Hotel Giraffe

We stayed for one night during the week to celebrate our anniversary. It was a lovely place to pretend we were filthy rich. A comfortable lobby, cozy robes in the rooms, a balcony, room to walk around (very unusual!), and a friendly staff welcomed us. The one draw-back was that we forgot to turn off the air-conditioning (or at least turn it down), and we woke up cranky and cold at about 4 am. More out fault than anything else. The rooms are quiet, thanks to very insulated windows. A great stay. Not a great breakfast, but plenty to choose from. The fruit was a little old looking, as though it had been cut the night before.

Unique Quality: There is a nightly cocktail hour with piano and cheese and wine. Very pleasant. There is also a bar on the 12th floor, but it was disappointing. I'd skip that and just enjoy a cocktail at another establishment before returning to your comfy room.

Directions: It's just a block from the 6 train, and there are tons of cabs on Park Avenue.

The Hotel Giraffe is a wonderful, luxury find in New York for a reasonable price some weekends, but not all, especially if you book it on www.quikbook.com, which for some reason was $20 less per room than any of the other sites I tried.

The nouveau art deco style is sleek and soothing. The rooms are spacious, with high ceilings, two work/desk areas, and an elegant marble bath. The superior room which we booked had french doors which opened to a small but lovely balcony complete with large pot of geraniums.

The terrace on the top floor is charming and filled with flowers, though the chairs aren’t comfy enough to spend the afternoon, say, reading a book. But hey, you’re in New York! Why are you spending your time reading anyway?

This is the kind of hotel where it is totally unnecessary to even talk about cleanliness. Everything was spotless.

The staff is wonderful and very helpful. Checking in was faster than I've ever experienced at any hotel. When we had trouble with our computer, they let us use their office computer. When we asked for copies of menus from the restaurants we had visited, they made them immediately at no charge. When we decided at the last minute to go to a see a "sold-out" Broadway musical, they got us tickets effortlessly at what I thought was a reasonable price for less than 3 hours before showtime.

The automated espresso/caffe latte/cappuccino machine in the lobby makes the best coffee I’ve had since I was last in Italy. It’s free and available all day, as are cookies, fruit and bottles of water. Good continental breakfast is included in the room price, which makes this an even better deal.

I’d stay there again in a heartbeat at these prices ($220 for a double).

Unique Quality: Incredibly helpful staff; free fresh-made espresso and other coffee drinks all day.

Directions: The Hotel is located on the Northeast corner of Park Ave. and 26th; the hotel entrance is on 26th.