Hotel Beacon in New York's Upper West Side

One of the things we like to do when we travel as a family is to cook some meals "at home."  Even if there are many hotels with kitchen facilities in many parts of the States, I didn't think I'd find a reasonable (in terms of budget) option for New York.

Friends who are more familiar with New York recommended Hotel Beacon.  I went over to Booking.com, was happy with the ratings, and immediately booked a room for the four of us.

For the price of a regular room in NYC, the one-bedroom King Suite was spacious at 65m2 and had a kitchen. Okay, it was a one-person tiny kitchen,  but it had a full-sized fridge, a stove/oven and coffeemaker with pods--all cleaned and refreshed every day.

We didn't even have to do the dishes--but I always did a few so I wouldn't leave such a big mess.

A pleasant surprise was that the hotel was just a block away from the subway station (the red line), across from a wonderful Fairway grocery and a couple of blocks each from a Trader Joe's and even a Zabar's!

Aside from all the conveniences, I loved the quiet, "small-neighborhood" feel (if that is even possible) of the upper west side. After the madness of Soho, Chelsea and Times Square, it was nice to detox in the tree-lined peacefulness of the area.

Hotel Beacon is also just two long blocks from Central Park and the Museum of Natural History, and an easy 12-minute walk to Lincoln Center.

Every person in the staff that we encountered was friendly and always eager to assist.

There was free wifi in the rooms and lobby, and full laundry facilities in the 5th floor.

Hotel Beacon is a comfortable family hotel rather than a 5-star luxury hotel and it easily felt like home (and the wifi was just as slow as being at home in Manila--this was the only negative the hotel had--but nothing we couldn't survive)

The bathroom was basic but always well-stocked with towels and toiletries.

Most of the people who were staying here were from Europe. 

I loved hanging out by the window every morning, and if we came home before 8 pm, we also had a great sunset view right from our living room

And as a final bonus, the hotel was right around the corner from the Levain Bakery. There are people who make a trip to this part of town just for these exquisite cookies!

Hotel Beacon was quite a find, and I would definitely stay here again. 

Check this out for other options for "hotels with kitchens" in New York.

Hotel Beacon

2130 Broadway at 75th Street

New York, NY 10023