Mr & Mrs Smith

An absolutely fabulous experience. The Royalton is very discreet from the outside and it's lovely to walk into a warm and tastefully decorated main hallway, especially on a cold December day in New York. The rooms are very comfortable and a good size for NYC, containing all the amenities and gadgets you could need, the iPad being a great touch for ordering room service and checking on a good range of hotel information. We used the iPad for ordering breakfast and the kitchen staff telephoned within a minute to confirm our order.  The bar staff were extremely friendly, evident when they found out we were engaged and gave two glasses of champagne and two rounds for free. All in all, a great hotel and one we would highly recommend and visit again.

The Royalton is a trendy cosmopolitan hotel with an exceptional bar and seating area to warm those evenings on a cold December night. Although the bar is very dark, it gives the feel of intrigue and a sense of being hidden away from the outside bustle of New York. We were upgraded to a junior suite which was sensational. We had a free iPad in the room to use to plan our days and check what was going on when. It's worth enquiring if there are any upgrades available on arrival as the staff are very friendly and happy to help. On one day we visited Woodbury Common – a must, even though it is an hour out of town in New Jersey. You can get a coach out from the coach station and once you arrive you enter a shopping dream: 200 outlet shops including UK names such as French Connection and Aldo, as well as the US brands consisting of Ralph Lauren, Seven, All Mankind etc. We ended up spending the whole day there and literally shopping till we dropped. On arrival go to the customer service desk where they give you a book of vouchers for each store to spend, some are useful but others are not (remember to check each voucher before you go into the store to not lose out on money off discounts). Then head to Appleby's for that cold beer and American comfort food before getting the return coach home for a well earnt nap and rest from carrying all those shopping bags. A shopaholics dream, honestly.

We had an excellent lightish supper at the Fig & Olive which is at 10E 52nd between 5th and Madison just about a 15 minute walk from the Royalton. Extremely tasty food and a great change from the more typical New York restaurants. great wine choice and all reasonably priced. From the sublime to the .... we had quite outstanding steaks at Smith & Wollenskys where the fries and the onion rings are a must!