New York....watch out!

Well what a week I've had entertaining all my friends who've been visiting me - we've been all over London, exploring, eating, drinking, exploring some more, watching outdoor films, visiting museums, irish dancing, and visiting Twickenham - so much so that I am in need of a holiday!

So Great Auntie Beryl, who came over last week, was overhearing me recommending all these hotels to my friends and has decided she's onto something. She's told all her friends about my skills and I keep getting calls from the likes of Mavis, Gertrude and Iris from her bridge class, all asking me to recommend hotels for them depending on their preferences (mainly chess, golf and bird watching). I like to think I can find something for everyone so I'm being put to the test but think I'm doing OK so far.

She went back to sunny Edinburgh a few days ago (my place is only just recovering from her stay - I keep finding tea cups in all sorts of obscure places - in the bath, behind the tv, in the cat's bed....). Her gossip spreading is renowned throughout Scotland for the speed at which it travels and as a result I had an interesting call from cousin Hamish just this morning. Some say he looks like me.... I prefer to think not.


He's heard about these new US entry requirements that mean that all those travelling under the Visa Waiver Programme (most British Citizen passport holders) are required to provide details online 72 hours prior to travel. This is known as an Electronic Travel System or ESTA. The system is now up and running on a voluntary basis but will become mandatory as of 12 Jan 2009. See here for more info: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/fact_sheets/travel/esta_factsheet.xml

Anyway, I digress... Hamish, hearing I'm a "travel guru" (as the gossip goes) has asked me what this means about his trip to New York & can I help him book a hotel there which he has failed to do yet despite the fact he's leaving next week. So......I told him - log onto the ESTA website and follow the instructions to fill in this new ESTA form before he goes - https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/ and as for hotels - on those I can be of help.

So I began enthusiastically suggesting a few of my favourites: There's the New Yorker hotel - a 3* - centrally located in midtown Manhattan and has a mini gym and a bar open until 1am (he's keen on the odd whisky before bed) - from £91pppn. Or the Helmsley Park Lane 4* - very grand, luxurious , has a huge ballroom and a peaceful open air garden cafe - from £95pppn.

At this point Hamish said "och aye - what would I need with a ballroom? Unlikely I'll be taking a kilt and showing off me reeling skills!. Give me some more...."

Now a little scared, I offer the Park Central Hotel New York - midtown Manhattan again - very near the bottom of Central Park for those early morning runs he enjoys (so he can eat as much as he likes all day and not feel guilty). That's from £98pppn.

If he fancies seeing a show or two, I suggest - there's no better than the Ameritania hotel New York - a 3* - just off broadway. Very trendy & cool - in an art deco style and there's a stylish twist lounge bar within the hotel where he can hang out & see if girls dig his weird accent.

I can tell that his eyes light up (phew!) and I think that's a winner - but just in case he's not convinced I hit him with the Jolly Hotel Madison Towers New York 4* - a beautiful Italian style hotel with plenty of handcrafted furnishings imported from Italy. Plus it has an Asian spa AND a bar called the Whaler bar which puts on popular Jazz nights.

"well you've only gone and bl**dy done it cousin" he says. "Only problem now is I'm not sure whether it's more important to choose girls or jazz....thanks for the tips" and he hangs up.

Well I'm here to help. Good luck New York is all I can say....