Waldorf Astoria Reviews

We went to New York with two very small children so if you are thinking of doing the same then read this review!

The Waldorf Astoria is an amazing hotel and the reception area is breathtaking. We went at Christmas so all the decorations were out which was wonderful. The room, I found, was on the small side; With 2 double beds and a travel cot we struggled to get around it. There are also no tea/ coffee making facilities in the room, and they cannot supply a kettle, therefore to sterilise bottles we had to ask for 2 jugs of hot water every day - not ideal. Room service is also horifically expensive - as I recall, a jug of milk (a small one) was approximately £10!

The deli's are great - we did Carnegie and Roxy's, however we did find that the tables were too close together to get the boggy through so we either had to leave it at the front, or wedge past people eating to get to our table.

It is also impossible to get the tube there because many of the stations do not have lifts. We did carry the pushchair down on one occasion (on our way to Wall St) to experience it, however it was too difficult because even when down the stairs, we couldn't get through the turnstiles.

Those are the negatives. Now the positives! The pavements are wide, therefore lots of space to get round with a pushchair, and doorways are wide too so its easy to get round in that respect. Slight problem with a lot of buildings being on multiple floors. Ecen when walking round the busy parts - Broadway, Wall Street, Chinatown, Little Italy, we didn't have a problem getting through with the pushchair.

Central park for a horse ride is amazing -especially at this time of year with the snow, and the kiddies also loved FAO Schwarz. Make sure you have a go on the BIG piano!

Grand Central Station and The Empire State building are also ideal for kids. Macy's also have a lovely grotto in December.

It is definitely possible to do New York with children, and because of the jetlag, you are quite happy to go to bed early (9,10) feeling like you are making the most of your stay.

This was our second visit to New York - went last year and couldn't wait to get back!

The Waldorf is a ";grand old lady"; with lots of style and class, in an ideal location two minutes from the shops of Fifth Avenue, and within short walking distance of all the Mid-town sights. A subway station is round the corner (51st Street) giving easy access to Lower and Upper Manhatten.

We found all staff in the hotel friendly and helpful. Our room was a good size with a supposed king sized bed which was at least half the size again bigger than the one we have at home! Harry's Bar is comfortable and relaxed, but very pricy - ok for a quick drink, but not a ";session";. Oscar's Restaurant served excellent food at reasonable prices. For breakfast, we ate out at a couple of delis just along from the hotel on 50th Street and Madison Ave.

Totally enjoyed our stay in NY - spent lots, saw lots and ate and drank lots. Fabulous City.

we went to new york for my birthday and our 15th wedding anniversary. so thought why not push the boat out and stay at the waldorf astoria, well we are glad we stayed there although we didnt make much use of the hotel and just used it as a base.

the room was very spacious and the maid servise was very good with the beds being made and turned down every day, mini bar was quite expensive and so was room service which we used on the 1st night due to being to tired to bother finding a restaurant let alone waitng due to the large number of people also waiting for seating.

arrived at the hotel at about 14:30 hours by stretch limo, which to the wifes dissappointment takes you around the back and drops you off underground, as you can imagine she wanted to get out in front of the waldorf pretending to be someone important, we just got rid of the bags in the room and then was it time to explore this vast metropolis. the one thing you really do need here is a very comfortable shoes or trainers to wear as you Will do more walking that you have ever done before.

we headed for central park straight away, and ended up going for the horse drawn carraige ride round central park, this was good but we both admitted was not what we expected. then took a slow stroll back down 5th ave taking in the shops and just the sheer size of this city.
we had 3 nights in new york and 4 days, this was non stop from 7am-9pm just walking and exploring the shops and incredibly low prices in them, make sure you take a credit card with a healthy balance on it because there are so many bargains to be found.

we visited ground zero, which was quite eary, we couldnt believe such buildings could of occupied such a small spaces, let alone been the targets for such atrosoties, the one thing that really upset me here was when we got out of the taxi someone came up to us and asked if we wanted to buy pictures, which turned out to be of the day, being a truck driver you can imagine the choice words i said to him, apart from this one incident the hole trip was just so exiting and brilliant.

security is now a very big factor on new york, which is appreciated and i dont have any problems with this at all, as they cope with it very well, even to go on the statue of libery and ellis island ferry you had to go through x ray machines remove belts shoes and contentes of pockets (exept for wallet) and let these go through a sepearate machine, this also happened at the empire state building. walking back we passed city hall had a great relaxing half hour here (feet very greatfull) and just watched the world and various different cultures and nationalities pass by.

china town was very hectic then the experience of a life time, we decided to take the new york subway back, wow that was different but we managed ok. we were so busy walking shopping etc that we didnt make time to check out any restaurants really, we just ate in diners etc, they are cheap but very generous on the portions, broadway by night is some really spectacular, i was told that when in times square where the ticket place is in the middle, if you look over to the left you will see times square information and ticket centre, and the tickets here are even cheaper, so we checked it out but found them to be cheaper in the centre, so be sure to scout around and not just buy the 1st tickets you get offered, as we got them for half the price as the information centre and they were better seats.

on the last day all we had left to do was a bit more shopping and visit grand central station, this was done by lunch time so we thought why not have a nice lunch in a restaurant, after searching for ages and finally finding one we both fancied we settled on one called o'neils, which isnt a million miles from the waldorf, so after ordering our food and having a good laugh with the very friendly waiter, he finally asked us what it was like to be sat eating a meal next to a film star, who? where? we asked foolishly, but sat no more than 3 foot away from my wife was an actor called dillon McDermott (miracle on 34th street, and some thing called the practise) well that was it the wife was happy. just goes to show you can see someone anywhere and not even notice. well we will return to the waldorf and new york at some stage just got to save the pennies 1st.

