New York's Top Ten Destination Hotels

These stunning hotels aren’t light on the wallet, but with a wide variety of sumptuous restaurants, indulgent spas and rooftop views, they are all rich destinations in their own right. Whether you’re seeking classic elegance or contemporary style, New York has a world-class hotel to suit your tastes - just try to have a look at the city itself, even if only while sipping a cocktail on the rooftop bar.

Curl up in the classy Lowell Hotel

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Among New York’s classiest hotels, the Lowell exudes exclusive elegance from the moment you step through its haughty front doors. It’s tucked away on a tree-lined avenue in Upper East Side, and offers 74 stunning rooms including suites with marble bathrooms. Meals are served in the plush Pembroke room, and the hotel’s afternoon teas are renowned across New York.

Enjoy the eccentric elegance of the Pierre Hotel

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Georgian-style architecture blends with the images of antiquity adorning the lobby walls of the Pierre Hotel, one of New York’s most eccentric edifices of high-end hospitality. Upstairs, the decor moves to the east, with contemporary Indian artwork and pieces from the art collection in the Taj Mahal. There’s terrific dining at Two E Bar, dishing out fresh oysters, while guests can enjoy the best of Italian cooking at the in-house Sirio Ristorante.

Stay in epoch-straddling style at the Four Seasons Hotel New York

Modern, grand and stylish, the Four Seasons overlooks Central Park in Midtown Manhattan. Its high-ceilinged marble lobby can create a slightly impersonal first impression, but everything else about your stay will be exquisitely intimate. The rooms are gorgeous, and the hotel is justly famous for its two utterly fabulous in-house restaurants: Ty Lounge serves a diversity of Asian dishes, while the Garden restaurant serves inventive versions of traditional American cuisine.

Tune in to the Jazz Age at The Carlyle by Rosewood

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The Carlyle is all about 1920s style and flair, its striking Beaux Arts facade concealing an extravagant art deco interior. The in-house restaurant serves French haute cuisine and fresh seafood in sumptuous surroundings, and after eating you can retire to the Bemelmans Bar, among the world’s finest and most stylish cocktail bars. Alternatively drop into Cafe Carlyle, which offers delicious American snacks and great jazz (its stage has been graced by the likes of Judy Collins and Woody Allen). You’ll have no reason to ever leave the hotel.

Indulge your senses at the Surrey Hotel

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Step into the lobby of the The Surrey Hotel and you’re greeted by the startling sight of a Chuck Close tapestry of Kate Moss. Continue through the hotel’s bars and corridors, and you’ll stumble across Richard Serra's and William Kentridge's, hanging in rooms already exquisitely designed by Lauren Rottet. Add to this a sublime in-house spa, private rooftop garden, fabulous art deco bar and a terrific restaurant, and you’ve got one of New York’s richest hotel experiences.

Check into the trendy NoMad Hotel

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Perhaps the trendiest hotel in New York at this moment, fashion, media and movie stars these days eschew the Chelsea in favor of the Parisian chic of the NoMad hotel. Every room and corner has been meticulously perfected by French designer Jacques Garcia, who modelled the hotel on the French apartment he grew up in as a child. Places to eat and drink dot the hotel’s 12 floors, like the dimly lit Library, the cocktail-focused Elephant Bar and the uniquely designed Nomad Bar.

Sojourn in the elegantly opulent SoHo Grand

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Another contender for the rock star crown relinquished by the Chelsea, the SoHo Grand is perfectly situated on trendy West Broadway. Opulent touches sparkle everywhere, from the lobby to the most far-flung bathroom, blending influences from Asian, European and American decor traditions. French and US flavors are also mingled in the superb Club Room restaurant, which draws on the hotel’s rooftop vegetable garden.

Join the Greenwich hipsters populating The Jade Hotel

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A less pricey alternative to the SoHo, the Jade - while still undoubtedly upmarket - has a slightly rawer edge to its rock star atmosphere. This suits its location in the heart of Greenwich Village, as well as its Jazz Age art deco stylings. Alongside the impeccably coherent design scheme, the Jade serves great food in the Parisian-style bistro Grape & Vine which, as the name suggests, also has a glorious wine list.

Pass a few days in the world-famous The Peninsula

Grecian stylings greet the visitor to New York’s world famous Peninsula Hotel, with its legendary executive suites and wraparound Sun Terrace overlooking Central Park. Dine on exquisite creations in Fives restaurant, then settle down to watch the sun set from the rooftop Salon de Ning bar. The only danger is that this gorgeous hotel might overshadow the rest of your New York experience - but then, when you can see out over the Big Apple while sipping a cocktail, is that really a problem?

Indulge in one of New York's finest spas at the Greenwich Hotel

The flagship hotel from Robert de Niro’s growing high-end hospitality empire, the Greenwich draws on European vibes and throws in leather settees, Moroccan tiles, kilims and eastern rugs to create a seamlessly luxurious ambience. And at the heart of the hotel is one New York’s most atmospheric spas, the Eastern-inspired Shibui spa with a dim-lit pool, aromatherapeutic scents and marble showers.