Planning a trip to New York City involves a lot of choices. From broadway shows to restaurants of every type and museums and attractions for every interest, the choices are endless. One of the most important choices though when preparing for a trip to New York City is picking your hotel which serves as your base camp during your stay in Manhattan.
With so many hotels to choose from in New York City, finding a location and property that meets your needs based on the specifics of your trip and agenda is key to minimizing time (and money) spent on taxis and in traffic which is why we chose to stay at the Millenium Hilton in lower Manhattan during a mother daughter trip to New York City.
Three reasons to stay at the Millenium Hilton
1. Location
Usually when we travel to New York City, I choose my hotel location based on the goals for our visit. If shopping and museums are on the agenda, staying in Midtown or near Central Park on the Upper East side makes sense. If a trip is focused on broadway shows, Time Square has a plethora of great hotel choices. During our most recent trip, our main goal was to visit the statue of Liberty, so the Millenium Hilton in lower Manhattan was the perfect hotel for us.
Situated within walking distance to Battery Park where we took the Statue Cruise to the Statue of Liberty, we were able to set our alarms with a reasonable wake up time (aka without getting up before dawn) and enjoy room service breakfast while we enjoyed the view without feeling rushed for a 9 am cruise ticket.
The Millenium Hilton is located across the street from where the Twin Towers stood, making it easy to stop at the World Trade Center Memorial during your stay (note: Timed passes are necessary to explore the memorial).
Of course, if you are a foodie or shopper, the Financial District is also close to other neighborhoods that are perfect for exploring like Little Italy, Chinatown and Soho. Although I wish we had more time to explore (and try the many different tastes) we stopped for lunch at Morini on the edge of Soho and Little Italy (I highly recommend the Tortellini Zingara).
2. The Pool
Hotel pools are an important feature when traveling with children especially during a trip where there is lots to see and do. Allowing for down time to splash around in a pool is the perfect way to spend an evening, and the pool at the Millenium Hilton did not disappoint. The mirrored walls make the pool space feel much bigger than it is, making it an enjoyable place for kids to swim and parents to prop up their feet and read or catch up on email.
3. The View
Granted, any view of the New York City skyline is breathtaking, but the view from a room in the Millenium Hilton is inspiring in any direction. Depending on your room, you might overlook the World Trade Center Memorial, City Hall or the expanse of both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge. We were lucky enough to be in a suite with views of the entire city (Hooray for Hilton Honor membership upgrades!) and spent the first hour in our suite going from window to window taking in the city from every possible angle.
Although I missed the proximity to Central Park and some of my favorite Manhattan city blocks, we are looking forward to going back to the Millenium Hilton when Ellis Island reopens for a new New York City adventure.