New York City's Bed & Breakfasts

One of the most costly and aggravating parts about visiting New York City is finding affordable accommodations. Even the cheapest chain hotels are expensive and the common solution of staying in a motel in New Jersey and commuting in is unsatisfactory. Unbeknownst to many, however, are the bed and breakfasts of New York City. Offering a personal touch at slightly more affordable rates, these accommodations offer you a chance to experience New York City in a truly unique way: it is not the rigors of apartment living, but neither is it the impersonal and isolating experience of a mega-hotel. New York's bed and breakfasts speak to a gentler era in the history of the city, one in which Manhattan was more inarguably a unique place, neither American nor European, but, as Spalding Gray once put it, "an island off the coast of America."

New York City's bed and breakfasts range from cozy and convenient to romantic and remote. They are a destination, not just for tourists and business people visiting the city, but also for natives who want to vacation in the best city in the world, that just also happens to be their home.

Perhaps the New York bed and breakfast that offers the most startling change of pace for New York City residents is La Refuge, located on City Island in the Bronx. Located in a restored 19th century home, La Refuge offers fine French dining and seven rooms right on the ocean. Easily accessible by public transit, car and even bicycle, La Refuge evokes New England charm and history in its highly romantic (I imagine they get booked for a lot of weddings) setting.

Other bed and breakfasts in New York City are more centrally located and provide more access to the hustle and bustle of the New York City experience. Commonly located in historic brownstones in New York and Brooklyn with the owners in residence, there are also bed and breakfasts that offer accommodations in Soho lofts.