A Beautiful Boutique Hotel NYC

A good hotel is my kryptonite.  For real, there’s nothing better than a gorgeous hotel in a cool city.  Fresh linens, a plush bed, room service (in theory, if you’re a kazillionaire), and if you’re really lucky, a thick white robe and slippers.

I have a weakness for white robes in gorgeous hotel rooms.  It will be my ultimate downfall.

So a few weeks ago I went to New York City for some meetings around the United Nations annual meetup, as a social good fellow with Shot@Life for two days of the Social Good Summit (which is where all the smart people of the world gather to rally around global issues).  It was amazing, and I’ll share the details of that later, because you all want to get involved.

Anyway, I stayed in the most adorable boutique hotel on the Upper East Side called Hotel Wales.  If you were walking past the building on the street you probably wouldn’t even notice it’s a hotel, which is pretty much the best.  I totally forgot to get a photo of the outside of the hotel because I was all caught up in being in NEW YORK CITY without being in charge of an event, which was magical.  And New York City in the fall is something special in and of itself.  See also: distracting.  So no outside hotel photo.

Even though I didn’t bring my big girl camera I really wanted to share the hotel with you, because it was just completely lovely.  So, pardon the iPhone photos; use your big girl (or boy) imaginations.

I got upgraded to a corner suite (which never, ever happens to me) and straight up gasped out loud when I saw my room.  It. Was. Enormous.  And so, so charming.

If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel in NYC, (or in an any given apartment in NYC) you know how small everything is on the inside.  There’s barely enough room for toiletries in most hotel bathrooms and the bathroom door skims your knees while you’re on the toilet.  My hotel room at Hotel Wales was bigger than most apartments.  In Milwaukee.

It’s too bad I didn’t have 12 girlfriends with me, because we totally would have fit.

Comfortably.

I had my own living room.  With its own flat-screen TV and sofa.  I didn’t check, but it’s possible the couch folded out into a bed.  I wanted to run laps around my room, maybe host a dance party or two.

But since I’m a boring old lady I did the next best thing: I curled up in the middle of the king sized bed and read a brand new book on my Kindle.  It was amazing.

Had I forgotten to bring a book (NEVER!) I totally could’ve borrowed one from the bookshelves/secretary in my room, which was filled with actual books.  Decent ones, too.

WHAKKKKK? Amazing.

Out of everything, I think the bathroom might’ve been my absolute favorite.  It was such a classic bathroom, with quaint details and a window that opened onto a private balcony.

GUYS.

The bathroom featured classic black and white floor tiles with white subway tile halfway up the walls.  Perfectly for any bathroom, but one in NYC?  Come on.

I haven’t even gotten to the best part of the hotel yet.  If you’re a boring person like me, midtown Manhattan is a little much.  Hotel Wales is in such a quiet Upper East Side neighborhood I didn’t even need earplugs to sleep.  It’s one very short block to Central Park and some of the best museums in the world like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Guggenheim.  I wish I’d had even one extra hour to spend at a museum; it was painful to be so close and not have time to wander.  Next time, for sure. Also, if you’re a big shopper, the hotel is on Madison Avenue where you’re short (emphasis on short) walking distance from the most renowned shops in the fashion business.

The hotel was marvelous; I can’t recommend it enough.  The hotel staff were amazing, which isn’t always the case in a big city, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

Did I mention they had white plush bathrobes + slippers?  They did, just for me.

Allison

Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!