So if you don’t have 15 very close friends (or even 5) to share the Best Mansion in Manhattan, then you might need to stay in a hotel.  This was the hotel I stayed in the very first time I visited New York (June 2008), although it was the smallest room I’ve ever stayed in, and our visit was made pretty uncomfortable by the noisiest air conditioning unit ever, I would still recommend it.

First of all if, like us, you get a noisy air conditioning unit - call the front desk - insist they fix it or ask for a serious discount.  We were too jet lagged, wired and generally green to get it fixed - instead we waited until the last day to complain and er... nothing happened because we were checking out.  Also the noise from the street was so loud it didn’t make as much difference as you would think.  Take earplugs.

The bathroom was a decent size and just lovely, the decor was stunning, the TV was ridiculously big and the mini-bar had several adult novelties that made us laugh.

Even if you don’t stay here, the hotel boasts one of the nicest bars we visited in our time in New York (of course we only visited it after we’d tried every other bar in Manhattan!)

It’s also a fabulous location, near to the first skyscraper in New York the Flatiron Building, near to Madison Square Park, and the subway too.  Also a short cab ride away from Times Square if you don’t fancy navigating!