To explore the Museum Mile, find a base on the Upper East Side, which stretches from 59th Street north to 110th. While it's easy to spend a fortune in this neighborhood (some of the city's poshest hotels -- including the Pierre, Carlyle, Stanhope and Sherry-Netherland -- are here), we went in search of lodging that won't empty the wallet. Our goal: a room for less than $199 a night. Here are seven spots that fit the bill.
• Bentley. The 197-room high rise doesn't have the nicest back yard: It sits near FDR Drive and abuts a gas station. But we were still charmed by the boutiquey touches: stone sconces sprouting fuzzy red reeds, mod furniture that embraces like a big warm hug, the free cappuccino bar. The decor is a nice blend of surreal design and Mother Earth, with lots of natural tones and floral touches. The room's big armoire can fit all of your Madison Avenue purchases, and the sizable bathrooms are sleek in look and plush with bath goodies. As for the location, on a bright day, you can eat your complimentary bagels and coffee on the rooftop restaurant and thank your stars that you are up here and not down there, snarled in traffic.
500 E. 62 St. off York Avenue, 888-66-HOTEL, www.nychotels.com. Rates from $135, or from $110 through www.hotels-discount-travel.com.
• Franklin. For adventurous travelers only, the Franklin packs all of its quirky charms into small, moody spaces. In fact, in a strange but not necessarily bad way, this renovated apartment building reminds us of a Coen Brothers movie (more "Barton Fink" than "Fargo," though). From the cramped lobby to the tiny tea and coffee lounge to the antique elevator, almost everything here is intimate. The 48 rooms, with canopied beds and teak furniture, are not for those with even a hint of claustrophobia. The staff is attentive and sweet, and the hotel's close proximity to the Museum Mile and the neighborhood's riches of restaurants, bars and shops is a big selling point. Just be careful getting out of bed -- you might bang your head against the basin sink.
164 E. 87th St. off Lexington Avenue, 212-369-1000, www.franklinhotel.com. Rooms start at $170, though we paid $150 through www.travelocity.com.
• Gracie Inn. We'll admit that this place, one of the city's few B&Bs, isn't for everyone, especially for those who prefer Manhattan cribs with black-garbed staffers mixing apple martinis. Tucked into a quiet neighborhood, the inn is about a 15-minute jog east of the Met. Our room -- one of 12 on five floors -- was in desperate need of a paint job and other cosmetic repairs (ugly tile grout, a broken drawer), but it was otherwise spotless, large (with a separate kitchen and TV nook) and comfortable. Many of the inn's guests are folks visiting loved ones at nearby hospitals, so the innkeepers are keen on keeping guests happy. Breakfast, delivered to the room, included hot toasted bagels and the biggest -- and best -- blueberry muffin on the planet.
502 E. 81st St. between York and East End avenues, 800-404-2252, www.gracieinn.com. Rooms start at $159, but we were offered a rate over the phone of $129 for a quiet Saturday.
• Hotel Wales. With its marble staircase, fireplace and fresh flowers, the lobby of this European-style hotel is an oasis of civility. The guest rooms, while on the small side, are equally inviting, and boast Belgian linens, mahogany furniture and gorgeous oak woodwork. Bathrooms are non-glitzy but functional, with so-so showers made palatable by Aveda amenities. But the best space in this 86-room, newly renovated hotel is the second-floor common room, where a harpist holds court during breakfast (pastries, fruit, cereal and juices -- a good value at $9), and coffee and tea are served gratis all day. Build some lingering time into your schedule, because when you curl up with a cappuccino by the lace-curtained windows overlooking the neighborhood's chic shops and brownstones, you won't want to leave.
1295 Madison Ave. between 92nd and 93rd streets, 800-428-5252 or 212-876-6000, www.waleshotel.com. Rooms start at $229, but we paid $183 through www.quikbook.com.
• Lyden Gardens Suite Hotel. We'd say we found a new home away from home, but our home isn't nearly as nice as Lyden Gardens. The slick all-curves-and-green-glass lobby prepared us for yet another Ikea-inflected room, but instead we found a more down-to-earth abode waiting. The 131 spacious suites -- geared to business travelers -- have kitchens, separate living areas with big TVs, ornate bathrooms and more closet space than we knew what to do with. Though its 64th Street locale is a bit far afield from the Museum Mile, the easygoing front desk staff was quick to point us in the right direction. And while there's no on-site restaurant, you can head to one of the area's numerous greengrocers to fill that in-room fridge.
215 E. 64th. St. between Second and Third avenues, 212-355-1230, www.mesuite.com. The hotel is offering an "Only in New York" rate of $198 for a one-bedroom suite, but we found the same room for $181 at www.expedia.com.
• Melrose: Formerly the Barbizon, a "boarding house" for women that opened in 1927, the 306-room property is a rarity in New York: The hotel is well positioned among smart shops and restaurants, is fairly priced and offers spacious rooms. The lobby is rich with marble, cherry wood and tawny teacup chairs, and an adjoining bar/restaurant called the Library serves lunch and dinner. The rooms, meanwhile, feel very Laura Ashley, with sea-foam blue carpeting, Matisse prints and white shutters, and the bathrooms are big enough to twirl in. We found the front desk less than pleasant, but we rinsed away any ill will with our room's sea fennel-scented toiletries.
One Barbizon Place, Lexington Avenue at 63rd Street, 800-MELROSE, www.melrosehotel newyork.com. Rates from $168, though we paid $144 through www.quikbook.com.
• Regency. This Loews-run luxury hotel is a $6 cab ride from the Museum Mile, but what you lose in proximity you gain in New York-style opulence. The high-ceilinged lobby is awash in dark woods, shiny gold and antique chandeliers, and the tinkling of a piano in the adjoining Feinstein's club only adds to the classy feel. This is a large hotel, with 351 rooms, but it's never overwhelming, and it never feels cold or impersonal. The rooms are huge -- try to get one with a view overlooking Park Avenue -- with both a large TV and a decent stereo system. Heck, there's even a TV in the bathroom. A salon and exercise room are available (and pretty busy) on the basement level.
540 Park Ave. at 61st Street, 212-759-4100, www.loewshotels.com. Rooms start at $199 through an April promotion, though we paid $179 through www.quikbook.com.
-- Reporting by Sean Daly, John Deiner,
Andrea Sachs and K.C. Summers
