Could anyone tell me first hand how the location is for a weekend. Is it desolute and too remote? The rates look too good to be true. Thanks

Hotels which rely heavily on business travelers often drop rates dramatically on weekends. That fits the RC BP to a tee.

Downtown Manhattan is fairly quiet, relative to other parts of the island. If you are looking to walk out of the hotel door and immediately find plenty of restaurants/bars, etc., you'll be disappointed. There are a few places as Battery Park City has several large residential building, but it's not the hotspot.

However, Tribeca is less about 7 minutes away by car and maybe 15 to 20 on foot. You're very close to the Staten Island Ferry and several subway lines. Soho and the Village are also not that far, by taxi.

The hotel itself is fairly new, although, I've only been in the bar for cocktails. The South facing rooms should have a great view of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor.

If you are comfortable riding the subway, it isn't a bad choice, if the economics are beneficial. However, if you suspect you'll be a frequent user of cabs, the room savings might get offset by a horde of cab rides.

The walk along the river from the hotel to the World Financial Center is quite busy on weekends especially in late spring and summer. There are more than enough restaurants and bars lining the walkway. There are also free concerts and other group activities to keep you occupied. The one downside - travel to midtown is not all that convenient.

Enjoy the bar on the 14th floor, great views!

Although I enjoy the walk along the Hudson River in Battery Park City, there really aren't all that many restaurant choices there. And most are on the pricey side.

Staying at that hotel would be a choice for the seasoned traveler -- the traveler who doesn't mind a bit of time to "figure out how to make this work."

The financial district is pretty quiet on the weekend, but with a good guide book, you can give yourself quite an educational walking tour as there is a lot of history and worthwhile architecture down there. And there are major subway lines minutes from your hotel to take you uptown.

thanks for all your thoughts

And if it's where you decide you want to stay, you can probably do a truly good deal via Priceline. I know they have offered this hotel on a pretty consistent basis. Check out the info at Biddingfortravel.com and you'll get a sense of how to bid successfully for the Ritz.

You must be thinking of another hotel arjay. Ritz Carlton, to the best of my knowledge, will never use Priceline to rid themselves of extra inventory, and if you check the NYC hotel list on BFT, you'll note it is not one of the hotels listed. I believe this is a nationwide policy for Ritz. More power to them!

hmmm...sorry for the flub. I thought I recalled seeing that hotel come up on BFT.