Hotwire Hotel: First time Dutch family, in need of some help! ;-)

[caja]

Just found your website today...what a huge information source!!

Was browsing the Hotwire site and was new with this kind of booking so wanted some references.

After reading some responses I would really like your advise with the following.

We are a Dutch family of 16 (8 adults, 6 kids) and are planning to stay in NY from 7/21 till 7/24

(so for 3 nights). We've never been to NY before. We would like to stay in 4 rooms (kids in the room)

and don't know wether to stay (somewhere) in the City of 'just outside'.

We will be driving 2 van's (coming from Canada) so we need to park the cars somewhere, if possible at a hotelparking.

Could you give us any kind of tips on where to stay?

Thanks & greetings, Caja

[Jaimito Cartero]

Well, I'm not an expert on NYC, but I did make the mistake of driving into Manhattan the first time I went. Parking will be very expensive. What with the tolls into the city, and difficulty in finding parking I'd recommend against it.

Many hotels in Manhattan may have small rooms, so make sure you know how many people they'll allow in each room. My first trip, I stayed in New Jersey and took the bus into the city. No problems with parking, and it wasn't too bad of a trip.

I'm sure that others here can help out.

[thereuare]

don't know wether to stay (somewhere) in the City of 'just outside'.

Welcome to BetterBidding!

The above is likley to be best answered by having an idea of your expected budget.

What is your budget per room?

[caja]

Hi! Thanks for the reply's!!

We would like to sleep with 2 adults & 2 children in 1 room. And since the kids have to sleep

some hours we will not be in the city all night long. That's why we were looking 'outside' the

city (goods rooms, parking available, etc) but after reading on the internet it sime like it's

a rather expensive trip by train (U$28 round trip per person) into city (where the tourist attraction are)

But I don't know wether thats just from Newark?

Since we are sleeping with 14 in 4 rooms.... it takes us U$ 392 every day to get to the city and returnto the hotel in Newark?!

Our dates are July 21 / July 24

We need 4 rooms (total of 8 adults, 6 kids)

Budget? Well, we're Dutch and...you know what they say about the Dutch :)

Budget is based upon quality/comfort (we don't mind paying for something when it's worth it), and convenience (i.e. parking, good connection into the city)

I might be missing a lot of information, so any assistance or tips are welcome!!!

many thanks in advance, Caja

[thereuare]

The train is not $28/pp as there are much cheaper options... however, staying by Newark Airport is not a good option.

The NJ alternatives are good, but obviously less convenient than staying directly in NYC. To advise what is best for you and your group, we really need to have an idea of what type of your budget you are considering, as that will ultimately determine the best option(s) for your stay.

[caja]

I'm sorry, as indication upto U$ 200 per room?

(i don't really know the pricing so don't laugh...)

[thereuare]

Assuming you mean per room that's completely reasonable... and the thing you have going for you is that it's summer, which generally has low rates.

If you search HOTWIRE for 4 rooms/8 adults/6 children you'll see a 3* hotel in the MTS zone for $179/nite (breakfast, fitness, restaurant, business, hi-speed internet). Best guess is that this is the Holiday Inn Express which has received some pretty good reviews. Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but at least the breakfast would seem like a money saving perk with 16 people!

I do think you'd have a chance at getting something on priceline for a little less, BUT (and this is a big 'but') priceline only guarantees double occupancy, which i think would be a issue for you since 2 of your rooms would be triple occupancy and two of your rooms would be quad occupancy.

Let us know your thoughts on the above... of course if you do book it, please use our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

[blueskysoca]

The only place in New Jersey I would stay at is Hoboken, its a cheap short ride to Manhattan on the "PATH". However I do not know if any of the hotels on Hotwire (Hoboken - Jersey City) are actually walking distance to the Hoboken Path Station.

A note on parking:

If you stay in New Jersey, DO NOT drive into Manhattan by any means. First, traffic into Manhattan can be a nightmare. Then, parking is super expensive.

If you stay in Manhattan, you can get a "cheap" rate if you just leave your car in the parking lot for your whole stay, that is, no IN and OUT privileges. Check out iconparking.com.

Good luck!

[caja]

Thank you very much for the tips!!!

Yep, because we need to sleep with the kids in the room it is more difficult.

We will be meeting with the group again next week so I'll bring it all up.

One more question, one of the group mentioned Hilton Newark Penn Station,

on tripadvisor was mentioned a trip of 20 to 35 minutes to get into downtown NY.

Do you think this is accurate?

Thanks!

[dahammer]

Let us know your thoughts on the above... of course if you do book it, please use our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase

what do you think about the 3* for $179 in the MTS (Mid Town South) zone through HOTWIRE?

Well, we're Dutch and...you know what they say about the Dutch

no, what do they say? :)

Because you can't bid for a specific hotel, you cannot target the Newark Hilton at Penn Station through Priceline or HOTWIRE. You would have to book the hotel directly with Hilton (which may be accessed through the Travel Links to Help Support BetterBidding near the top of this page). The rate per night is $139, a good rate, but as mentioned by thereuare I would not stay in the Newark Airport area or Downtown Newark as there are better options for this trip.

[thereuare]

Out of all the Newark hotels, the Newark Gateway is the most convenient, but as dahammer points out, you'll need to book direct if you choose that route since you can't choose the specific hotel with priceline or HOTWIRE (please use our Hilton link if you do choose to book direct)

However, based upon the alternative of staying directly in Manhattan, i still would not recommend this option. While the commute time to Downtown is accurate, most of your time will not be spent downtown so you'll also need to factor in commute time to midtown/uptown. As well, Newark is not an area many feel comfortable walking around late at nite, and while this hotel has a connection to the train station, you probably will not want to venture out from the hotel once you return in the evening. You also don't mention the age of the children in the group, but staying directly in Manhattan affords you the luxury of returning to the hotel during the day to use the bathroom, freshen up with a shower or wash your face to refresh, change clothes (if you get sweaty in July), take a nap in the middle of the day, etc, etc.

Take into consideration the free breakfast at the HOTWIRE hotel and i don't think the savings of staying in Newark are worth the lack of convenience and you'll have a much better experience staying directy in the city (imo).

PS- not the most gourmet meal you'll ever have (but very good nonetheless), but for a large group such as yours i highly recommend Carmine's (44th St b/w 7th and 8th Ave)... the entrees are served family style (one entree can feed 3-4 adults) and it makes for a fun time for large groups. Due to the size of your group they should take a reservation and i would call ahead to make one, otherwise you won't get in given the size of your party

[caja]

Hi again!

The kids are ages between 7 and 10 and to be honest I'd have to say...that it won't be them in need of a nap :)

We're pretty used to making long days....and your advise is clear. We've just heard some pretty afwul stories about Manhatten hotels (smelly, dirty sheets, broken showers, etc) that's why...

I will read the reviews on the hotel for U$ 179 in MTS, thanks for the link!

And as for eating with a large group...the best reply ever was when a young waitress inb Florida asked

"party of howmany" and we answered...she said "Holy bananas" and then screamed "MOM?"

We had a great evening, Mom could handle our group :)

So thanks for the tip on the dining!!!

To be continued....

[caja]

Hi....long time ago, we finally ended up staying in Holland Motor Lodge,

after hearing some good reviews from friends.

It was a pleasant stay, good rooms with kids & nice breakfast.

Thanx for all the help!!