Firstly, the hotel is very nice but I would say I've stayed in nicer hotels and paid less. But the place is definately nice and there is a certain air to staying in the Waldorf Astoria! Our room was a nice size with all the usual accessories. I would say the reception staff are slightly robotic - I just didn't feel they were making our stay feel special. They asked the normal questions like reading a script. The hotel foyer (huge vase filled with lillies!) was fantastic and the piano bar overlooking the entrance is great - so relaxing with a cocktail and the ivory being tinkled!

We went to New York primarily to shop - and did we ever. Going this time of year is not the best for weather, but most of the shops have sales, so even with the strong pound, these prices were silly. We did all the usual shops around 5th Ave and Lexington - Timberland is probably the best value for money, but everything is cheap. Be aware that most shops don't open til 10am.
Remember to visit South Street Seaport - there are some cool shops here and this is nowhere as busy as uptown. And there are nice eating places here too. WTC site is very nearby, and then there's Century 21 - a really cheap shop for designer brands. My preference is not to go here unless you're looking for a real bargain. It's a bit of a scrum in this shop and the place is slightly messy (people just seem to pull things off shelves) and you really need to rake to find what you want.

Sights:
Central Park is almost a must, but it's really like any other park. While we were there, The Gates were on display. We wondered what all the fuss was about (everyone was talking about it), and all it was are 7500 orange pieces of cloth hanging from arches (gates) around all the paths. Big deal - I suppose that's art?!
We didn't really do the sights thing, but I did pre-book a 90-minute ferry ride through Expedia before we left. This trip was fantastic and I was really glad we did it. Seeing the NY skyline from the rivers (Hudson and East) is amazing. They even take you to 100 yards of the Statue of Liberty and you get great photo opportunities. I would really recommend this - Pier 78 for NY Waterways ferry. 90 Minutes is just enough.

Eating out:
We ate in several recommended places, all of which were great. Smith and Wollensky (steak), Dean and Deluca (bottom of Broadway has a sit-in area and soup to die for!), Balthazar, Fiorello's, Wolfgangs (steak), Blue Water Grill (Union Square), and the breakfast in the hotel was average, so we ventured out to a place on Lexington and 80th called E.A.T. It's a great NY deli and the breakfast is superb.

Other places to visit are J and R Computer World for all your electronic goods. This place is huge (a complete block) and is cheaper than places like Circuit City. I bought an iPod here for less than $200. It's down near the WTC site on Park Row.

A peice of advice on taxis: These all seem to be driven by what I would class as minorities. I'm not being racist, but it must be the kind of job that attracts that kind of person. And with that comes a language barrier. Some of these taxi's drivers have a minimal grasp of the English language. We were taken to wrong place twice as he couldn't understand us (and I think we speak reasonable english!). But don't worry - I think the authorities take a dim view of harrassment by taxi drivers, so they'll always put things right, even if they're not happy.
And also, trying to get a taxi around 7pm is a nightmare. Most of the shows in NY start at 8pm and EVERYONE is looking for a taxi at this time. Leave yourself plenty of time to get taxi's at night. It would seem that NY is swimming in yellow taxi's, but getting one at 7pm is like striking gold!

Another piece of advice when shopping in Macy's. Go to the Visitor's Centre BEFORE you shop and ask for a International Shoppers Saving Card. This gives you an extra 11% of everything you buy, including all sale items. And it's free! They'll be giving the stuff away next!

Booked through dial a flight, flew from Glasgow via Schipol(amsterdam). reasonable price, 4 nights flights inc for £512.

Can't begin to tell you how much shoe leather was used up on these 4 days. What a city, covered 7 miles on our first day out, staying at the Waldorf on 50th and Park we walked 7 miles zig zagging all the way down to battery park, taking in all the sights and sounds on the way dow, must see - Grand Central Station, architecture fantastic, a meeting place without having to get a train. Union Square Park, Washington Square Park, on memeorail weekend it would seem allthe local school kids, do this park up, painting, tidying etc, these folk have pride in their city.

Staten Island Ferry is free and worth the journey to see the skyline. Ferrie to and from Ellis island and Liberty island are every half hour and only cost 10 dollars, make sure you spend some time on Ellis island, the history and interactive stuff are great. A visit to the WTC site is worth it, you really do feel the loss, however takibg photos etc was just a no no for us.
Wall Street is strange , all these guys with silly jackets on, but you can smell the money. Walked round SOho and part on greenwich village. This was a great day and really cheap.

Empire state is £22 per person to go to the top and take a simulated helicopter trip. If you dont fancy the real thing it's the next best thing.

Limo hire for seven of us one night taking us to a fantastic restaurant called Cafe Luxembourg, think it was on 70th street was $100, bargain, and saved the hassle of 2 taxis and getting lost. Food here was fab and the atmosphere was sinply New York, relaxed and made to feel very welcome.Food bill for 7 including 3 bottles of wine, $400.

breakfast bussies: raffles cafe on lexington, and a cafe just off fifth avenue where the waiter was the spit of Samuel L jackson and he knew it, !!

Waldorf was very classy and I am sure the maintenance will be like the forth road bridge, rooms comfortable , clean and spacious, some rooms bigger than others, get yourself a corner room if you have a preference for space. Watch out for the mini bar, $13 for a jar of jelly beans!

Staff very friendly, make sure you stay for cocktails in the evening although at $11 one is usually enough. Afternoon/high tea in the piano bar is fab, when Cole prters piano is put to use with a live singer, doing appropraite tunes.

I have promised myself I will return for another visit possibly staying for a few more nights and not going so fast.

Other things sen/done, bloomis, barneys, tiffanys, brroklyn bridge, met museum, cantral park,chrysle buidling, rockefeller centre. times square, and I am sure I have missed a few things.

Just Go!!!!!!