Recs for NYC hotel & airport for Manhattan Cruise Terminal

[crucero]

Hello! My husband and I will have 1 night in NYC on 9/12 before our 9/13 cruise departure from the Manhattan Cruise Port. I am trying to decide which airport to fly in to and out of, (probably Newark or LaGuardia) and I'm looking for a hotel for that evening. We have done most of the tourist things that we want in NYC. He wants to go to Central Park and eat dinner at a "famous steakhouse." I don't have any appreciable points with any hotel chain and don't travel enough to feel loyal to any one. I appreciate any advice! I don't need a fancy hotel. I want clean and safe. 

Thank you so much for any ideas you can share with me. 🙂

[AF-1]

LGA is the closest to midtown manhattan; and a quick taxi to the port.  Have you done a search on any of the hotel websites or travel websites?

[markeb]

A few thoughts.

 

You can do EWR, but you need to account for the cost of transportation. If you can handle your bags and are comfortable on New Jersey Transit, you can save a lot, but that can be a big if.

 

As AF-1 says, LGA is closest, and may be your best option. 

 

Look at hotels near Penn Station, roughly 34th to 37th Street, 8th Avenue to Broadway, roughly. There are a number of Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield, Courtyard, Residence Inn, I think a LaQuinta, etc., in that area. Just be aware they may be almost as expensive as a full service hotel; it is Manhattan. It's a walk or a fairly short subway ride to Central Park from there.

 

Very close by is Keen's, which is pretty much exactly a famous, old school steakhouse. There are others, obviously, such as Gallagher's, but Keen's is kind of right there if you get a hotel in that area.

[George C]

We love the hotel michealanglo close to Times Square, Rockefeller center and Central Park  but not cheap . Love Gallagher’s it’s been there for about a hundred years cool bar , love Delmonicos also but that is downtown 

[LaCal]

We stayed at The Watson which was nice and now reserved the Doubletree Hilton on our next one 

 

We’re flying into JFK 

Edited February 4, 2020 by LaCal

[Noxequifans]

Many options for hotels in Manhattan. Suggest narrow your quest to a specific area and consult TripAdvisor for possibilities. 

[waterbug123]

17 hours ago, George C said:

We love the hotel michealanglo close to Times Square, Rockefeller center and Central Park  but not cheap . Love Gallagher’s it’s been there for about a hundred years cool bar , love Delmonicos also but that is downtown 

 

We always enjoy Sparks Steakhouse on 46th.  OP- It's famous because of the big mob murder that occurred just outside, as a major NY crime boss was shot before entering back in the 80's.

[princeton123211]

I'll second Keen's for history, atmosphere, and quality. It's an old, famous steakhouse still in its original spot.

 

I saw Sparks mentioned-- while decent I think its been on a steady decline since the early 2000s-- its the type of place that the maitre'd will still leave you waiting at the bar after your reservation time unless you tip him a $20. 

 

Just don't fall into the Peter Lugar trap-- with limited time as a visitor its not worth making the trek over to Brooklyn because its just not as good at it used to be. 

 

Delmonico's gets mentioned, and its a good restaurant, but it has absolutely no historical relation to the original namesake restaurant. It's a reimagining of what that might have been long after the original closed. 

[crucero]

Thank you all for your tips! I booked our flights today to LGA and am looking over hotels. I'll look for locations near Central Park and also check out the listed restaurants. THANK YOU!

[crucero]

Do any of you know anything about the Park Lane Hotel?

[princeton123211]

8 minutes ago, crucero said:

Do any of you know anything about the Park Lane Hotel?

It used to be The Helmsley Park Lane-- where the Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean, used to hold court. 

 

It's well kept, but very dated. They tried sprucing it up a few years ago but it still has a very 1980's faded luxury vibe. Its used to put up a lot of international airline crews. Location on Central Park South is great but there are nicer hotels nearby. 

 

[crucero]

22 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

It used to be The Helmsley Park Lane-- where the Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean, used to hold court. 

 

It's well kept, but very dated. They tried sprucing it up a few years ago but it still has a very 1980's faded luxury vibe. Its used to put up a lot of international airline crews. Location on Central Park South is great but there are nicer hotels nearby. 

 

What other hotels around that area would you recommend? I would like to stay under $400 but would go up to $500 if necessary. I had a reservation at the Park Central in 2015 and their water was out and we had to book something in a panic at the last minute. We ended up at CitizenM which was clean but maybe a bit too hipster for me. 

[AF-1]

Have you looked at Hilton Hotels.  I have stayed at the Doubletree in times square.  It is great for being able to walk anywhere for dinner or a show.  Since you are there one night this may be good location for you. The price for your dates is $246 for a king bed; not including taxes

[princeton123211]

25 minutes ago, crucero said:

What other hotels around that area would you recommend?

