Following the hype of the birth of Princess Charlotte, I too wish that I was born to royalty. Wishful thinking aside, New York Palace is probably the closest you get to feeling like a royal in this concrete jungle of consumerism and materialistic culture.
The New York Palace is not technically a palace, but a former luxury residence of Bavarian financier Henry Villard. It is steeped in history and is a recognized historic landmark in New York. The location is unbeatable - set in Midtown Manhattan and on the opulent Madison Ave, it is a stone's throw away from the decadence of Fifth Avenue and opposite the epic St Patrick's Cathedral (the seat of the archbishop of NY, Cardinal Timothy Dolan), it is definitely your to-go hotel for a memorable staycation.
What I love most about this hotel is the perfect blend between modernity and the old-world charm. The mansion part of the hotel is constructed in Italian Palazzo-Style with luxurious marble finishings and reminds us so much of all the beautiful palaces that we visited in Europe.
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| Hotel Courtyard facing St Patrick's Cathedral |
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| Look at the gorgeous staircase and lights!
The modern aspect of the hotel comes in the newly-renovated and modernly-equipped rooms. The rooms come with the latest modern technology of remote-controlling of the window shades, lighting settings and thermostat at the convenience of an tablet device on your bedside. It provides a futuristic peek into the future of room furnishings and household technology.
Nice and comfy room with fine, luxury furnitures
If you ever stay in this hotel, do stay at the modern section called the Tower if you can! The Tower provides you with extra perks that make your stay extra special. The lowest room in the Tower is on the 43rd floor, so there is no such thing as a bad view when you are so high up! The Tower also has a separate reception and concierge area from the rest of the hotel and occasionally, there will be fruits, bottled water and even free champagne! The separate lobby even smells better, thanks to the generous burning of the classic Diptyque Baies candle. There is also turn down service for those who stay at the Tower, as well as complimentary shoe shine. There are just one too many perks to be named! Additional perks available to all are the daily 'palace hour' at 5pm at the lobby lounge where specialty confectionaries are served! On the day that we stayed, there was truffle popcorn and that was possibly the best popcorn I've ever eaten!
View from our room
Finally, we really love the amenities at the hotel. The gym is huge with an onsite steam room and there is also a nice spa available if you are ready to splurge. Also, the baosies always have a soft spot for luxury soaps, and the hotel offers one of the best soap brands that any establishment can ever offer .... Molton Brown!! The aroma of the iconic Pink Pepperpod Bodywash simply melts away any stress from your body and spices up your bath.
Molton Brown Mania
For all the praises that I have deluged on you my dearest readers, there are of course ways in which the hotel could have been improved. The price to pay for staying so high up is that the elevator on the way up was exceedingly scary as it shook excessively and I had to cling on to my dear life. Also, they could have made our experience more memorable by remembering that we were celebrating Ben's birthday. Other hotels have offered gestures of goodwill to us, such as free champagne and cake. However, we were staying over Mothers' Day weekend so I guess everyone was having some sort of celebration in their own way and that was somewhat an unfair expectation.
Ultra comfy bed
Overall, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable stay and the little things that the hotel offers definitely helped to make it stand out from other staycations that the baosies have had.
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