A legendary New York venue…

Please log in to recommend this experience

• Location: New York
• Holiday Types: City break, Family holidays, Getting there, Short Break, Luxury Holiday

• by: nickperry
• on: Thu 24 May 2012

16 like 493 views

It is always wonderful to see, in some of the most modern and bustling cities in the world, how the classic hotels retain their charm and place in society while successfully catering for the modern traveller.

To a list which includes London institutions like Claridge’s and The Savoy, and The Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, must be added one of New York’s legendary hotels, The Carlyle.

The fact that it was voted by readers of Ultratravel magazine in 2011 as the Best Hotel in the Americas shows how well The Carlyle, first opened in 1930 and part of New York’s Upper East Side society ever since, has evolved with its clientele.

Yes, there are still the white-gloved gentlemen who greet you and – quaintly – still operate the lifts for guests. But flat-screen HD TVs and wireless internet throughout in the modern rooms – combined with flawless service – are the nods to the modern day.

The Carlyle’s restaurants and famous Bemelmans Bar also evoke the hotel’s history and tradition, while the entertainment in Café Carlyle and Bemelmans still include Woody Allen, Elaine Stritch and some wonderful jazz trios and performers.

A room on a high floor at The Carlyle offers terrific views across Central Park and Manhattan skyline, as the hotel is just a block from the Upper East Side entrance of the wonderful park. One forgets its huge expanse - with its lakes, zoos and attractions - where you see modern New York life with the joggers, dog-walkers and cyclists always active.

Enjoy the new, exciting areas and restaurants of Manhattan, then return to your pristine art deco landmark which you are privileged to call home for a few days.

• Destinations

photos