Best (affordable) hotel for families?

Hello,

We%26#39;re from Montreal and will be taking a road trip to visit family in Philadelphia at the end of June. We love New York, but have never taken our children there!

We have 1, 4 and 5 year old boys and we%26#39;d love to take them to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs. We%26#39;re looking to stay for 2 nights max (maybe even one) within walking distance of the museum and central park. Then we%26#39;ll be on our way again (maybe to somewhere on the shore to take the kids to the beach).

We are on a budget (so no 5 star hotels :) but can splurge to stay in the big city for a night or two. The problem is, a lot of hotels have small rooms and/or won%26#39;t accommodate a family of 5 in one room.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks so much,

Julia

Best (affordable) hotel for families?

Our family of 4 just booked at the Eastgate Towers for 5 nights in June. There is an internet special now for a one bedroon suite for $202/night, which I got even though I called the hotel directly. It is associated with Affinia hotels, check affinia.com. It has 2 beds in the bedroom plus a pullout couch. I know it%26#39;s not a fancy hotel, and the furniture is a bit dated, but for the price and how much we will be in the room, it will be great for us. It is located on E 39th st and around 2nd ave. It has had pretty good reviews on tripadvisor so I hope we will be happy. I will post a review when we return the end of June.

Best (affordable) hotel for families?

You could try the Hotel Beacon,close to the museum of natural history they have suites with kichenetts. The are very family friendly. The staff is great.The rates for end of June are 255 for one night for a suite with 2 double beds.I do not know if they take three children because there web site said only two children you have to check.The hotel is located at 2130 Broadway at 75 street phone is 212-787-1100

Make sure you all watch A Night at the Museum -movie

if you havent already-really put you/kids in the mood!Before you go!

They will love Central Park

Salisbury Hotel is near CPark, they have suites too-don%26#39;t know who is doing deals at mo but we stayed there central on W57th St

Many hotels that say only 4 to a room will accept 5 when the 5th is that young and can sleep with someone. If it%26#39;s a road trip, you should look to time it to take advantage of some of the weekend specials or the summer specials. The Excelsior Hotel is directly across from the museum. Look around for best price there. The Beacon has sale prices starting on July 1. You can get a great deal at the Embassy Suites on travelzoo.com but that%26#39;s all the way downtown (near the ferries to the Statue of Liberty).

If you plan on driving into Manhattan, the Travel Inn is the only place with free parking. The Skyline is near it and charges $10/day. Otherwise, pick a hotel and find the cheapest parking near it on

bestparking.com

Thanks for your suggestions!

So far, in my research, the most affordable hotels (that will accommodate a family of 5) are the Beacon, which irisblue55 mentioned, and the Belleclaire. The reviews of these hotels seem favorable. Anyone have any experience with the Belleclaire?

Nywhiz, you do have a point - I%26#39;m now plugging in 2 children instead of 3 in my online searches. Then when we choose one we%26#39;ll phone and ask.

The Excelsior looks fabulous and a great location, but it ends up being a bit pricier than the other hotels I mentionned. Unfortunately, we have to be back by July 1st, so we can%26#39;t take advantage of some specials. Which weekend specials are you referring to?

Thanks again,

Julia

Julia, sorry, I should have mentioned the specials on are on

travelzoo.com

travel-ticker.com

and there have been sales on some hotels at Expedia %26amp;

quikbook.com

The Beacon %26amp; the Belleclaire are both in the same neighborhood as the Mus. of Natural History and it%26#39;s a family friendly area. The Beacon is more recently renovated and nicer. Not sure though that you can fit 5 of you in a regular room there. They do have 1 bedroom suites with 2 double beds and sofabed but that will be pricier. One of the specials on travel-ticker is for the Shelburne Murray Hill which also has some 1 bedroom suites that might be more affordable. That%26#39;s near Grand Central terminal in midtown. It%26#39;s also relatively newly renovated. Do you plan to do anything other than the museum?

Hey, I checked the Excelsior website and the rooms are more affordable than I thought. There%26#39;s no mention on their site about parking, though. Does that mean there%26#39;s no parking available, or I%26#39;m just not finding it? I checked out that parking site and am dismayed that we%26#39;re surcharged because we drive a minivan!

Right now I have a one-track mind. Since we%26#39;re only staying for a night or 2, I%26#39;d like to focus on one sight to see before we%26#39;re off again. I thought the MONH and Central Park would be nice for the kids this trip.

Some recent reviews here at TA indicate that the Excelsior has an arrangement with the parking garage at the neighboring American Museum of Natural History whereby its guests get somewhat of a discount off the $45/day [that%26#39;s with the 18% taxes; not quite $39/day before taxes].

You can expect to pay a surcharge for a minivan in just about any Manhattan parking garage, but I don%26#39;t know if that%26#39;s true of the AMNH garage which undoubtedly gets more of those family-size vehicles.

Not certain what dates you%26#39;ll be coming, but the Excelsior 1-bedroom suite is almost always more expensive than those at the Beacon. Unless the Excelsior is cheaper, I would pick the Beacon. The Excelsior does not offer even a coffee maker in its units, you%26#39;ll pay extra for a mini-fridge to be delivered, and unless they%26#39;ve changed the furnishings, only the 2-bedroom suites have a sofa bed.

At the Beacon, every kid could have his/her own bed because you%26#39;ll get 2 double beds plus a sleep sofa in the living room %26amp; ample room in the bedroom for a crib or rollaway [the walk-in closet, with window, in our suite at the Beacon was alone large enough to comfortably accommodate a crib!] -- plus, the fully equipped little kitchen.

Actually, I was thinking we could squeeze into a deluxe double room at Excelsior. Do you think that%26#39;s just wishful thinking?

Greek bed set