Hôtel Plaza Athénée
- T+L 500 Winner
COST: $$$$$
One of the few independent hotels left in Manhattan, this 149-room bijou is cherished by Europeans (and savvy celebrities) for its intimacy and attentive staff. Set on a quiet, tree-lined street off Madison Avenue, the hotel entry has a hushed, secret-garden ambience; guests check in while seated at an antique French desk, then pass huge granite urns of cascading flowers on their way to the elevators. The rooms are decorated with fanciful elegance—rose-marble bathrooms, Asian-silk bedspreads, gold Paul Garnier wall clocks, color schemes of copper-and-blue or silver-and-green—although there's something undeniably civilized about all those architectural drawings on the walls. In the afternoons, guests can join well-heeled and done-up neighborhood locals for cocktails or afternoon tea in the dusky, leather-floored Bar Seine.
Tip: Have one of the hotel's two Clef d'Or concierges help you get the best out of the neighborhood—with a Central Park picnic basket or a personal shopper at nearby Barneys or Bergdorf Goodman.
Room to Book: No. 1509 or No. 1510, the only (nonsuite) rooms with balconies.
As Featured In...
From Travel + Leisure, Nov 2006
“And when the weather is warm, the Café du Marché, on Rue Cler, sprays a mist of water onto the patio every 10 minutes, and I can have my orange juice and croissant and read my paper and watch people go by for hours....” MORE>>
Last updated January 2008 lastArticle = 11/2006 and lastAward = 01/2008
MARKETPLACE
Become a fan
Follow us