Last year, my sister and I were planning a few days break. New York had always been a dream location of ours so after a long search for decent priced flights (British Airways) the long search for a hotel began.
We wanted somewhere that was a hotel (and not a hostel), a good central location close to attractions and transport and a decent room - the hard task was that we only wanted to pay £400 (£200 each) for a 6 nights stay. Given that this is New York City we didn't think we would get all our requests for that price, but then we fell upon the HotelPennsylvania.
The price was great so we booked straight away (it cost exactly £400 for 2 people for 6 nights in November). Then I started to read shocking reports about the hotel, and really worried about it as the holiday drew closer.
After a long flight from the UK, and 2 bus trips into the City, we finally arrived at Hotel Penn. Check in was quick and simple so we headed straight for our room. The hotel was clean (ish) and each room door was in desperate need of replacing, but all that being said, the rooms were great! Very basic, but this is only 2 star so it was to be expected. The main room had a double bed, some drawers, a table and a television. There was a very small room off to one side - basically a wardrobe / changing room. The bathroom was clean, spacious and had all the facilities you would expect.
The Hotel is located on 34th Street (think the lovely Christmas film). It is just one block from Macy's and two blocks from the Empire State Building. It is also opposite Madison Square Garden so is perfect if you have tickets for an event. It took us about 10 minutes to walk to Times Square so is great for nearby restaurants. Penn Station is also just opposite the hotel. As we were in such a good location, we rarely used the transport system but when we did it was very handy.
We didn't use any hotel restaurant facilities (I think there was just the one) as it was so close to other better options.
This hotel was a great base for a jam packed sightseeing / shopping break. I would recommend to anyone who is trying to do New York on a budget, though maybe not for those who want luxury!
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Sounds like you had a better experience than I did! When I stayed there nearly 3 years ago, their computers were down when we checked in and they had awful trouble sorting us out a room. And it needed a good clean!
May 2nd, 2006
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