Where to Stay in New York City for Your First Epic Visit on a Budget

Where to Stay in New York City for Your First Epic Visit on a Budget

Written By a Guy Actually from New York City

Planning on visiting New York City but don’t know where to stay for your first visit? The answer is easy. Look for a hotel in Manhattan’s Chinatown. I’ll tell you the reasons why Chinatown is the best area in the entire New York State to stay for your first Big Apple experience.

And I’ll show you the top 10 best hotels in the heart of NYC’s Chinatown. First, here are some reasons why you should consider staying in one of the most famous, yet cultural and historic neighborhoods in NYC.

Why You Should Stay in Manhattan’s Chinatown

On the books, there are three official Chinatowns in all of NYC’s five boroughs. Though off the books there are actually nine Chinatowns New York City!

Reasons Why You Should Stay in NYC’s Chinatown

  1. Manhattan’s Chinatown is surrounded by subway train stations. Whether you want to go uptown, downtown, east or west to another borough there’s a subway station in Chinatown that will get you there. Some hotels I’ve listed below are near the Canal Street subway stations. And a handful located near Grand Street subway stations.
  2. Food, food and glorious food. Today, Chinatown is not just about Chinese food and its ethnic variations. We’ve got restaurants representing Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Korean and fusion. With Little Italy, right in Chinatown, you’ll get your pizza and pasta fix instantly.
  3. Manhattan’s Chinatown is located in lower Manhattan. Which means you can walk to most attractions downtown, such as Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, Battery Park, Freedom Tower, and the 9/11 Memorial.

Best Hotels in Manhattan’s NYC Chinatown

Low season rates in NYC starts January to late March. High season begins October to December. Shoulder seasons are best times to visit NYC from late April through July.

Good news is there are many hotels in Manhattan Chinatown today competing for tourist dollars.

  • Budget: $150 to $200 per room
  • Mid-Level: $200 to $250 per room
  • High-End: $250 to $400 per room

1. HOTEL MULBERRY

Hotel Mulberry exterior in NYC Chinatown

Hotel Mulberry – 52 Mulberry Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10013

This hotel is located right across a popular public city park called Columbus Park. It has a lot of good reviews for clean rooms perfect for a quiet rest. There are many restaurants nearby that require a short stroll. You can walk to Little Italy in 5 minutes. Hotel Mulberry is just a small quaint hotel so many rooms sell out fast.

Read reviews and check rates for Hotel Mulberry on Booking.com


2. CITY ROOMS HOTEL SOHO

City Rooms Superior Room New York City SOHO

City Rooms NYC SOHO – 120 Lafayette Street, SOHO, New York, NY 10013

City Rooms NYC is located on the edge of Canal Street and Lafayette. By staying here you will be right on the border of Chinatown and SOHO.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Agoda.com


3. 11 HOWARD Hotel

11 Howard Hotel Room

11 Howard – 11 Howard SoHo, New York, NY 10013

Just slight above City Rooms NYC Soho, 11 Howard is more upscale and pricier. So you’ll find higher levels of service and room comforts.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Agoda.com


4. NOBELDEN

Nobelden hotel room

Just slight above City Rooms NYC Soho, 11 Howard is more upscale and pricier. So you’ll find higher levels of service and room comforts.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Booking.com


5. BEST WESTERN BOWERY HANBEE HOTEL

Best Western Bowery Hotel

Best Western Bowery Hanbee Hotel – 231 Grand Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10013

A popular hotel chain in a corner of Chinatown. With the large rooms, it’s perfect for traveling families on their first visit to NYC.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Agoda.com


6. HOTEL 50 BOWERY NYC

50 Bowery Hotel

Hotel 50 Bowery – 50 Bowery, Chinatown, New York, NY 10013

A very stylish chic boutique hotel in the heart of NYC’s Chinatown. Make sure you check out the rooftop bar with a spectacular front view of the Manhattan Bridge.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Agoda.com


