*Also, i should note that i would NEVER spend this much for a hotel, but this was a desperate last minute situation (which then turned into a gift). Also, I'm VERY picky about hotels and usually book using Hotwire/Priceline for 4stars and up at cheap prices*
So you have a simcha in Boro Park and you need a place to stay. With every inch of space accounted for, most people that I know in Boro Park don't have a spare COUCH available for guests, let alone a married couple. The only local hotel options that I've been aware of until now have been the Avenue Plaza Hotel and the Park House Hotel.
I stayed at the Avenue Plaza Hotel once, as a guest of a Shabbos Sheva Brochos which were held on site. I also once had a date in the hotel lobby, but that's another story for another site... The hotel is a classic hotel set up, with a lobby, dining room, elevator, etc.
Rates for a single night start at $179 for Sun-Thu and $204 Fri-Sat. They do have a parking lot (I'm not sure if it's first come-first served) for $20/day. A "complimentary full breakfast buffet" is served daily. The website lists Wifi accessible from your room (no charge is listed)
The website does not list kitchenette details, other than a coffee maker in the room. (other amenities listed here - not all rooms have a jacuzzi)
I didn't have to pay for my room, and I shared it with my little sister. It looked like a pretty standard hotel room. One thing that was uncomfortable was that we were able to hear entire conversations from the room next to us, which happened to be the bridal suite.
I've never stayed at the Park House Hotel. From what I've heard, it's been recently renovated. Their rates start at $149 for a double occupancy studio (if available), or $169 for a double occupancy suite with kitchenette. I'm not sure if you can book a "single occupancy" ($10 less for each room) and check in as two people. Fri-Sat rates are higher, at $179 for the studio, $189 for the suite, and $20 for each additional person in your room. I don't see parking mentioned on the website.
The Park House Hotel provides a "complimentary lavish breakfast buffet" every day except Shabbos/Yontif. The website lists Wifi accessible from your room (no charge is listed)
Kitchenette details list "Brew your own coffee, or cook up your own dishes in the comfort of your room. Utensils not included." There are TVs in the room. (Other amenities listed here)
Compared to some of the hotels you can get on Priceline or Hotwire in Manhattan, these rates seem sort of steep. On the other hand, you get a kosher breakfast, and you're in the heart of Boro Park. Probably walking distance (from a Brooklyner's perspective at least) to anything you need in town. Plus you never know how long it will take you to get from Manhattan to Boro Park with traffic....
On a recent trip to NY for a family simcha, our host had to cancel on us last minute, so I set about researching another option for a place to stay for the night. A friend mentioned "the new place on Parkville" and a quick google search led me to The Suites and Villas, a company with suites and villas to rent in Miami and Brooklyn. The Brooklyn location has two buildings of suites on the same block. The Mediterranean Suite and the recently completed Veranda Suites.
The buildings were originally single family homes, but they were converted into suites (private entrances, private baths, etc.) The Mediterranean Suite rates are $150 per night ($25 surcharge if less than 2 nights) for up to 4 people. The Veranda Suites were quoted at a higher price (i believe they said either $175 or $200/night but I am unsure), as a more fancy option with a Jacuzzi in your private bathroom. There is street parking, if you can find it. Complimentary continental breakfast is provided in the morning, and 2 complimentary wifi networks cover both buildings.
The kitchens (or kitchenettes in some rooms) include a microwave (with saran wrap to double wrap your food), full size fridge with freezer, hot water urn, hot plate for shabbos, dairy utensils. There was also a 'pod' coffee maker (like a Keurig but not necessarily Keurig brand) and pods of coffee and tea were provided along with sugar, etc. They also had items like a challah cover, becher, etc. for Shabbos and pack n plays for babies. There are TVs in the living area of the suites. (other amenities listed here)
I was wondering how the continental breakfast would work, considering the hotel is set up as suites and not a building with a lobby/dining room/etc. Turns out, the breakfast is delivered to your door in an adorable picnic basket with dishes, utensils, etc.
What really drew me to the Suites & Villas was the mention of the "Private Spa" on their website. This spa has a 4.5' deep endless pool, shower, dressing area, and bathroom. Guests can reserve hourly timeslots to use the spa. Both the Mediterranean and Veranda Suite reservations included use of the spa.
I called pretty last minute to make a reservation, and the person I spoke with, Surie (i believe an owner) was very helpful and answered all my crazy questions ("the bathrooms arent shared, right?")
Considering the price difference in rooms, but the fact that there was a POOL downstairs so who needed a jacuzzi?, we booked the Mediterranean suite for one night (generously sponsored by my parents as a birthday gift). To our surprise, we were actually put up in what i assume was the Veranda Suite for the night. They must have just finished the suites, there was actually someone finishing the marble floor in front of our doorway when we arrived at check in time. The suite was absolutely gorgeous.
We entered the suite to find a couch, flat screen TV, closet, and kitchen with table and chairs. The spacious bedroom included two double (or queen??) beds with what felt like temperpedic (or generic equivalent) mattresses. The bathroom had a jacuzzi (which I tried to test out, but it didn't seem to work. Considering we did not pay for a room with jacuzzi, I wasn't too disappointed. It may not have been hooked up yet, that's how new the suite was!)
One thing that I noticed was how well the suite was decorated. The light fixtures in each room were especially impressive. I drooled over the bathroom sink and decor, wishing I had such a nice one in my own house.
Inside the suite was a binder with all of the information you might need. Information on how to reserve time and access the spa, the wifi network, how to indicate if you would like breakfast or not, local restaurants, shuls, etc. and more. Another interesting thing, there were PLENTY of electric outlets in the bedroom. In most hotels I have to unplug a lamp or move a night stand to find somewhere to plug my phone in overnight. No such issues in this room though!
The highlight was definitely the spa. For past vacations we have looked into renting private homes with private pools (in Florida, etc.) but there are actual zoning laws in most of the areas we looked at preventing fences above a certain height! Here we were in the middle of BORO PARK and we were able to to book two timeslots during our stay and had fun swimming around the pool and testing the various endless pool strength settings. I spent most of the time being pushed around the pool by the force of the water (actually a lot of fun) Again, the spa was another well decorated area of the hotel, and we even discovered yet another fancy light fixture in a changing room that was still under construction.
The only issue we had was that our confirmation email did not arrive before we got to town (system glitch, or last minute reservation issue?) but when we arrived and were unsure where to go, we gave the Suites & Villas and were directed to the office right away. They re-sent our email and told us where to go and the codes to get into the building and suite. (the rooms all use shabbos-locks with codes instead of keys) M2 was a little disappointed that there was no elevator (we were on the 3rd floor).
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| chart comparing rates of the 3 hotels |
And now for a photo tour:
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| entering the suite |
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| the bathroom has two doors, one to the living area and one into the bedroom |
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| kitchen area |
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| bedroom, check out the night stand and funky lamp! |
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| the beds were super comfy |
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| light fixture in bedroom |
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| amazing vanity/sink in bathroom |
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| FUNKY light fixture in bathroom |
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| jacuzzi/full size tub/shower |
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| entering the spa |
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| the spa has a lock on the outside and a deadbolt inside in case someone shows up during the wrong time slot. funky armoire marked private probably holds extra supplies or something. |
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| a room under construction |
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| contains another chandelier! |
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| crooked pic of changing room and shower |
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| nice sink outside the bathroom in the spa |
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| some of the decor next to the pool |
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| other side of the pool |
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| very neat ceiling in the spa |
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| breakfast basket delivery! |
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| rolls, danishes, plates, utensils.... |
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| drinks, yogurts, spreads |
