Mr & Mrs Smith

Having stayed at the Standard Hotel on the other side of Manhattan for three nights in the glamorous Meatpacking District, we chose to jump over to the heart of gritty-grotty Lower East Side for a taste of 'authentic' downtown. Well, we loved it. The Hotel on Rivington has a totally unassuming entrance, bar the weird 'organic' structure as you enter (really misguided if you ask me, with no reception, just a corridor of grotty red carpet and a couple of lifts). A bit of a shock, especially straight after the superglamorous Standard. But then – you hit the button to floor 15 after a brief stop at floor two, where the tiny reception is, and you exit to find NY downtown fabulousness. Our room was a corner king which is highly recommended as it is essentially a superstylish large box – very generous for NY standards, with two walls made entirely out of glass affording you a spectacular view of Manhattan. This is Lower East, so the view is graffitied rooftops with decaying aircon units and blinking deli signs. This is the Tenement district – the old NY of workers and immigrants currently taken over by artists and young creatives – so the image really fits. And you can see as far as the Brooklyn bridges and the Financial District, so no skimming on the panorama. The corner king room is really lovely: super spacious, with the best bed we have ever slept on with Frette sheets, cloud-soft pillows and a divine Tempur mattress; massive bathroom with a shower offering views just like the room (don't turn the light on at night when showering if you're shy). Fabulous austere design of grey-brown-blacks throughout, gorgeous products, sweets and cookies every day. Oh, and a balcony. Really one of the best rooms anywhere ever. No breakfast or restaurant in the hotel for now, they are refurbishing that part, but frankly why would you want it. The area is all cafes, delis and bars where you can have the most wonderful breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner/drinks at any time of day, literally two steps from the hotel. Basically, think of the Rivington as your private dream apartment in the trendiest area of NY, discretely hidden behind an appropriately unattractive entrance.

If the Meatpacking is old-NY-turned-LA-glamorous, Lower East is old-NY-turned-NY-trendy. The urban structure here is small scale, with the incredibly picturesque tenement buildings being sensitively restored, keeping the old feel with modern 'designer' factor, resulting in a very attractive whole. The area is still quite grotty with quite a bit of poverty evident, as is the case in all genuinely trendy parts of the world – think Shoreditch circa 1999. But it is totally worth a visit. Here are some of the best small art galleries in town as well as the newish New Museum of contemporary art – a major investment in the upscaling of the area. In terms of restaurants, the National on Rivington Street is tiny, white-tiled and beautifully lit, with gorgeous food and drink. A total find, not in any guides we know of. Freeman's: all the hype is right, fabulous place fabulous food. Schillers on Rivington Street does the best brunch all day, great decor too.

The hotel is fantastic: very media but great. I proposed to my girlfriend on the balcony overlooking Manhattan and it was so special. It took me a long time to find a hotel with a balcony that overlooked the Empire State Building that you could have a glass of champagne on, but this did just that – thanks to Mr and Mrs Smith for helping me find it.

If you walk out the hotel and turn left there is a great little café owned by Moby on the right hand side called 'teany'. It's a cosy little place but really relaxing and cool. Another good tip is the restaurant at the top floor of Macy's. We have sat by the window looking over 5th Ave twice now and it's great for a good lunch – nothing spectacular but good if you're in the middle of shopping.

The Clinton Street Bakery just round the corner from the Hotel on Rivington has got to be the best Sunday brunch in NY. I have considered flying back for the weekend for nothing more than a seat in the window, a big cup of coffee and a plate of scambled eggs and chorizo!