This is Best of New York, a monthly recap of the city’s very best restaurants, bars, arts, culture, shopping, etc. etc. It’s not necessarily the latest, greatest, newest, hottest (but those spots find their way in, too); it’s simply the places that made the city sing every month that I think you might like, too.
As late August grapples towards September, a shock arrives every year: summer isn’t going to last forever in New York—something I never had to reckon with in my decade-plus living in South Florida.
With Labor Day Weekend quickening on the horizon, I decided to keep the dream of a carefree summer alive as long as possible and checked into The Fifth Avenue Hotel. Situated in Manhattan’s Nomad, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 28th Street, the hotel opened in 2023 inside a handsome Gilded Age era building with interiors by the prince of maximalist panache, Martin Brudnizki, and an excellent restaurant by chef Andrew Carmellini.
I checked into a Mansion Suite and found myself utterly charmed by fairytale-like eclectic décor and delightful special touches. Laid out with a king-sized bedroom, a separate seating area, and an enormous bathroom with a double vanity, rainfall shower and soaking tub, I’ve decided this is the ideal hotel room floor plan for maximum, effortless comfort, evocative of grand European luxury hotels, like the Hôtel Hermitage in Monte-Carlo where I stayed earlier this summer.
I always appreciate a welcome note with a special amenity or gift (yes, these are perks of being a travel writer) and I nearly squealed in delight to see Eve Babitz’s new book of letters Too L.A. edited by Lili Anolik wrapped in a satin navy ribbon awaiting me on the living room table. I am a total Babitz-head and had not yet decided to buy this new entry into her scholarship, so it was the perfect gift.
I soon noticed a stack of carefully curated books on the bedroom dresser, topped with E.B. White’s slender Here is New York. I had just been saying I wanted to read more of White’s New York writings and here was this other little gift. I spent the following morning languidly reading his beautiful 1948 essay between my big, comfy king-sized bed and the bathtub, along with room service. It starts with this delicious line:
“On any person who desires such queer prizes, New York will bestow the gift of loneliness and the gift of privacy.”
Both these books had to be sheer coincidence, but it was a nice feeling to see that the creative forces behind this hotel shared my taste and sensibilities. Current rates from about $1,520.
Luxury Hotel Trends du Jour
It’s been a banner summer for luxury hotel stays and I’ve been won over by a few touches I’ve noticed from The Fifth Avenue Hotel and beyond.
- Complimentary mini bar (sans alcohol). I first experienced this amenity—also provided at the Fifth Avenue HoteI—at The Vineta in Palm Beach earlier this summer. A habit of frugality, I tend to regard the hotel mini bar with suspicion as a price gouge, best kept off limits. How refreshing it was, then, to drink all the sparkling water I wanted, snack on a few bar nuts before dinner, and stash a fancy chocolate bar and bag of chips for the road, without thinking twice about it.
- Luxury bath products. At the Fifth Avenue Hotel, it’s a proprietary blend that, to my nose, has notes of fennel and subtle florals. At El Palace Barcelona, it’s The Today Project’s honey and orange blossom scent. At Hôtel Hermitage and Caruso, A Belmond Hotel on the Amalfi Coast, it’s the ever-superior Acqua di Parma. And at The Vineta, Santa Maria Novella, including a tube of body lotion to take home, a rarity with full-size products dominating hotel bathrooms these days. These products go a long way in making bathing a spa-like experience of pure sensory pleasure. (I have so much more to say about great hotel bathrooms, but I shall save that for another day.)
- Signature scent candle. Alongside my Babitz book, The Fifth Avenue Hotel also gifted me a candle with the hotel’s signature scent. Currently at home are other signature scented candles from El Palace and Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. (And while I’m a Diptyque devotee, they all seem high quality enough to go out on a limb and fire up.)
- Fresh flowers in room. At The Fifth Avenue, it was pink carnations in the bathroom. At The Vineta, white hydrangeas on the coffee table.
- House car. A standard and much-appreciated practice in Palm Beach, The Fifth Avenue Hotel also offers a complimentary house car, between 59th and Canal streets—but only until 3 p.m., a practice one bellman told me they’re considering extending.
These special touches need not be relegated to the top tier of luxury hotels. I also appreciate boutique hotels that go the extra mile by providing plush amenities. At the design-forward (and very well-priced) Grand Pigalle Experimental, my home away from home in Paris on my last three visits, rooms are outfitted with high-quality terry robes, slippers, extremely comfy beds with crisp linens, and luxurious bath products for the feeling of luxury.
