Thanks for the advice - budget thoughts...

Thanks again for the advice and valid points. Budget per person i guess is around $150 per night which makes for a nice amount of money when all grouped together (hence the flat idea) but doesnt go far with hotel rooms - any thoughts? saw the park city hotel (?) is doing 20% off internet bookings and looks reasonable....

Thanks for the advice - budget thoughts...

$300 per couple per night should get you a pretty wide range of decent hotels! For instance, right now my brother in law is staying at the Beacon, a great hotel which is running a winter special of $205/night for a room sleeping 2 and $255 for a suite sleeping 4:

https:/鈥pecialsandpackages.asp

Thanks for the advice - budget thoughts...

I%26#39;ve scanned your earlier thread and cannot find any mention of when you are actually planning to visit. When you visit is critical as to the cost of lodging. There are times of year when $150 per person per night will get you a nice hotel room, but there are times when it won%26#39;t get you a room at the Carter. Well, okay, maybe the Carter...

If you let the forum know your travel dates, that will go a long way in getting helpful advice.

Many thanks (sorry for the confusion I thought I was adding to a previous thread i wrote about renting an apartment) the dates are 21-28 May 2009. Booking plenty of time in advance but realise that means I dont get the late booking deals....

Thanks again for the thoughts....

Now I%26#39;m thoroughly confused. I gave you a 3 bedroom apt. and you rejected it b/c it was for a minimum of a week yet you%26#39;re staying for a week. Then you say $150/person and if there are 3 couples, that%26#39;s $300/night for a room! At that price, the world is your oyster. What is it we%26#39;re not understanding?

OK, personally I think you%26#39;ve given us enough info so that we can stop nit-picking:

3 couples

$300 per night per couple

end of May 2009

I agree - there are many deals to be had in Manhattan in that price range, if you don%26#39;t mind being in separate rooms with your own bathrooms. ;o)

I%26#39;d like to point out that our Memorial Day holiday in 2009 falls on Monday, May 25. Banks, post offices and schools are closed, and some businesses.

This is a long weekend which means (1) many locals go out of town and (2) many tourists come into town. It%26#39;s the ';unofficial beginning of summer'; so there are a lot of bbq%26#39;s and beach trips.

Depending on the economy, this could mean lots of bargains. At the very least, there will be hotel package deals.

Happy Sylvester!

Thanks heaps queensboulevard. Ive moved away from the apartment idea at people%26#39;s suggestions and started seeing if perhaps i can combine a two bedroom suite somewhere with a one bedroom cos despite what people say $300 a couple doesn%26#39;t make the world your oyster especially when you factor in tax (and like you said the holiday weekend, in fact...any weekend).

The reason for the dates confusion is that the apartment is needed for 4 nights because only one and a half of the three couples are around for the entire week hence why the week rent on the apartment doesn%26#39;t work - no stupidity and the assumption that someone is anything other than legitimate because a post isn%26#39;t clear is ridiculous.

I still think you can pull it off.

Since you%26#39;re somewhat familiar with NYC, I wouldn%26#39;t hesitate to recommend the Pan American in Elmhurst or the La Quinta in Sunnyside. Both are close to the subway and great no-frills, ';cheap and cheerful'; options. As you know, our subways run 24-7-365 and are safe and cheap, esp if you buy an Unlimited Ride MetroCard. Even many first-timers give them good reviews.

Here%26#39;s a good thread from our FAQ ';sticky'; at the top of this forum.

GET OFF THE ISLAND - LODGING OUTSIDE MANHATTAN: Is it possible to find clean, safe, affordable lodging outside Manhattan? Yes, even with some trade-offs, you can find lodging in Queens, New Jersey and Brooklyn.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k1338069鈥?/a> Lodging_outside_Manhattan_a_collection_of_posts-

(I was joking about ';tolerating'; having your own bathrooms, by the way.)

1) The summer holiday weekends (including that one) actually bring sale prices at hotels as many people prefer a beach vacation at that time of year. Current prices don%26#39;t reflect that so I would not book anything that requires prepayment or is not cancelable.

2) If you look at any hotel website- my favorites being

quikbook.com

kayak.com

you will find good hotels within that price range especially if you get 3 separate rooms- one for each couple. There is no need to complicate things by getting a 2 bedroom suite which is often more expensive than 2 separate rooms because they%26#39;re rarer. And since all couples are not going to be there for the whole time, it%26#39;s easier not to share and each have your own bathroom.

3) Taking tax into account, you want a room for $255/night for each couple. That%26#39;s not quite as easy as $300/night rooms, but there are some.

Ontheave-ny.com

is a nice hotel on the upper west side, a great residential area with lots of character and near Central Park. They have a sale on their website right now and with your budget you could book some of their nicest rooms. I believe these are fully cancelable but doublecheck

The Affinia group is a well regarded group of suite hotels. Their cheapest prices are always non-cancelable but there%26#39;s a good price for a studio suite at the Affinia Manhattan on quikbook.com which is cancelable.

Another good suite hotel is the

milburnhotel.com

and they have rooms for $250/night plus tax.

beaconhotel.com

is another good one on the upper west side that has king rooms with kitchenttes for $245/night.