For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
For many of us, the path between Heathrow and JFK is so familiar that it seems less a pond to cross than a puddle to hop. And who could blame us for flocking to this wonderful city? With its fantastic bars and restaurants, irresistible shopping and gorgeous boutique hotels, New York is ever-evolving, ever with something new to show off. Browse the boutiques of NoLiTa, get your limited-edition trainers and vinyl in the East Village, take in art and culture in SoHo, see a show on Broadway and have a cocktail back in your boudoir. And that's just before dinner. This is truly the city that never sleeps. And nor should you.
Hire a bike in Central Park from the Loeb Boathouse (around 72nd) for $9 an hour. Go ice-skating at the Rockefeller Centre from October to January, or until March in Central Park. And squeeze in a few crustaceans from the NY Oyster Bar in the cellars of Grand Central Station (www.oysterbarny.com).
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in New York
Hotel Grace (formerly Hotel QT), is a cheap-chic boutique bolt hole, inches from Times Square in the middle of Manhattan, and just what you’d expect from that most artful of lodgers, André Balazs.
Stylish, youthful and with music in its soul, downtown Manhattan’s all-new Ace Hotel comes with guitars in every room, a lobby barbershop, a gourmet nose-to-tail eatery, and an explosion of bohemian energy.
Chambers is a modernist midtown Manhattan boutique hotel that pulls a few surprises out the industrial-design bag: concrete in the bathroom, unplastered ceiling and exposed pipes... all executed with impeccable style.
A beguiling muddle of styles, colours and spaces, the boho Gramercy Park Hotel is clearly a product of Ian Schrager’s idiosyncratic imagination. With its wonderful East Side location, access to the city’s only private park, and stunning rooftop gardens, it’s as edgy, cool and unclassifiable as New York City itself.
Located in the Lower East Side, the hip NY Hotel on Rivington is contemporary, lively and cool, with spacious rooms, many with a breathtaking view of that world-famous skyline.
The dark Gothic-Revival-style exterior of The Bryant Park Hotel gives way to a striking red reception, soothing brown and lilac contemporary bedrooms and a jumping crypt-like DJ bar below.
The stylish bar and restaurant and the roof terrace of this contemporary 100-roomed boutique hotel in SoHo are reason alone to stay at 60 Thompson.
With its artfully dark and seductive lobby and exclusive gent’s club atmosphere, Royalton is a Midtown-Manhattan bolthole with A-list credentials.
Cool Britannia in the heart of New York's buzzing Meatpacking District, the Manhattan outpost of London media club Soho House is the epitome of urban sophistication.
A byword for downtown hipster chic since the moment it opened, this boutique hotel on the Bowery is a slice of classic New York style with a gorgeous, quirky lobby.
A 21-storey tower of gleaming glass looming over the Bowery, The Cooper Square Hotel is part sophisticated city pad, part bookstore, with more than 4,000 volumes lining its lobby.
Built from russet-hued hand-made bricks and embellished with reclaimed wood, Robert De Niro’s Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca merges smartly and seamlessly with its surroundings, the hippest neighbourhood in NYC.
A six-storey red-brick Romanesque revival landmark building, New York boutique hotel the Mercer is the perfect fit for its SoHo locale. It’s a modern New York classic, with a very Manhattan air of effortless cool.
The Standard NY is a glorious glassy high-rise lording it over the Meatpacking District, with witty minimalist interiors, sexy exhibitionist bathrooms, and gob-smacking views.
Firmdale Hotels’ kitsch-but-classy English elegance at last extends beyond London, and includes a fabulous restaurant, sophisticated sitting rooms, and even an orange-leather-seated screening room.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
17 March St Patrick's Day Parade, when thousands flock for the big Irish celebration. April If you’re bonkers for OTT bonnets, get involved in the Easter Parade on Easter Sunday. April–May The Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert de Niro, takes place in lower Manhattan. June–August Free alfresco screenings at Bryant Park Summer Film Festival. October Costumes and music bring the streets alive for the Columbus Day Parade, which celebrates the time Chris first stumbled across this land. November The Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place on the fourth Thursday. 30 November Rockefeller Center Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.
Cosy up in the redbrick arches of this restaurant; the glow of the open kitchen couldn’t be a more romantic setting for hearty, quality eats.
194 Elizabeth Street, New York, USA
For a little taste of London, this fashionable place on West 11th is a fantastic gastropub, attracting a stellar clientele.
314 West 11th Street, 1, New York, NY 10014, USA
If you’re in the mood for the finest things in life, the $150 nine-course tasting menu at Thomas 'French Laundry' Keller’s legendary restaurant in the Time Warner Centre is a must. Remember to book aeons in advance.
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019, USA
You can’t say you’ve ‘done’ SoHo without having supped on champers and a three-tiered seafood platter at this restaurant on Spring Street in SoHo; you could be in Paris but for the distinct lack of cigarette smoke.
80 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012, USA
As much a restaurant as a bar, this place at 131 Rivington Street in the East Village is lovely for brunch or just a few drinks. Don’t let the boozy name fool you: this is also a great spot to take any little ones you might have tagging along. It has a great prix fixe kids’ menu.
131 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002, USA
We love this 'secret' restaurant at the end of Freeman Alley between Bowery and Chrystie Street, where you can eat devils on horseback among stuffed animals and a hip LES clientele.
191 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 100002, USA
Wild mushroom martini, with a spinach fondue, poached egg and crisp pancetta; cider-enhanced pork with a side of kohlrabi or Muscat-infused foie gras – some of the culinary surprises at glossy Mod-American restaurant South Gate in Jumeirah Essex House hotel. Toni Chi designed the sleek decor of this destination restaurant and cocktail lounge, while Kerry Heffernan channels his modern American/classic French dining expertise into creating the imaginative locally sourced, seasonal menu.
154 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
We suggest you visit Ian Schrager's sexy new boutique hotel, and opt for one of the fruity or spicy Manhattans in this bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel at 2 Lexington Avenue.
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA
This bar on Vanderbilt Avenue is a great spot for a pre-dinner cocktail amid the splendour of Grand Central Station.
Grand Central Terminal, 15 Vanderbilt Avenue, NY 10017
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