Hotwire Hotel: Advice needed for first trip in NYC

[kag]

We are three people going to New York City (none of us has ever been there) on Sept 18-21. We're going there by car (leaving from Quebec City), and obviously we know that parking in New York is either non-existant or really expensive. So the plan is to find an hotel near NYC and use public transportation to get to and from the island. Our budget is roughly $80 per night and we simply want a clean/cheap room. No extra needed, we'll only be there to sleep.

I think the best option is to stay somewhere in New Jersey, but I'm not sure what area provides easy access to public transportation. Jersey City and Union City seem very close, but are probably more expensive. I'm also wondering about parking fees at the hotels in these areas.

Newark probably has better prices, but is it too far? Is parking generally free/cheap there? I read that the Harrison PATH station offers more parking space and is generally safer. With a bit of luck, we could get an hotel with free parking near the Harrison PATH station so we could leave the car at the hotel and walk to the station. How does that sound?

In other words, we would like to stay in an area that's not expensive (hotel and parking) and that allows easy access to an effective method of transportation to get to NYC.

EDIT: I just found out about "Travel Tips" tab at the top of the screen. I'm finding some answers there, but I would still appreciate your opinion.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Guillaume

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

The best option given your needs and budget, imo, for your needs is the Secaucus, Rutherford, North Bergen, Meadowlands areas, but a few things to cover in order to move forward...

PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy, but you'll be three. You can take a chance and hope that you can get a room with more than one bed OR you can use HOTWIRE which is usually a little more expensive but allows you to search for up to quad occupancy, which would ensure that you have enough sleeping accomodations for all three of you.

As well, some hotels in the area are better situated to mass transit than others... some are walkable to or directly in front of a bus stop, others offer a shuttle to the bus, while a handful you'll need to figure out a way to get to the bus. This property isn't too much of an issue since you'll have a car, the 'worst case scenario' (which isn't bad at all) is that you drive to the nearby Park N Ride where you can leave the car and take the bus into the city. The question is if you want to go with PRICELINE (if you're ok with the double/triple occupancy risk) and chance getting a hotel that may be less convenient to mass transit or go with HOTWIRE where you can usually take an educated guess as to the property offered and therefore also have a good guess as to transportation options from that location.

What is the minimum star rating you're willing to accept?

Let us know your thoughts regarding the above and we'll take it from there.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[kag]

We simply want a clean room and free/cheap parking (I know it does not equal a specific amount of stars). One star hotels creep me out, so I guess we can say 2 stars and up.

Thanks for the double occupancy advice, with that in mind I will definately go with PRICELINE!

We don't mind driving to a bus station, as long as parking there is free/cheap. What exactly is Park & Ride, is it "affiliated" with the bus system? Also, chances are we are going to leave New York at around 12AM - 1AM, are buses still available at these hours?

[thereuare]

Parking is $8.25 and includes one RT bus ticket. Additional tickets are $2.40/each (one way)

Most nites the last bus is at 1am and you can see the full schedule here: North Bergen Park N Ride.

Thanks for the double occupancy advice, with that in mind I will definately go with PRICELINE!

Do you mean HOTWIRE?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[kag]

Hmm yes, I meant HOTWIRE!

"Newark Intl Airport EWR" seems to be the closest area under $100. Do you think it's a good location, I think PATH runs there, right?

[thereuare]

With a car EWR is 'do-able' but i don't like the area at all... there's nothing in the immediate area and like most airport hotels, there are a lot of one nite stays and the rooms get beat up a little quicker than at non-airport locations. As well, the area around the Newark PATH station is not very good (nor is it that close to the PATH station) at nite and you wouldn't want to be walking to your car at 1am.

If you're in the North Bergen/Secaucus/Rutherford area you could always drive to Hoboken (or some other town station) and take the PATH train from there... although you'll have to pay for parking for the day in a lot (i can check tomorrow but i'm guessing ~$25/day)

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[kag]

Thank you for the information.

I continued searching on other websites and I came accross The Plaza Motor Inn. The price ($86 per night) is right, the reviews seem good. Do you think it's conveniently located? NJTransit line 190 is just around the corner and goes to/from Port Authority Bus Terminal in about 15 mins.

Thanks once again!

[thereuare]

I wouldn't stay there.

I don't remember it too well but the last time i was in this property was ~20 years ago and i was calling on a company whose office was located in a room(s).

Anyway, just drove by this place on Wednesday and commented to my wife "can you believe that place gets decent reviews" (as does the other "box hotel" across the street) she could only reply "Really??? :) " in disbelief... it's just not a very welcoming property and you can get a better value with PRICELINE and HOTWIRE, imo.

[dahammer]

HOTWIRE has a 3.5* property with the following amenities for $89: Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-speed Internet Access, Golf Nearby; this is likely the Sheraton. This is much nicer than the Plaza, a property that I've not stayed in and have no plans to do so. You can take the Sheraton's shuttle to the Secaucus Junction train station or to Secaucus Plaza bus station, check with the hotel's schedule. Or, you can drive over to the North Bergen Park and Ride which is operated by NJ Transit.