This is one of my most requested blog posts since returning from New York last month. It’s such a popular destination and one that can be so difficult to plan too. A few years ago I remember going to New York for my mums birthday. We had just come from Boston and arrived to a hotel in New York which turned out to be a disaster. Even though we had paid a lot for it, it was nothing like the photos online and the noise was insane. We had to move to a different one the next day as it wasn’t possible to stay there any longer than a day! As a model I’ve been back numerous times since but I always find that there are key things which are easily left out in travel guides that would be good to know, especially when it comes to budgeting for your trip so I wanted to talk you through some of them here and answers everyones questions that’s come my way.
Airlines:
Looking to websites like Skyscanner and Kayak are key favourites of mine as they show you the best prices available and you can also select key times you would prefer to fly from early a.m starts or evening flights. In terms of baggage, for transatlantic flights the average bag allowance is 23KG but it’s always best to double check if you plan on doing extra shopping. Some airlines may not let you check in an extra bag but may take it at the airport for an added fee. I called the airline I travelled with in advance as I needed to travel with two 23kg bags so it worked out as an extra $100 each way.
For my September trip, I flew with British Airways which was operated under American Airlines from Dublin to JFK. I do fly B.A quite regularly in Europe and I find the perks with them are if you sign up to their membership ( totally free) you can avail of the One World travel from JFK which has an arrangement with a number of airlines. While you do get points as you travel with One World airlines, the key thing for me was that I didn’t have to wait in massive queues and walked straight to express check-in where first class would be. If anyone has travelled from JFK you would know how insanely long the check in queues can be!
Note: Before traveling to the USA you must apply for an ESTA which is a visa waiver form you need. This takes about a week to process sometimes less. It’s around $89 and it’s valid for two years unless your passport expires before that date. If you don’t have this you won’t be allowed to travel so don’t forget to look into it or double check when yours is due to expire!
Booking your hotel:
Staying in NY can be a puzzle in itself. One of my clients I was working with let me choose my own hotel that would suit my schedule the best for the trip. I found a combination of both Bookings.com and Tripadvisor gave both the best location views and honest opinions. I always read the comments, especially those in the last 4 month period. It’s easy to look at the pretty photos and think, “oh that looks perfect” when it can actually be completely different. I found a hotel on Bookings.com I thought I had my heart set on, until I found lists of comments about bed bugs and a list of various other complaints. I’ve used Bookings.com a number of times before as they have a list of hotels you can reserve at a particular price free of charge. They also have a loyalty programme to sign up to which gives you discounts you wouldn’t normally see on the general site. Again it’s free of charge but I’d highly recommend it travelling to any city. In NY however, do keep in mind that there is a city tax on top of the hotel fee you will have to pay upon your arrival even if you have paid your hotel in full already. It works out roughly as 14% and a lot of hotels look for a pre-authorisation value i.e an extra deposit just in the event of an damage done to the hotel which is usually around $50 per night but this can vary depending on the hotel.
Where I stayed?: The Executive Hotel Le Soleil in Manhattan. I needed somewhere near to where Fashion Week was going to be but still I wanted something close to the stores. I stayed in between 5th & 6th Avenue in this new boutique hotel which has only been open a few months. It’s situated on 38West 36th Street. The location turned out to be more perfect than imagined as all my business meetings happened to be ten minutes away on various sides.
I decided on it as the comments on the websites I checked out seemed positive and the hotel looked clean with good lighting. When I arrived it was even better than in the photos. My room was much bigger than typical Manhattan hotels I’ve stayed in before. It had a queen size bed, a large bathroom a small lounge and great view of the city. I was so unbelievably pleased and relieved. It was also a 30 second walk from everything you could need. A Macy’s, Sephora, three big H&M’s, the works. I was SO glad I changed my mind on this as the hotel, especially as the staff, were unbelievably helpful. Nothing was an issue and travelling alone as a woman, it was very reassuring to have this.
Getting to your hotel:
One thing you’ll always be told is to never get a cab at NY airports. Basically if you are not familiar with the area they can be a total rip off. I googled a number of places beforehand and came across a company called Black Lane. Think of it as an Uber I suppose but on a more formal scale. They have their own app which I found really easy to use. I put in my details the day before my trip along with my flight number. When I arrived at the luggage hall in JFK airport I was greeted by a chauffeur and dropped to the hotel in Manhattan for around $40. It was also nice having someone to help me with my bags considering it was fashion week and as mentioned I was travelling alone. I used them again on the way back to the airport also so it was really ideal and cost effective. You also can’t help but feel like some sort of Kardashian in these beautiful big Suburban SUV Chevrolets which we don’t really have in Europe.
Getting around while in N.Y:
There’s obviously the subways which is the most cost effective way to travel. Though if in heels, it’s not always ideal. I found the yellow cabs could be a nightmare to actually hail particularly at rush hour times so Uber was the easiest as it also means you’re keeping track of taxi receipts easily as it goes to your email inbox. However, if you are in New York for longer than a week it could get very expensive doing that!!
Shopping!!
There was so much shopping available where I stayed just a stone’s throw away from Herald Square which boasts every store you could think of and tonnes of restaurants. It’s also not as overwhelming I find as Broadway. Sadly I didn’t get a huge amount of time to indulge in all the shopping wonders it had to offer but hopefully I’ll be back soon. Lou. xx
