dragon

We will be visiting New York in May with 4 children. Because of the high cost of hotels in New York we thought we might stay somewhere on the outskirts and catch a train in. Can anyone suggest anywhere suitable? Many thanks.

BudgetQueen

My opinion only, I never stay outside the city. It is worth the cost to have simple fast access to your hotel anytime. Especially depending on how old the kids- it may not be a good option? Look at Days Inn, HOJO, on 8th Super 8. I stay at the cheapest.

Lois_L

I agree with Budget Queen (whose name says it all). Depending on where you stay, transportation into Manhattan can be really expensive, not to mention a pain in the neck, and you are dealing with kids, whose tolerance level is low. Also, some areas in close proximity to Manhattan may not be the nicest, nor would they be as cheap as you might hope, so the quality of your experience would be affected, and you'd still be shelling out $$$. In Manhattan, I'd avoid the HoJo on 8th, which looks depressing to me, and focus on an area where families actually live, so that you can also find reasonably priced restaurants along with accommodations.

Anonymous

I have to agree, the expense and hassle of the train make it not worthwhile. The time eaten up in commuting wuold equal an additional day of tourist activity.

Try some of the budget suite places like Radio City Apartments and Murray Hill East Suites.

nytraveler

Agree - when you add the cost of 6 train or bus fares in and out of the city each day can't imagine that any savings in hotels would be worth it. Never mind the hassle of spending a couple of hours per day in transit - esp with 4 excited - or cranky kids.

Two options:

Consider staying outside of Midtown - in a residentiall neighborhood - such as the upper west side or village - where food costs are much less.

Consider either looking for an apartment or staying in a hostel. Not sure how old your kids are or the rules at each hostel - but if the six of you got a private room it could be reasonable.

For people with kids I always think the upper west side is a good choice. You're near several things they'll want to do anyway: Museum of Natural History/Planetarium and zoo - and you have Central Park/playgrounds for them to let off some steam in.

If you provide your budget and info on the ages/interests of your kids people can provide more info.

4khansen

The best alternative would be to bid a 3* hotel in Jersey City on Priceline. The two that come up are the Doubletree and the Hyatt Regency, both are located next to or very near the PATH train station.

The Hyatt Regency, if available on Priceline, has been going for a great rate of $46 per room. You would need two rooms because of the number of children. Even so, you would have lots of space for right at $100 a night.

Check out www.biddingfortravel.com and look under the New York City airport zone to see what this hotel has been recently getting. Maybe your dates will work.

bwhewitt

Also try the Beacon Hotel(www.beaconhotel.com) on the upper west side. They have family suites. Our family of six stayed there and we really enjoyed the neighborhood, with grocery store across the street, reasonable places to eat, good subway access, and even a Gray's Papaya for hot dog snacks! Someone in our group got one almost every time we were coming from or going to the subway. Teenagers are always hungry!

beentheretwice

Ditto: stay in the city. Part of the fun of visiting is being able to walk around the place. My kids loved it. If you do stay in the Upper West Side, you'll be able to walk around Central Park. My kids loved that.

mclaurie

I agree with staying in the city, primarily for the reasons BudgetQueen gives. In addition to the good ideas you've gotten so far, I'd suggest checking the Embassy Suites downtown. It's not in the most convenient location but that's why the prices are good AND they've got large suites and other amenities good for families/kids. At least you're ON the island of Manhattan.

If you really can't manage the NYC prices which have been stratospheric, there are some suite hotels in Secaucus New Jersey. From there you can get a bus into Port Authority. There's also a Sheraton suite hotel in Weehawken New Jersey from which you can get a ferry across to NYC but the ferry costs $5.50/person each way.

But I think if you choose to stay in New Jersey, it's worth it if you can get some sort of special deal like 4khansen describes through Priceline or, I recall a poster mentioning a $55 rate with an entertainment card at the Crowne Plaza in Secaucus.

dragon

Thanks very much everyone. Having read all your comments, my idea doesn't look too good. I think it may be my tolerance levels that are a bit low by the time we get there! Thanks for all the suggestions.

wantsomesun

I'd suggest checking on www.hotels.com and priceline for better hotel prices. The summer is the tourist season here, so the prices for hotels is on the high side.

Also try Travel Inn on W. 42nd St, they have free parking AND a pool, and I'm sure during the summer, the pool will be a hit with the kids.

You also might want to do a day trip out to Fire Island, for a day at the beach. Long Island Railroad has a package deal, and it's train/taxi/ferry over and back to the Sunken Forest. The kids could see some deer, fox, lots of birds and more on this trip. The beach area is very nice and there is a shower/changing area and a cafe for food and tee shirts.

Have a great time while you are here.

alya

Another vote for the Travel Inn a nice small hotel, rooms are double/double with plenty of space, rather basic but clean and some rooms have an unobstructed view of the Empire State Building. If you live close enough to drive in the free parking can save you a small fortune.

The coffee shop (which is next door) has a good selections of breakfasts, can't vouch for the rest of the meals, sorry) Only a couple of blocks from Times Square but in a quieter neighborhood

Anonymous

Priceline is a risky strategy for a group of 6, since PL bids for rooms that accommodate 2 people and some NYC rooms absolutely won't take more, not just because of space constraints but fire laws. Even at PL's great prices, 3 rooms would cost more than some of the specific budget hotels named above.

TxTravelPro

I stayed at the Murray Hill East Suites a while back and it may work perfectly.
Great location and pretty 'homey', it feels residential.
I had a large 1 bedroom apt with kitchen and a large balcony overlooking a courtyard and doggie daycare.
You could call direct and ask for the price of that unit... it was clean and felt safe.

djkbooks

Here's another huge recommendation for the Travel Inn.

Bchen

Dear Dragon:
I grew up 8 miles over the GW Bridge in NJ. (I now live overseas) Whenever I plan to visit NYC with my kids, we stay at Radio City Apartments. We had a one BR suite (2 queen beds) plus pull out sofa in the living room. Mini-kitchenette and self serve coin-op laundry in the basement.

Even though I could stay for free at my parents house, we always chose to spend part of the trip living IN the city. It is convenient to be able to make breakfast in the room, and be outside in mid-town with the push of an elevator button.

We paid $145 per night. Only draw back is there is not pool, but you won't need one in May. They also have 2BR suites as well.

With what you "may" save in accomodation in NJ, you will more than compensate for in transit costs and aggravation. If kids get tired mid-day, you can catch the subway bakc and take a mid-day siesta. If you were staying in NJ, and went back, I have a feeling it would be a lot harder to get motivated to head back in. Especially if your visit is less than 2 weeks.

Don't get me wrong, I love NJ, but don't stay there if you are visitng NYC.