Warwick for $227 is quite nice. The Library is very nice (but rooms can be small) for $251. The Knickerbocker for $300 those dates is a good deal on a nice hotel in Times Square (having lived in NYC for years I hate Times Square and wouldn't stay there but this is a relatively newly done luxury hotel within it). I was also surprised how much I liked the Edition Times Square so could be worth a look. 

 

Getting outside of the main tourist zone I really like the City Club Hotel-- I will use it for quick one night trips to the office in NY because it is usually inexpensive, the rooms are small (noticing a theme?) but very well appointed, and its on a quiet street surrounded by private clubs that is walking distance to most things in midtown. Rates can be $150-250. 

 

The Gramercy Park Hotel is a super nice place if you wanted to stretch the budget a little bit (read less than $500 but never less than $375) and be in a neighborhood where actual New Yorkers live. You get a key to access the normally private Gramercy Park as a hotel guest. The Nomad Hotel would be another in this category of stretching your budget that are worth it (but not in as charming of a neighborhood as GPH). 

 

If I were going to splurge and go to the top end of your budget you can sometimes find $500 range rooms at The St Regis which is spectacular and my favorite luxury hotel in Manhattan. Runners up would be The Carlyle or The Sherry-Netherland (with the caveat that the S-N is more of a residential building but the location is awesome). They have turned The Plaza into an overpriced tourist trap. 

[crucero]

9 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Warwick for $227 is quite nice. The Library is very nice (but rooms can be small) for $251. The Knickerbocker for $300 those dates is a good deal on a nice hotel in Times Square (having lived in NYC for years I hate Times Square and wouldn't stay there but this is a relatively newly done luxury hotel within it). I was also surprised how much I liked the Edition Times Square so could be worth a look. 

 

Getting outside of the main tourist zone I really like the City Club Hotel-- I will use it for quick one night trips to the office in NY because it is usually inexpensive, the rooms are small (noticing a theme?) but very well appointed, and its on a quiet street surrounded by private clubs that is walking distance to most things in midtown. Rates can be $150-250. 

 

The Gramercy Park Hotel is a super nice place if you wanted to stretch the budget a little bit (read less than $500 but never less than $375) and be in a neighborhood where actual New Yorkers live. You get a key to access the normally private Gramercy Park as a hotel guest. The Nomad Hotel would be another in this category of stretching your budget that are worth it (but not in as charming of a neighborhood as GPH). 

 

If I were going to splurge and go to the top end of your budget you can sometimes find $500 range rooms at The St Regis which is spectacular and my favorite luxury hotel in Manhattan. Runners up would be The Carlyle or The Sherry-Netherland (with the caveat that the S-N is more of a residential building but the location is awesome). They have turned The Plaza into an overpriced tourist trap. 

Thank you so much! I will look at these that you have suggested. My husband enjoys photography and it might be worthwhile to stay at the one with the special access to Gramercy Park. That sounds interesting. We've already done the touristy things mostly, so we don't feel the need to stay in the middle of all of that. 🙂

[George C]

If we cannot book michealanglo we do Hilton which is cheaper and a really good location also

[Lois R]

Need to chime in here....one of my cc friends had recommended The Casablanca to me. I am trying

to decide about a trip to NY for my birthday next month and want to be close enough to Broadway/Restaurants

that  I can walk.....anyone stayed there? It looks lovely on line and the prices look good as well. I would

normally go on a cruise but cannot seem to find one that says "buy me".  There are multiple shows on Broadway

I would love to see

[waterbug123]

17 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

I saw Sparks mentioned-- while decent I think its been on a steady decline since the early 2000s-- its the type of place that the maitre'd will still leave you waiting at the bar after your reservation time unless you tip him a $20. 

 

 

That hasn't been our experience there.  Keen's sounds interesting too though.  I wasn't familiar with it but might try it on our next visit.

[Ilovesailaway]

On 2/5/2020 at 1:56 PM, princeton123211 said:

I'll second Keen's for history, atmosphere, and quality. It's an old, famous steakhouse still in its original spot.

 

I saw Sparks mentioned-- while decent I think its been on a steady decline since the early 2000s-- its the type of place that the maitre'd will still leave you waiting at the bar after your reservation time unless you tip him a $20. 

 

Just don't fall into the Peter Lugar trap-- with limited time as a visitor its not worth making the trek over to Brooklyn because its just not as good at it used to be. 

 

Delmonico's gets mentioned, and its a good restaurant, but it has absolutely no historical relation to the original namesake restaurant. It's a reimagining of what that might have been long after the original closed. 

I agree with the recommendation to Keen's, Gallaghers as a plan B if needed. 

For a hotel I would use hotwire. Make sure its a highly recommended and in midtown. You will be convenient to either steak house, central park, and the terminal.