This surprising New York hotel steeped in history in Manhattan’s trendy NoMad neighbourhood plunges you into a world of theatrical design and the highest level of luxury and service.
It’s also home to a James Beard-award winning Italian and French fine-dining restaurant that’s become a city hotspot in its own right.
The Vibe
A stay at the multi-award-winning Fifth Avenue Hotel, one New York’s newest and hottest, promises an immersive experience from the moment you walk through the discreet entrance in a historic landmark on 28th Street. Signature scent hangs in the air above the light, bright double-height lobby, decorated with antique mirrors, crystal chandeliers, brocade sofas and dark-wood cabinets filled with books and trinkets. Impeccably mannered, formal yet calm staff in suits (complete with signature turtle brooches, a symbol of the hotel) make checking in and out a dream. You’re then whisked past a Wes Anderson-esque concierge desk, along a short low-lit corridor, past walls hung with framed pictures of eyes into lifts lined with deep-red pleated fabric from Paris. No sooner are you in your room, a tweed-suited butler arrives with a refreshing grapefruit juice and cooling towel on a silver tray.
The Rooms
A rich colour palette of grass greens, buttercup yellows and peony pinks infuse the hotel’s 180 whimsically styled rooms spread across two buildings. Most coveted are the suites in the historic landmark – nicknamed ‘the mansion’ – each with a king bed, separate living room and a spa-inspired marble-clad bathroom. Those in the adjacent 24-floor glass tower come in a variety of sizes, from cosy queens to corner suites big enough for families. Each feature details like Murano glass chandeliers, Pagoda-style table lamps and wardrobes inspired by traditional Chinese cabinets.
Despite its busy location, rooms are havens of tranquillity thanks to triple-glazed windows; and with only eight rooms to a floor, the corridors – either pink or yellow depending on where your room is located – are short which lends a homely feel.
The Food + Drink
Start with a martini in the darkened Portrait Bar, a popular after-work hang-out, where drinks are served with little red-and-white striped boxes of popcorn. Head for dinner at Café Carmellini, the hotel’s casual ground-floor Italian and French fine dining restaurant, where the motto is ‘come as you are’. Staff in black suits glide around with focussed efficiency in a big space flanked by an open kitchen and bar. Aside from the extraordinary food, two giant trees surrounded by blue-velvet banquette seating are the stars of this high-ceilinged space: for a bird’s eye view of it in action, grab a table up on the mezzanine.
Dishes from a small selection are simply described; a ploy to induce surprise. Think Japanese sardine toast, artichoke almandine, duck tortelloni; all much fancier than they sound, of course. Order an aperitif or nightcap and staff wheel a bar cart stocked with spirits to your table and mix you one up.
The Little Extras
Where to begin, there are so many. All rooms have fresh flowers, the latest Nespresso machines and ‘maxi bars’, plush curated selections of artisan drinks and snacks (most of them free), and delicate Italian glassware inside dark-wood cabinets. Butlers are on call for your every whim. Extra maxi bar snacks? No problem. Chunky slippers embossed with turtles and two square chocolates on a silver tray are left by your bedside at turndown – and a cocktail if you wish.
The To-Do List
Drink your morning coffee in Madison Square Park, an elegant green space surrounded by 19th-century architecture with winding paths lined with plants like flowering dogwood. From here it’s a short hop to many of the city’s vibrant areas – the Flatiron Building, Chelsea, Union Square, Gramercy Park, the Highline and the Fifth Avenue shopping district.
All image credit: Fifth Avenue Hotel
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