The Hotel Giraffe

It’s a strange animal in a slightly eccentric location — the Giraffe stands on Park Avenue South at 26th street, north of downtown and south of Midtown, well outside the bounds of the tourist traps and hipster neighborhoods. In this neighborhood you can safely forget about minimalism or Soho-style loft bedrooms — the Giraffe’s interiors are Modern in style, a sort of French-inflected post-Art Deco look, a perfect complement to the vaguely European turn-of-the-century architecture along Madison and Park avenues. The experience isn’t overwhelmingly retro, but the rooftop garden and the elegant lobby, filled with the gentle strains of piano music, can’t help but carry a tinge of a bygone era. And the rooms are spacious, especially by New York hotel standards, with ten-foot ceilings and, in the deluxe rooms, French doors opening onto balconies over Park Avenue South.

The location is a touch on the quiet side, but this shouldn’t put you off; it’s certainly not remote, and like anywhere in Manhattan it’s close by to a wealth of dining and entertainment options. There’s a continental breakfast included in the rate, and a restaurant downstairs, as well as easy access to dozens of others nearby, from fast food to fine dining to the one and only Shake Shack.