I'm a nineteen year old student at UCL in London studying German.
I'm a nineteen year old student at UCL in London studying German.
Member since:16.02.2005
Reviews:10
Members who trust:1
I stayed at the Hotel Belleclaire with a friend when we made our first visit to New York City in September 2005. We stayed in a twin room with a shared bathroom for four nights. We chose the Hotel Belleclaire primarily because of its price; we are both students, and it was expensive enough to get to New York without trying to delude ourselves into thinking we could afford anything more than two star accommodation!
Going to New York was an utterly amazing experience, but, as with all holidays, the standard of the accommodation that you get can make or break your enjoyment of your holiday by influencing your mood: if you have grotty, depressing accommodation, you will probably have a grotty, depressing mood to go with it. For this reason, I was dreading turning up to the Hotel given the several quite seriously negative reviews that I had seen on other sites, which warned of mouldy showers, crumbling walls and broken air-con units. In reality, we found the Hotel to be smart, cheap, clean, friendly and welcoming, and experienced none of the horrors that we had been expecting.
We booked over the internet, and so I had obviously been slightly concerned that something might have gone wrong with the booking, leaving us with nowhere to stay. But check-in went without any problem at all; we were quickly given our keys and they took care of the paperwork quickly and efficiently. We were glad to see that the room and bathroom were very clean upon our arrival; our bathroom was shared with two other rooms, one of which was empty and the other which was home to a man who used it as a permanent residence. The shower was completely clean.
As for the room itself - a budget room - we were both very pleased with what we got for our money. It was actually a very respectable size, and was equipped with large full-length mirrors, a fridge, a satellite TV, an air-conditioning unit, a telephone, a sink and an alarm clock. Rudimentary, yes, but more than you get at most places. The air-conditioning unit was a very welcome addition as we were there at the start of September, which is still at the height of the NY summer, and although the unit rattled quite noisily when it was switched on, it didn't bother us too much (we were just grateful for the cool air).
The hotel itself is clean and well-equipped. Its elevator is very handy as the hotel is quite tall, so if you are on a top floor you will make quite good acquaintance with the elevator. The staff were all very friendly to us; we often made conversation with them when we were changing our travellers' cheques every morning, and they seemed genuinely interested in us, where we were from and how we were enjoying New York. The hotel is very well located: it is in the Upper West Side, which is not really in walking distance of Lower Manhattan (although you can walk to Times Square in about forty-five minutes), and is near some good restaurants and a big supermarket and another convenience store. The hotel is on W 77 St, and the nearest subway stations are 79 St and 72 St; we usually used 72 St though, as more trains stop at that station and skip the 79 St station. There is also a gym at the hotel, although we didn't use it (we were in New York for a break, not a workout!)
Comfortable beds and rooms, excellent location, friendly staff... when I return to New York - and I'm sure I will - I will keep the Hotel Belleclaire in mind as the first place to check if I am looking for budget accommodation. I would definitely recommend it to students or young travellers generally and those who do not mind accommodation at the lower end of the comfort spectrum (ie. no jacuzzis).
(I have rated the Quality of Food & Drink as 'average' as it wouldn't let me not choose an option and the hotel does not have its own restaurant.)
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Sounds ok. I do like luxurious hotels but don't tend to have the budget for them unfortunately. I will bear your review in mind when I look into going to NY this autumn! a
newty1977 29.05.2006 15:33
Great review.... I am hoping to go to NYC in September so could prove useful !
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Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
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May 29th, 2006
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