New York break - how much?!?!?

[fishtek69]

Hi all,

I really fancy living a dream of mine and visiting New York this year, as I might not be able to justify the cost next year - house purchase and holidays to Egypt and Canada already booked, so funds are likely to be tight.

The ideal time for me to go is sometime in December, but prices seem absolutely ridiculous. I looked into doing it last year (15th December) and it was going to cost about £700 for flights and three nights' accommodation in a decent hotel - this year I'm struggling to find anything reasonable for much less than £900-£1000. Is this really how much it's gonna cost for a pre-Xmas trip, or am I simply looking in the wrong places?

Lastminute.com and Expedia are my usual sources, and they've proved pretty cost-efficient for my last couple of trips (Prague and Egypt), but I'm blown away by the costs they've been quoting me this time.

I suppose I could wait until next year and do a 3-day trip down from Toronto, but I really fancied the atmosphere of christmas in New York!

I'm trying to do/buy all the things I really want whilst I have an expendable income (i.e. before I buy a house), but £1k for the basics of a 3-day holiday is a bit rich I think.

Regards,

Adam

[Scoobz]

fishtek69 said:

so funds are likely to be tight.

Dont spunk £4000 on a watch then

Also New York is a shit hole.

[Plotloss]

Get a flight

Get a hotel in the village (cheapy, its a crash pad, lets face it)

Enjoy NYC

Easy.

[fishtek69]

Scoobz said:

fishtek69 said: so funds are likely to be tight. Dont spunk £4000 on a watch then Also New York is a shit hole.

Don't think I have to. £2,600 is gonna buy my ideal watch I reckon, and I'm getting more than that for my current one. Plus, if I don't do it now it could be a while before I can justifiably-afford to do it again.

New York may well be a shite hole (I suspect I'll love it to be fair), but that's something I really need to find out for myself.

[up-the-dubs]

NY is brillo. Trying to organise before chrimbo myself too.

[Tango2]

We're going in March - flights at the mo are looking @ £214 return on Virgin - the tax has increased dramatically recently. BTW that's a 'broker' deal through a friend! But looked myself before and could get them for around £270 return.

Believe there's a hotel for £28 pppn - will post details if it's an OK, fairly central one.

NY's great - I love it!!! Can't wait to go again

[clubsport]

I have been twice in the last few months,,,costs about a grand to be fair if you get a moderate hotel in a central manhattan location.

[fishtek69]

If that's what it costs (i.e. I'm not being ripped off unnecessarily) then I'd do it - just didn't want to pay far more than everyone else just because I'd bought 'blind'.

Every image of NYC I have in my head makes me believe I'll feel right at home there, so I'm hoping it lives up to expectations.

[srebbe64]

We stayed at The Warwick Hotel back in May - very nice, but we paid extra for a decent suite. Five minute walk from Central Park and Times Square.

Can't remember what we paid for flights - I seem to recall about £500 each (me, wife plus eldest daughter) - but can't be certain. When we go again (and we will cos we loved it) we'll either go in the spring or autumn, when the weather's moderate. Wouldn't fancy December because it can be pretty cold then.

[keithyboy]

. . . and whilst your there make sure you do the Staten Island Ferry trip and have one of the finest steaks of your life at Peter Luger's in Brooklyn.

[munky]

For how many people? Have you tried the airlines' websites? BA is showing £633 return for 2 people including tax, travelling out on Dec 1st, leaving on the evening of Dec 4th, arriving back to LHR at 09:15 on the 5th. Add about £20 pp for returning on an earlier flight on the 4th. Virgin is £553.20 for 2 people inc tax, outbound Dec 2nd, leaving on the 5th arriving back in UK the morning of the 6th. Suggest you try others - the american ones plus try some random European carriers, you may have to change planes but it is possible to save a bundle. I once went to NY on Sabena for £112 return, with brief stopovers in Brussels (but saved some time back by leaving and arriving from City airport). That was when fuel was cheaper though.

The taxes and surcharges are the killer, looks like £125 per person for this alone.

[munky]

Oh, hotels just aren't going to be cheap for something reasonable. I stayed in the W hotel at 541 Lexington Av IIRC, and I think it was $199 per night.