CHEAP NEW YORK HOTELS

aturally visitors to New York City gravitate to the famous sites like Central Park, the Empire State Building and the incredible exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but half the fun of going to New York is exploring the unique neighbourhood districts. Catch the buzz at the trendy SoHo restaurants, dive into the high-energy clubs in Park Slope or sooth your soul at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. HostelBookersrecommends these surprisingly cheap New York hotels in great locations so you can take on the Big Apple with a heavier wallet and a lighter step.

The stately Union Hotel near the Brooklyn Bridge may have an all-business looking red brick exterior, but inside the sassy art deco rooms designed by Jordan Carlyle are all the high-tech necessities like LCD television, free WiFi and even an iPod docking station with speakers. The NYC subway station is only two blocks over in the hip Park Slope neighbourhood known for its cutting-edge night life while the dazzling offerings of Manhattan are a mere ten-minute walk away.

A frugal traveller’s heaven, this cozy hotel keeps costs down with a self-catered kitchen on each floor as well as washing machines and spacious air-conditioned rooms. The prime West Side location is next to Columbia University so it is predominately features informal coffee houses, delicatessens and great bookstores.

This pet-friendly hotel serves up free hot waffles for breakfast that you can enjoy with your fresh brewed in-room coffee while surfing the Internet. Close to the Belmont Park racetrack and the New York Met’s Citi Field Stadium, restaurants and shops are wedged between theatres and nightclubs where raw talent is looking for those big breaks.

Smugly situated between Park Avenue and Lexington, this freshly renovated hotel can’t be beat for location and the shared bathrooms stay clean throughout the day. A quick walk south lies the eclectic Greenwich Village and a long walk (or short subway trip) north is NYC’s most famous intersection, Times Square and beyond the famous Theatre District.

Although space is at a premium in NYC these rooms are surprisingly spacious and even offer self-catering facilities and a swimming pool. Situated a short taxi ride from both JFK and LaGuardia airports, the Brooklyn Bridge Park is just down the road as well as the historic Atlantic Avenue Railway Tunnel rediscovered in 1980 and now open for walking tours.

Even though you can spend a bundle on a room in New York City, it’s not necessary with so many great cheap hotels that are right in the thick of the action. Catch the subway to the must-see tourist sites, prowl the shops in the multi-cultural neighbourhoods and catch dinner and the hottest shows knowing you have a cozy, and cheap, hotel room to call home at the end of an exciting day in the Big Apple.