Sohotel

The three-star SoHotel is a fun 96-room hotel in Nolita, a tiny (but hip) 'hood between SoHo and the Lower East Side. It's a splashy and sometimes affordable place.

Rooms, spread out over four floors, repeat the lobby's exposed brick motif. Walls are a vibrant yellow and hold large flat-panel televisions, while tall dark wood chests of drawers sit on hardwood floors. Beds sport thirteen-inch thick Therapedic mattresses and are topped with quilted duvets.

Many rooms face Broome Street, which, let’s face it, can get a bit noisy. We’d recommend asking for a room on a higher floor (although this will require climbing the stairs, as the hotel does not have an elevator).

Marble bathrooms are standard fare. Another perk is the toiletries from C.O. Bigelow.

Rooms offer air conditioning and iPod docks, and free Wi-Fi.

History buffs should note that the landmark building in which the SoHotel resides bears the distinction of being the oldest running hotel in New York. The current incarnation certainly takes things up a modern notch — as evidenced by the lobby, with its exposed brick and animal-print chairs and couches — but the SoHotel is still proud of its storied history.

Location

The SoHotel is located at the rather busy corner of Broome and Bowery in “Nolita,” the area “North of Little Italy.” This is a very trendy corner of downtown and would make a great base for travelers taking advantage of New York’s nightlife and downtown restaurant and bar scene.

Transportation

Subways: The SoHotel is located a quick two-minute walk to the Grand Street B/D stop and about five minutes to the 6 train Spring Street stop.

JFK: To get here from JFK, take the AirTrain to the Howard Beach Station, then the A train toward Manhattan to West 4th Street. Transfer to the Downtown B or D train, and take it two stops to Grand Street. Walk to the hotel (about two minutes).

LaGuardia: From LaGuardia, we'd recommend taking the New York Airport Service bus to Grand Central Station, and then take the Downtown 6 train to Spring Street and walk to the hotel. Or you could just take a taxi from the airport.

Newark: From Newark, take the AirTrain to the NJ Transit station and then any NJ Transit train into Pennsylvania Station. From there, take the Downtown A/C/E train to West 4th Street Station, then transfer to the Downtown B/D train to Grand Street. Walk to the hotel.