New York city guideHotels This article is more than 12 years old10 of the best B&Bs in New York
This article is more than 12 years oldHotelChatter.com editor Juliana Shallcross selects the top 10 B&Bs in New YorkAs featured in our New York city guide
Lafayette House
Practically a secret hotel that never advertises and never appears on booking sites, the Lafayette House on East 4th Street in the Bowery doesn't even have signage except for a small nameplate next to the door. The low-key vibe continues inside the converted brownstones' 15 rooms and suites with a serious-looking antique furnishings, working fireplaces and white-tiled bathrooms. It's run by the same people behind the lively Bowery Hotel just a few blocks away, but the Lafayette House doesn't have a restaurant or bar or even a front desk.
38 E. 4th Street, +1 212 505 8100, lafayettenyc.com. Queen rooms start at $295 a night
Abingdon Guest House
Named for the Abingdon Square Park in the popular Greenwich Village neighbourhood, the Abingdon Guest House offers a quiet alternative to the party hotels in the nearby Meatpacking District. Spread over two landmark townhouses from the 1850s, the nine rooms have distinctly different decor from the bold-coloured Ambassador room to the English country Windsor room. All have their own bathroom and several have exposed brick walls. There's daily maid service and free WiFi, but you are on your own as far as food. Fortunately, good restaurants are never scarce in the village.
13 8th Avenue, +1 212 243 5384, abingdonguesthouse.com. Rooms from $159
Akwaaba Mansion
For having only four guestrooms, the Akwaaba Mansion in Stuyvesant Heights sure covers a lot of ground. Run by husband and wife, Glenn Pogue and Monique Greenwood, the B&B has tastefully done themed rooms like the Black Memorabilia room which is filled with collectibles and the Ashante room which displays African artifacts. All rooms have private baths and some even have jaccuzzis. Another rarity for a B&B in New York is the large, enclosed sunporch and secluded garden.
347 MacDonough Street, +1 718 455 5958 akwaaba.com/brooklyn. Rates start at $170 a night and includes a Southern breakfast and afternoon tea and refreshments
Rugby Gardens
No matter how bad you are with directions, you can't miss the Rugby Gardens, a three-story Victorian home with a color-blocked exterior of mustard yellow, brick red and aqua blue. Located on a tree-lined street in Brooklyn's Ditmas Park, the B&B has just two guestrooms and one shared bathroom but can accommodate up to five guests. The owners, Sue Fishkin & Michael Hurwitz, encourage guests to take their shoes off and offer a basket of slippers next to the stairs to ensure that you do.
317 Rugby Road, +1 718 469 2244, website. Rates start at $150 a night. Continental breakfast is included but there's a two-night minimum
Franklin Hotel
If the show "Gossip Girl" has you curious about life on the Upper East Side, spend a few days at the Franklin Hotel for a complete immersion. The hotel's location on East 87th Street puts it just a few blocks from Central Park, the Guggenheim, and the designer shops on Madison Avenue. The 50 guestrooms look much like the apartments inhabited by UES residents with their soft color schemes and pretty lighting. Bvlgari toiletries, Frette bathrobes and access to the New York Sports Club are some of the amenities offered.
164 East 87th Street, +1 212 369 1000, franklinhotel.com. Rates start at $299 a night and include a European-style breakfast
Harlem Flophouse
True, the services are limited and the rooms are cheap for Manhattan, but the Harlem Flophouse on West 123rd street is nothing to be scared of. Set inside a renovated prewar building, the B&B has four bedrooms that pay homage to jazz greats like Thelonious Monk and the writer Chester Himes. There are two shared bathrooms but each has its own antique clawfoot tub. Nearby are jazz clubs The Lenox Lounge and Minton's as well as the Studio Museum of Harlem which specializes in African art.
242 West 123rd Street, +1 347 632 1960, harlemflophouse.com. Rooms start at $100 for a single, breakfast is not included
Stay the Night
In the heart of the Upper East Side's Carnegie Hill neighborhood on 93rd Street, Stay the Night has seven rooms to accommodate various traveler needs. There are two small standard guestrooms with queen beds and shared baths, a one-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and four Victorian suites with private bathrooms. The Central Park Reservoir is close by as is the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.
18 East 93rd Street, +1 212 722 8300, staythenight.com. Rooms start at $75 for the guestroom but the Fox Suite which has a little deck overlooking the private garden outback goes for just $215
1871 House
Just off Park Avenue on East 62nd Street is the 1871 House, a five-story townhouse with eight rooms that range from a studio with a kitchenette to a three-bedroom suite. The decor is a hodgepodge of French country, Victorian and Americana but the high ceilings, wood floors and working fireplaces are nice homey touches. The location is what really wins out here as you are close to the best of both the Upper East Side and midtown. If you want to explore further, the 59th Street station on Lexington is just three blocks away.
130 East 62nd Street, +1 212 756 8823, 1871house.com. Rates range from $225 to $445 a night
Inn at Irving Place
If Edith Wharton ever needed a place to stay in modern day New York City, she might feel right at home at the Inn at Irving Place in Gramercy Park. Two classic brownstones were combined to create 12 guestrooms and residences but remnants of the original architecture remain like the Victorian staircase leading to the guestrooms. Rooms are heavy on "period furnishings" yet they are meticulously cared for. The restaurants, shops and bars of Union Square are a few clicks away and the Inn has its own tea salon, Lady Mendls, and lounge, Cibar.
56 Irving Place, +1 212 533 4600, innatirving.com. Rooms start at $325 a night
Harbor House Bed and Breakfast
The best views of Manhattan can often be found off the island, like the views from the Harbour House on Staten Island. The 11-room B&B prides itself on its location in the New York Harbour with each room description denoting the type of view it has such a city, Statue of Liberty or Verranzo Bridge.) The accommodations are a bit dated with floral rugs and floral bedspreads but it could be worth the photos to show the folks at home.
1 Hylan Boulevard, +1 718 876 0056, nyharborhouse.com. Rates start at $79 for a room with bunk beds and a shared bath to $150 a night for The Staten Suite
Juliana Shallcross is editor of HotelChatter.com
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