Quality and Value in a nice Neighborhood
Written: Sep 30 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice location, large rooms, reasonable price, clean. And Oh that Rooftop.
Cons: Quiet neighborhood, not the trendiest
The Bottom Line: Great price for the room size and cleanliness. Comfortable, relaxing place to stay near most of the action in NYC.
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| ballast's Full Review: Shelburne Murray Hill |
I thought I wrote this review already, but I must have forgotten. Here it goes.
Stayed at the Shelburne Murray Hill Hotel (SMH) over the July 4th weekend of 2003. My wife and i took a one bedroom suite while another couple had a regular room on another floor. The SMH was very accomodating and we got a great rate from site59.com. We paid just under $200 per night (pre-tax) for the suite.
The SMH is on Lexington at 37th. Easy cab or car trip from JFK or LAG via the nearby Queens/Midtown tunnel. The hotel is a bit older but well maintained. The lobby has a small restaurant bar. We ate breakfast there once and they had a full-on buffet for $12 (I think). I would rather pay this than get charged for the useless "free" Continental breakfast that is all carbs and sugars with no protein.
http://www.affinia.com/6_8_she_overview.cfm
Our room had a view of the East River and the suite got us a pretty full sized kitchen with stove and fridge. The front room had a TV, a sofa, two upholstered chairs, a desk and a four seat dining table. The bedroom had another TV and a nice Queen sized bed. Not real soft, but that was fine by me. The AC was running most all the time and it was nearly over-matched. This was never a real problem, and unless you are there in July or August it is a non issue. The bathroom was medium sized and in good shape but not recently redone. Tub and shower combo with a blow drier. Nothing mega fancy, but comfortable.
The location is quiet and there is not a lot going on in the immediate neighborhood. This may be a plus or a minus depending on your taste. No loud parties, but it was alos a cab ride to activities. There are some delis that deliver just down Lex so pick up a menu and they will bring grub to your door. Nice. We never tried room service. There is an excellent liquor and wine store on 37th and Third Ave, just around the corner. Not many nearby restaurants that I could find, but we mostly headed to the Village, Soho, Tribeca area anyhow.
If you are looking for hip, happening or crackalacking - you probably do not read epinions. I have also stayed at the W- Union Square recently and it was the opposite of the SMH - much cooler in location and in the hotel itself. The rooms at the WUS are much smaller and pricier, Chose accordingly.
One of the main reasons to stay at the SMH is because of the roof. When we were there, the bar on the roof was closed, which was initially disappointing. It may be open again now, but i cannot tell you anything about it. There are several rooms on the top floor that are individual bungalow type things with doors that open onto the rooftop itself. These might be cool, but I think you get rained on going to the elevators.
The view from the roof catches the Empire State and Chrysler buildings looming overhead. I think the roof is 22 floors up. Very nice. The river and the Qboro bridge were visible to the east. Since it was Independence Day we got a special treat.
The fireworks in the East river were set off from barges right at 37th street. Many of the guests in the hotel were up on the roof and they said we couldn't bring drinks up there but no one really stopped us. The fireworks were amazing - the best display i have ever seen. The framing between several taller buildings made the fireworks even better. A great show. The FDR along the East River was closed down and nearly a million folks packed down there. There were traffic jams for hours before and after, but we were able to watch the show from the roof and jump in a cab on Lox and speed away for a night of downtown fun.
If you are going to be in NYC over Independence Day I would recommend the SMH - just for the ease of viewing the fireworks AND skipping the sweatsoaked crowds. The fact that it is a good hotel for the price is a bonus.
There were a few negatives. There were only two elevators and one was out of order off and on most of our visit. That made trips from the upper floors to the lobby a bit of a hassle. Now, I can't really think of any others.
I would recommend staying here if this review appeals to you. Good price and close to most things. If I was on a business trip and needed to do stuff in Midtown I would chose this hotel to avoid the chaos of Midtown.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ballast
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Location: LA CA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I live in the big city and do some stuff.
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