Lonely Planet Review
JFK used to hang out here, and Woody Allen plays with his jazz band on Monday nights - if you stay at the 17-floor Carlyle, you're in seriously elite company.
Opulent and old-world, the Carlyle has been an Upper East Side classic since opening in 1930. In looks, it seems geared to tickle Louis XIV's fancy - based on design by the late Mark Hampton. Comfort is the priority - with jacuzzi bathtubs in all-marble bathroom, two big closets with mini-safe, wood-floor entries, fluffy duvets and 430-thread-count linens. Standard rooms feel like a suite in other New York hotels - with two armchairs facing the window and a lot of space to swing your shopping bags from Madison Avenue boutiques. Some proud long-term attendants can retell personal details of assisting JFK and Jackie O during their stays here. The long-standing Bemelman's Bar is a slick Art Deco bar that mixed many a cocktail for more famous people than us. Of course anyone can come to see Woody raise the Dixie-jazz banner - along with his clarinet - at the Cafe Carlyle on Mondays.
Review by author
Robert Reid