Transfer from JFK to Homewood Suites, Edgewater
 

No doubt this topic has already beeen raised but I could really do with some help here.
I am flying in to JFK with my family. There are 5 of us and we land at 7pm on a Tuesday, we need to get to the Homewood suites, Edgewater.
Homewood do not offer a limousine service and I see now that Edgewater is perhaps not the best location relative to JFK however, they seemed to be unbeatable on value for money and get great reviews. I couldn't find anything affordable in Manhattan and dont really want to rearrange the accomodation now.
So, what I need is a reliable taxi or limousine service to take 5 people in one car. If it works well we could do the return journey with them too.
I am not against taking public transport if anyone has suggestions but I do want this family holiday to get off to a good start. It is the first time in the USA for the others and a smooth transfer to the hotel would be agreat introduction to New York.
Cliff

Car services for JFK are mentioned here often. I think if you search for JFK car service (rather than taxi or limo), you will get some results.

Carmel and Dial 7 are two I can think of offhand. I guess you are staying in Edgewater for a NYC visit? I guess the ride will be a "great introduction to New York" and New Jersey.

Newark would have been best followed by La Guardian for anyone else considering a stay on NZj side of the Hudson River. I always book a Carmel Car.

Either of the major car services will work. They are both reliable (and in this case, you really do need to use a car service rather than a NYC taxi, which will be cost-prohibitive and may not be willing to do the route for you). Count on about $150 and probably more than an hour (perhaps more) each way for the transfer, which may eliminate some of your hotel savings. Be sure to get a quote from the company before committing.

Frankly, if you are visiting New York City (and not New Jersey), I think you are making a huge tactical mistake by staying in Edgewater. You will be limited to expensive ferries ($10 per person each way) to get into the city, or cheaper vans or buses, which are geared to commuters.

I realize you can't change your airfare, but I think you ought to consider changing your hotel. There are hotels in Queens that are on regular NYC subway routes. I can make some suggestions if you are going to consider, but if your mind is set, then I'm not going to bother.

I'm not the NYC expert - only been there a few times. But I would 100% consider changing your hotel. That would be a massively inconvenient place to stay. And a big part of your 'savings' will be eaten up w/ transfers/commute costs plus the hassle of getting back and forth. Several times I've see Long Island City recommended as a good alternative when one is priced out of staying in Manhattan.

Thank you all for your suggestions.
I will check out Carmel Cars and Dial 7.
I am stuck with JFK but it is not too late to change the hotel, I take your points about the location. If you have recommendations for hotels in Queens or Long Island City I would really appreciate it.

You don't mention your budget, number of rooms, or dates, but if you put Long Island City in the search bar, you might find some past suggestions.

Long Island city is not only much closer to JFK but it is a much easier commute into Manhattan. As long as your hotel is near the subway you can be in Manhattan in 5 to 20 minutes - versus an hour or longer from Edgewater - and I don;t know what cost for so many people.

Also, the subway runs 24/7 - while commuter buses to Edgewater run much less often once you are beyond commuter times.

Do anything you can to switch hotels - including pay more - since traveling to and fro Edgewater will be much more expensive than getting to the city from Long Island City. (You don;t want to be paying $100 or more for a cab to get back to your hotel in the evening.)

If you provide dates and a budget people may have specific recos for you.

Country Inn & Suites Long Island City is the closest hotel to the subway, but it's fairly basic. There are other hotels in Long Island City, though not all are convenient to the subway. There's also a Quality Inn in Long Island City that is almost as close to the subway as the Country Inn and Suites. And the Verve Hotel is much more stylish but not quite as convenient to Manhattan. I think I may be missing one of the other convenient options.

And the Paper Factory Hotel sounds interesting, but I don't know it personally.

There's also a Quality Inn on Queens Boulevard (53-05 Queens Blvd, Woodside, NY 11377), which is reasonably convenient (about 20 minutes by subway from Grand Central on the 7 Train).

So those are my best recommendations.

It's so hard to make recommendations without knowing your actual hotel budget (or at least what you want to spend). Depending on the dates of travel, there may be options you haven't considered in Manhattan. Most of the cheapest options are already booked through April and May, but there are always some cancellations and possibilities in Manhattan.

Have looked at the website of the hotel and they offer a nearby ferry as the best way to Manhattan - but don;t mention that the ferry is not cheap - I believe about $20 per person roundtrip - so you need to add $100 per day commuting cost to what you are paying for your room.

The problem is none of the hotels in Long island City accommodate a family of 5 comfortably in one space. That may change eventually as there are a number of new hotels being built there including a Home2Suites. But assuming you're coming soon and can't find anything in Manhattan to suit your needs, a car service EITHER to the ferry in Manhattan or all the way to the hotel are your easiest options.
Nywatway.com
Is the ferry service. Make sure you know what time the last ferry of the night is to Edgewater. A car service to/ from JFK to Edgewater will likely cost $80-100 in each direction. This may make the price of a suite in Manhattan more palatable. Nycsalisbury.com is a suite hotel that might work for you.

Nywaterway.com
Is the ferry service.

Staying in NJ for Manhattan wastes hours and money every day. Lots of time. Lots of money. This topic comes up here frequently and no one has ever reported back with a successful NJ stay. Please, do not try it!

There are numerous all suite hotels in Manhattan - and the price may not seem so bad after you add $100 or more a day (plus an hour to and fro the city) for commuting to the price of a hotel in NJ.

A suite or an apartment in Manhattan would have been ideal or 2 doubles and a single.
I couldn't find anything that compared on value for money and was impressed by the reviews for the Homewood Suites. I didn't consider the travel costs, my mistake!
We will be there for a week over Easter. Not long to go and a busy time of year.
I will try all of your helpful suggestions but may have to live with my flawed arrangement!

If you are stuck in NJ look VERY carefully into how you will get to and fro Manhattan. Outside of regular commuting hours service can be very sparse and you don't want to be stuck waiting an hour or more for transit back to NJ after dinner.

Or to head back to NJ early and then try to figure out how to get dinner in a suburban area with little transit.

I guess you need 5 beds altogether, one for each person?

Staying "over Easter" adds new problems with transportation - you'll be dealing with "holiday schedules" for public transportation between NJ & NYC and that means fewer busses, trains ferries, etc. especially between Good friday afternoon and Easter Monday morning.

Yes, everything points towards changing hotels.
I may get lucky witrh a late deal on Manhattan, perhaps a cancellation. If not Manhattan then I can see that Long Island City or Queens would be better than New Jersey.
I kind of sleep-walked into this and now need to move fast to put things right!

Long Island City is in Queens. Queens is very large, so not all places in Queens will work.

If you want specific suggestions other than the ones above (it seems you don't), exact dates and budget will be necessary.