7. WYNDHAM GARDEN

Wyndham Garden Hotel Chinatown Exterior

Wyndham Garden Chinatown – 93 Bowery Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10013

An affordable hotel in the heart of Chinatown by New York City standards. Close to the train stations with plenty of Asian dining options outside.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Agoda.com


8. LEON HOTEL

Leon Hotel Room

Leon Hotel – 125 Canal Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10002

Another affordable quality hotel near historic Manhattan bridge. Also near a train station as well as many small Chinese restaurants to eat inexpensively like the locals know how to.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Booking.com


9. HOTEL MIMOSA

Hotel Mimosa Room

Hotel Mimosa – 79 Division Street, Chinatown, New York, NY 10002

One of the most affordable hotels in Manhattan’s Chinatown in the mid $200 dollar range. With no sacrifice in location, comfort and quality.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Booking.com


10. CANAL LOFT HOSTEL AND HOTEL

Canal Loft Hostel & Hotel

Canal Loft Hostel and Hotel – 94 Canal Street, New York, NY 10002

This small budget NYC hostel and hotel has mixed room dormitories and also all female room dormitories. Perfect for budget travelers in groups. Private rooms are also available.

Read reviews and check for discounts on Agoda.com

My first impressions of the Olympus EPL5…

My first impressions of the Olympus EPL5…

Who says old Chinese ladies only play mah jong?

Who says old Chinese ladies only play mah jong?

So I’ve had a few weeks to fool around with my new Oly EPL5 along with the Oly 45mm 1.8 lens. As I mentioned in an older post, it’s not as user friendly as my old Panasonic Lumix GF2 which I left back in my place in Bangkok. Along with my 20mm f1.7 prime lens too which I shouldn’t have because it would have made a better addition to my new EPL5.

The EPL5 is hell of a lot better in terms of picture quality of course. And it’s functions and extras outshines the GF2. But that’s not a fair comparison obviously because the EPL5 is way newer. But that’s not my biggest quirk, you see I shoot my photos on aperture mode 100% of the time and on the GF2 there is a dedicated ISO button which I always select on my own. For the EPL5 I have to press two buttons to bring up the ISO selection. Now if there is a quicker way to select ISO on the EPL5 that I don’t know about, please let me know.

Some creamy looking bokeh with the 45mm f1.8...

Some creamy looking bokeh with the 45mm f1.8…

Okay, to some people that’s not a big deal and you might be calling me a cry baby. But to me ISO is very important and it is just recently that I learned that sensor sensitivity is an important aspect to proper photo exposures. As I mentioned before, learning the art of photography is still an ongoing albeit slow process for me. And mastering of proper ISO settings is critical for perfect pictures. At least from my experience.

Got just a bit too close...

Got just a bit too close…

It was quite cold for most of the past week but there was one day where the weather was nice and warm. So all of the pictures you see on this post were taken on the same day. Oh and I have to add all the shots were JPEGs right from the EPL5. This camera is amazing with JPEGs in which the Lumix GF2 is lacking. Yeah I know it’s unfair to compare both cameras since one is newer than the other. I’m just saying that I like the Oly a lot because I don’t have to rely solely on shooting RAW. But anyways since I SD cards with a lot of memory I’ll just shoot JPEG+RAW out of habit.

Taking a picture of a guy taking pictures of a boot...

Taking a picture of a guy taking pictures of a boot…

I hate adjusting pictures. I use Adobe Lightroom 4 and I think it’s a great tool. But to me I just hate opening a picture up and spending the time to tweak the photo. Especially when you take hundreds of photos and especially if you are OCD like me.

Anways I’m going to continue playing around with the EPL5. And I’m still kicking myself over leaving my Panasonic 20mm in Bangkok. I believe it would make an awesome combination with the EPL5. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the Oly 45mm lens (yes I know it’s a portrait lens) but I prefer wider scenes and it’s the only lens I have on hand for the EPL5. So far it is a nice camera and I’m looking forward to learning more about its functions, settings and customizing the camera to my liking.