As a regular visitor to New York, I always struggle with deciding on where to stay. In London, whether you choose Mayfair, Knightsbridge or Soho, you’re only a short taxi journey away from the city’s best sights, shops, restaurants and bars; but it’s not quite so easy in Manhattan.
Do you want a dose of downtown cool or to immerse yourself in uptown elegance? Soho’s edginess or Central Park’s beauty? Cool shopping boutiques or Barneys and Bloomies?
Bringing the best of both worlds to Midtown Manhattan on West 57th is the latest hotel from the Viceroy Hotel Group: Viceroy New York. Having stayed at the Viceroy Anguilla, it was clear that design and location would both take centre stage.
For a 29-story hotel with 240 rooms, including 42 suites, the beautifully designed lobby worked with great efficiency and minimal fuss at both check in and check out, with the private library creating a chic, homely atmosphere.
While the (albeit short) journey from lift to room can feel a little dark and underwhelming, the large casement windows make the rooms explode with light during the day – ask for a room high enough to offer unobstructed views of Central Park in all its glory.
Our Viceroy Park View Suite offered glorious views of autumnal New York from the bedroom and sitting area, as well as having a maritime themed window in the shower – how refreshing to see the city’s best bits while washing yours.
The design of the rooms mixes retro colours (think dark and light browns, beige and grey) with modern design touches, including being able to play music wirelessly through the sound system from your own smart phone with just a few clicks – in a world where most hotels haven’t yet moved from iPhone 4 docks to iPhone 5, this was particularly welcome.
While suites aren’t particularly large (they average 500 square feet), they are spacious enough to sleep comfortably in exquisite beds and for large bathrooms with double sinks. And you don’t go to New York to stay in your room, especially with those views of the city calling you out to play.
The Viceroy New York will unveil a stunning rooftop bar in early 2014, giving locals their own slice of downtown cool on the edge of Central Park – perhaps deciding on location isn’t so hard after all.
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[…] Manhattan is undergoing a luxury hotel resurgence at the moment – a few months ago I stayed at the new Viceroy New York, a chic hotel that brought some downtown cool […]