations????
Thanks
Also, is it worth going to Statten Island, how far away are the Hamptons???

There are a few hotels in Soho but they might be pricey. Check out hotels.com etc. There is not much to do or see in Staten Island - but the ferry ride is worth the trip. It is free!!! Takes about 20 minutes each direction. Runs frequently. Passes the Statue of Liberty for a great photo shoot. There are all sorts of other boat rides for tourists around Manhattan, to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Might be fun to be on the water on a hot summer afternoon.

The Hamptons are about 100 miles east of the City. If you ar only going to be in NY for 3 nights it would be out of the question. Also, any lodging in the Hamptons at the height of the season will astronomical.

A great place to eat is Restaurant Florent in the Meat Packing district
http://www.restaurantflorent.com/ open 24 hours. Great place for brunch or late night.

Halb, thanks for the restaurant suggestion, Florent sounds good!

To find anything under $200 per night you should move really quickly. Just looked up the Super 8 for someone else - and they're (in a not great location - and very basic) asking $209 for June under their guaranteed lowest rate plan.

Cute boutique hotels in NYC generally = miniscule rooms with style over function. They usually have one bed in the room rather than 2 and it can often be a double or at best a queen. Just a heads up. And yes, $200/night is starting to be bare minimum with foreigners flooding the city given the weak dollar.

So...where to go? As halb says, there are very few DECENT hotels in Soho. They are the Soho Grand, 60 Thompson and the Mercer. I doubt if any will come close to your price;, but maybe.

Next best trendy area where there are some hotels is Chelsea. The Maritime (tiny rooms but verrry trendy), Chelsea Savoy, the Four Points Chelsea Sheraton (not a boutique-but maybe affordable).

Also have a look at the Park South Hotel. (parksouthhotel.com) It's just below midtown but in an interesting area with good restaurants etc.

Finally, the Cosmopolitan is a new boutique style hotel in Tribeca that is affordable but it may become like a dorm given it's rates and the area.

If it's just the 2 of you, you should give priceline a try, although you're not going to end up in Soho.

There is a Howard Johnson Express Inn in the lower east side that is supposed to be decent and should be in your pricerange.

There aren't many hotels in Soho (all i can think of is Soho Grand and 60 Thompson), and the few there would probably cost more tha $200. There's also a very nice W hotel on Union Square but I think that's going to be at least $300.

SKip the Hamptons and Staten Island, although going on the ferry back and forth on a nice day, is a nice little trip.

Actually there is a nice Zoo on Staten Island and a restoration. Depending on when you are going to be here the restoration is open with volunteer docents on weekends, not sure if open during the summer weekdays. One of the buildings at the restoration is the oldest building built and used as a school. Buildings have been brought from all over to put the restoration together.

It is called Richmondtown, and there is a website with more information. If you rent a car you can drive over the Verrizano Narrows Bridge. There is also a large mall on the island not far from Richmondtown.

There are summer events on the island as well, concerts and festivals.

If you have been to the city before, this might be a way to see something new.

If you are taking public transit, take the ferry over to Staten Island, and you can take a bus, train or taxi from the terminal. Ask when you get there.

I just found the website for Richmondtown it's www.historicrichmondtown.org

Have you tried quickbook.com? We are staying at the Belvedere (Mid Town) in July for $150/$170. Actually, that is only $10 cheaper per night that the hotel website. I also really like thair customer service.

By the way, a co worker stayed at the Hollday Inn Soho and asaid it was just fine. I beleive she got it on Priceline for $150.