Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Midtown East, Manhattan, New York City

The Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel

One of two New-York-based properties operated by the Irish Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, the quaint Fitzpatrick Manhattan boutique provides plenty of charm and modern comfort at the center of bustling Midtown East. First opened in 1991, this modestly elegant hotel has hosted both the Prime Minister and President of Ireland, director Jim Sheridan, and Heath Ledger, and is more popular with the leisure than business crowd.

The hotel was updated in 2008, with much of $10 million renovation going towards making the 91 guest rooms worth the stay. Spacious deluxe standard rooms feature only one queen or two full size beds, but they're extremely comfortable. The beds have Simmons pillow-tops, extra thick mattresses, and 350-thread-count sheets. Bathrooms showcase lots of marble and oversize showers (but no bathtubs). The rooms have modern technology like flat-screen TVs with cable, including HBO and on-demand movies, and iPod docks. Suites include a pantry area and pullout couch, which work well for families.

There's no business center or fitness center on-site, but the hotel will fax documents and provide passes to 24-Hour Fitness, a gym three blocks away. Can-do staffers cater to individual requests, plus offer optional nightly turndown, 24-hour room service, and a helpful concierge.

The Fitz, the hotel's spiffed-up contemporary restaurant and pub next door serves three meals a day, including salads, sandwiches, and entrees, and hearty specialities like the All Day Irish Breakfast, Yorkshire Shepherd's Pie, and Fish and Chips.

With its convenient central location -- ideal for both shopaholics and museum goers -- this small hotel measures up to more prominent properties nearby, such as the Affinia Fifty, the Kimberly Hotel, and the Benjamin. The Fitzpatrick Manhattan doesn't have the on-site spa, nightclub, or fitness center of its competitors, but it does offer simplicity done right. Personable service, reasonably priced and decent food, and a comfortable place to sleep make this under-the-radar boutique a solid value.

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The Fitzpatrick Manhattan is located in Midtown East on the busy intersection of Lexington Avenue and 57th Street, a neighborhood dominated by corporate skyscrapers and retail stores. This business district gets quiet at night but never desolate.

• Easy access to public transportation: two blocks away from the 4, 5, 6 subway lines; three blocks away from the N, Q, R; crosstown buses on 57th Street; and downtown bus on Lexington Avenue
• Easy to hail a cab on Lexington Avenue; hotel staffers available to help
• Two blocks from Bloomingdales department store and steps away from great midpriced shopping on Lexington, plus upscale, designer stores on Madison Avenue
• Five minutes on foot to Central Park
• A five- to 10-minute taxi ride to the cultural offerings of Museum Mile

New York has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting into town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to Midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 plus tolls and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.

For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.