Long weekend in New York, hotel recommendations?

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DH and I are going to NY for a long weekend without the dc's - oh yes, I said without the dc's.

We'd like to stay somewhere nice, that feels fairly luxurious and have a mid range budget, well no budget really, but I don't want to spend a fortune. Any ideas???

While I'm at it, any ideas for must do things to do.

I stayed at the Melrose on 64th - was def mid budget as i wanted to spend more shopping!!!

I am soooooooooo jealous

If you want to get the absolute most of NY, I'd strongly recommend you stay in SoHo. It's the buzziest part of the city with - Barneys aside - all the shops you could ever need, plus lots of great bars, restaurants and close enough to theatre district. The last hotel i stayed in was the Soho Grand - v. groovy for $200/night (this was last July). try to stay in a 'boutique' hotel if you can rather than a characterless monolith. Other nice ones are the Mercer, 69 Thompson, the W.

If you can, I'd try to do a helicopter tour, the Statten Island Ferry, Central Park on the Sunday on a bike or roller blades (!), a broadway show if you can, FAO Schwarz, MOMA, the UNion Square Cafe (my favourite restaurant) just wandering around taking it all in....V. jealous of you

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Yep, I was thinking 'boutique' rather than 'sales conference' type. Will go off and have a look at those ideas.

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Essex House on Central Park South is great. Not boutique, fairly big, but good value, lovely old fashioned feel and right opposite park and 5mins from Madison Avenue etc.

Those trendy boutique hotels are a total rip off. Style over comfort. And teeny weeny rooms.

Oh that's funny - it is a bit gloomy in there. But the food's so yummy. We saw Robert de Nire in there once

Agree about style over comfort, but we like that! Have had a look around, think I need to allow more budget then I'd imagined if we want to 'do everything'. I guess we're worth it though, first holiday without children in 9 years.

If you insist upon style over comfort stay at the Hudson. It is the cheapest of the Schrager hotels. I stayed there: my room was miniscule, but in NYC you re out all day having a ball so that may not matter. And the public rooms are incredible.

www.hudsonhotel.com/

Looks great Dullwitch, I've also noticed that there's a substantial price difference when I select dates in a couple of weeks time rather than end of April when I want to go. So I might book closer to the time.

It'll be cheaper now because it's not a high season really; typically it's really cold in NY now...though with global warming and the like, you can't fully predict with confidence. Around St. Patrick's Day, prices may go up. Then for Easter and then Spring and of course beyond for Summer, etc.. Have fun!!!!!!

The Algonquin

My favourite restaurant is the River Cafe the Brooklyn side of Brooklyn Bridge. Get a window table. here

My favourite restaurant is the River Cafe the Brooklyn side of Brooklyn Bridge. Get a window table. here