Choosing a New York hotel usually involves compromise of some sort – more space for a poor location; a better location but overpriced and noisy; a great location and a wallet-busting price. But after finishing a recent trip to New York with a couple of nights at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, we think we’ve fund pretty much the ideal NYC hotel, one that ticks all the boxes.
As the name suggests the 1 Hotel, which opened back in 2017, is located right by Brooklyn Bridge, on the Brooklyn side. While many will crave being in Manhattan, there’s really very few downsides to the hotel’s location and whole lot of upsides. First of all, the views are spectacular – with the hotel being right on the waterfront, there’s uninterrupted views over to the skyscrapers of the Financial District, as well as the famous bridge itself of course. You’ll be located right in the heart of Dumbo which has plenty to offer, including the Time Out Market, and for when you are heading over to Manhattan, it couldn’t be easier: you can walk across the bridge, hop on the ferry over to Wall St, which takes three minutes, or take the subway over to the Lower East Side in a jiffy.
Secondly, being over in Brooklyn away from the chaos of Manhattan you get a bit of peace and quiet at the end of the day. And thirdly, you actually get a hotel room big enough to walk around and relax in, compared to the shoebox rooms of many Manhattan establishments. Rooms at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge start at an extremely generous 300 sq ft, with the bigger sizes being 325 sq ft.
Talking of the rooms, it’s worth paying extra for the ones that come with the views as it’s pretty special waking up looking at the Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The glass also opens and slides right back so on nice sunny days you can really take advantage of the setting.
The hotel is fully committed to operating sustainably and this is in full effect in the room design, with a chic industrial vibe that makes the most of natural materials, from the reclaimed wooden cupboards to the hemp mattresses. There’s also a very cool water filter built into the wall for triple-filtered drinking water and even a sand timer in the shower that reminds you not to waste water. The whole hotel is powered by wind and uses low energy bulbs too. Eco-credentials don’t mean they skimp on luxury though – there’s smart designer light fixtures, comfy reclining chairs, gold accented bathroom fixtures, supremely soft king beds and all the mod cons you’d expect.
Elsewhere, the hotel features a pretty epic roof terrace, bar and swimming pool all of which of course take full advantage of the location and views. In the public areas there’s a restaurant, spacious lobby and huge living wall and green plants dotted around. In the basement you’ll find a gym and luxurious Bamford Haybarn Spa.
If you’re thinking all this must come at huge expense then think again – rooms start at around £275 here, which really isn’t bad for New York and offers exceptional value when you consider what you’re getting. It’s safe to say we were big fans of 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, and it’ll definitely be one of top hotel recommendations for New York from now on.
60 Furman St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
1hotels.com