Opinions on the Best Western Bowery Hanbee
 

My family, husband and I and two teenage girls, are in search of a hotel in NYC for 4 days in July. We are interested in site seeing and seeing a play and lots of shopping.

I posted a question weeks ago regarding the Holiday Inn on 6th Ave which we got a great rate on travelzoo of $119/nt. and the responses were great. The drawback to the hotel was that it has double beds and we would prefer queen beds. We recently just got the same rate for the Best Western Bowery Hanbee which has two queen sized beds. The reviews seem great but I am not sure if the location is out of the way for what we plan to do.

Would it be a long subway ride to see Wicked at the Gershwin theatre? If you had to choose between the two, which would you pick?
Thanks so much!

Just curious if anyone has any experiences or opinions on this hotel.

It's certainly further than the HI on 6th ave. but I think the teens would like the BW neighborhood. It's closer to cool areas like Soho, Greenwich Village, and lower east side where's there's more interesting shopping. It will make for a less classic tourist experience, a good thing imo. They also include a free cont. b/f. In midtown, if you want to compare prices, the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square North has 2 queens. I think I may have already mentioned the Hampton Inn Chelsea has 2 queens as does the Hampton Inn Seaport.

I too am holding a reservation for the HI 6th (excellent rate as well). However, I recently discovered Envoy Club on quikbook.com which is actually a small apartment with complete kitchen, etc. We are a family of 3 with a teenage daughter. The EC rates aren't quite as low as HI, but we figure preparing our own coffee/breakfast in the AM makes it a breakeven for sure!

McLaurie, thanks so much for your input. I was thrilled with the queen sized beds at BW but wasn't sure the area was convenient to everything. I never realized there was good shopping nearby. I'm sure we'll manage the subway okay but was hoping to get a hotel near the theatre to walk to after seeing Wicked. Do think a cab would be expensive or would the subway make more sense?

I just agreed to go on a day shopping trip from Boston to NYC on 5/30 with a group of friends. I'll try to get the lay of the land then. I'm not too fond of riding the bus both ways in the same day. I did it before and was kind of bus-sick but I need to for research for my July trip! The ladies want to hit the flea markets and go to Canal Street to look at the handbags.

Richland, thanks for your reply as well. We checked out the Envoy Club and it gave us a rate of $239 for our dates. That is a little out of our price range. The BW continental breakfast will be good enough for our needs. Hope you have a great trip!

Many thanks to you both!
Marie

Marie, no one location is going to be convenient for everything. hopstop.com and nyccabfare.com will both estimate the cost of a taxi from point a to point b. Hopstop also gives you subway or bus directions. If you're going to Wicked at night, it's always hard to find a taxi after the shows. I usually either go in for a drink or dessert and wait for the crowds to die down or walk east a few blocks or take a bus partway. The subway is easy for you and likely faster.

Knock off handbags on Canal st. are illegal and not a good idea. Tell your friends not to bother. You can find real designer bags from Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors etc. at Loehmann's, Century 21, TJ Maxx etc.

I don't know what flea markets they're planning on going to but most are not that good for clothes. They might enjoy edgeny.com in Nolita which isn't far from the Best Western Hanbee. themarketnyc.com is also young designers but I think a bit too young. Marie, go to the BW and ask to see the rooms. Tell them you're booked for later in the summer (or you're thinking of booking) and would like to see what it's like. Five Points is a popular place for brunch near Edge NY if you want to book in advance.

I also sometimes get bus sick and have found I can't read much on the bus and it's better if I don't eat.

McLaurie, thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I had checked out hopstop.com but didn't know about nyccabfare.com. I will check it out. I had thought about checking out Ellen's Stardust Diner for the entertainment factor, the reviews aren't so good for the food, so maybe we can have dessert there after the show and then get a cab or subway back to the hotel.

I know what you mean about the knockoffs and I will pass on the stores you suggest to the others. We have TJ Maxx in the Boston area but seldom see Coach bags there. The other stores are unfamiliar to us, we'll check them all out.

I'll check out the other websites you posted, especially edgeny.com. That's a great idea to get a look at the BW's room.

You've helped me so much!
Thanks,
Marie