£2 in the Premium Fund?! Are they having a laugh? Please take a look at my blog: http://chicklitrev...
£2 in the Premium Fund?! Are they having a laugh? Please take a look at my blog: http://chicklitreviews.com
Member since:12.04.2007
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When I was booking a holiday for my partner and I to go to New York, I did a lot of research about hotels, locations, sight-seeing spots etc and then tried to find the best one out of a huge list I made. I didn't want to pay a lot for the hotel because I knew we wouldn't be in it much, and when I saw the Best Western name, I thought it would be a good idea to stick with what I know! So I booked 4 nights in this hotel in December 2005, my second trip to the fantastic NYC.
We easily got a transfer from the airport, and gave the driver the address which I had printed out before we left the UK. We speedily set off into the manic NYC traffic in our little yellow cab, and were there within about 1 hour, not bad considering the traffic! The hotel had a nice frontage, it was all gold, had loads of Christmas lights and little Christmas trees outside, which I thought was a nice
touch! Plus, the archway over the entrance was all lit, which was good when we came back late at night.
Anyway, so we went into the hotel, and it was so lovely and warm compared to the outside! The guy on reception was SO polite, checked us in really quickly, and even offered to help my partner carry out suitcases up because I was 6 months pregnant at the time. We were given a swipe card to our room and shown to a tiny lift, and I mean TINY, my baby bump and I took up nearly 1/4 of it! We were staying on the 12th or 13th flor, cant quite remember lol (I blame baby brain) and in a room at the end of a corridor.
The room was very pleasant. It wasn't the biggest hotel room I have ever stayed in but it was good enough for me and my partner (and the bump!). There was a nice double bed with 4 pillows, blankets and a quilt topper, all in a cery good condition. Opposite the door was the small bathroom which had a toilet, and a bath with shower in it. It was a good sized bathroom, the water was lovely and hot and in good supply, and there were fresh towels every morning!
We heard on the news that the NYC transport were having a strike on the day we needed a taxi to the airport so we went down and spoke to reception about it, saying we obviously couldn't miss our flight. They directed us to the airport transfers desk where you could book a transfer at specific times for about $50 which was good value. So we booked it, and the worry was over.
When we checked out off the hotel, the staff wished us a Merry Christmas and good luck with our baby which I thought was very nice. The transfer bus was on time, and had about 8 people in it, but we weren't too cramped.
Location: To be honest, I couldn't have asked for a better location with this hotel, and I cant believe what a good location we got for the price we paid! The hotel was situated between Times Square and 8th Avenue, on West 48th Street. If you left our hotel, went to the right for about 100m, you were in Times Square, it was unbelievable! Surrounding us was the Hersheys shop, the famous NYC Times Square lights, McDonalds, Virgin Megastores, and all the other stores around Times Square. The night time was fantastic, and because it was so close to the hotel, we often did a lot of sight seeing at night around there because it only took us 5 minutes to get back!
Every other NYC major site except the World Trade Centre is walkable, we walked to the Empire State Building, to Macys, Bloomingdales, and Central Park. It was great exercise lol, but a nightmare for someone who was 6 months pregnant and needed the loo every 5 minutes (to my partners annoyance!).
On our first night, we wanted to explore so we got a map from the hotel and headed off to the Rockefeller Centre to see the world famous Christmas tree. It only took us about 15 mins to walk there, and it was so easy to find! The hotel couldn't be in a better location, and best of all, if you forget the hotels address when you get in a taxi, just asked to be dropped off in Times Square, and you are all but there!
General Information: Check-In: 3PM (15:00) Check-Out: 12PM (12:00) Hotel Ratings: AAA-2 Diamonds
Best Western President Hotel: 234 W 48th Street, New York, New York
Shopping Distances: 0.3 mile(s) from Fifth Avenue shopping 0.5 mile(s) from fashion district 0.5 mile(s) from Saks Fifth Avenue 1.5 mile(s) from Bloomingdale's 1.6 mile(s) from Macy's
Transport Near the Hotel: 0.6 mile(s) from Port Authority bus terminal 1.4 mile(s) from Penn Station 12 mile(s) from LaGuardia International Airport 17 mile(s) from John F. Kennedy International Airport 22 mile(s) from Newark International Airport
For information, we stayed there between the 12th and 17th of December 2005, and for this year, prices at that time of year (the most magical in NYC!) are $1,244.75, which I think is great value for a hotel in its location at Christmas time.
This hotel is for you if you want something in a prime location, for a very good price. The rooms are not huge, but the staff are pleasant, willing to help and the hotel offers airport transfers too. I would recommend this hotel to couples travelling to New York, I cannot comment on family rooms as we only stayed in a 2 person room, but the hotel does cater for children. Fantastic value for money hotel.
Please note: This hotel is part of the Best Western hotels group, for more information see www.bestwestern.com
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