by Scott Laird
Last updated: 12:30 PM ET, Wed February 22, 2017
There's a particular point in many hotel stays where guests are compelled to exhale an extended "Ahhhhh!" and think to themselves, "I'd like to live here now."
At The Bernic, a new-build boutique hotel in Manhattan's Turtle Bay neighborhood, that moment was the moment I stepped barefoot onto the heated tile floor of the bathroom. I definitely wanted to live there. It was so warm that it could even be felt through the thong-style bedroom slippers provided during turndown service.
Guest rooms are utterly adorable. In addition to the maybe-I-won't-ever-leave warmed bathroom floors, there's a host of amenities including Beekman 1802 bath products, and a shower head that fairly melts away the stress of wandering about Manhattan.
Room design is minimalist and modern but not at all un-cozy. The nearby United Nations provides a global inspiration for the design, and each room carries weltanschauung (worldview) design themes drawn from eight global cities. My room was Paris.
It makes for a pleasant evening.
Each room is steps away from the elevator in the intimate tower, and it's almost a given to curl up in the luxury Sterns & Foster bed with high thread count cotton sheets, nibble Chocolat Moderne chocolate from the neighborhood ("Raspberry Rendezvous", yum!), pour a cup of coffee from the Nespresso machine in the room (which I'm convinced is the grown up equivalent of finding a Twinkie in your lunch box) and page through the selection of heritage books curated for each guest room by the Manhattan institution Strand Bookstore.
In keeping with the theme of the room design, the books were about Paris. I may or may not have left the room to checkout wishing the City of Light were my next scheduled stop.
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The hotel's location is unbeatable. Turtle Bay is close to both the United Nations and the ad agencies of Madison Avenue. It's a few blocks from Grand Central Station and around a $5 cab ride from the most tourist-friendly parts of Midtown, yet it's tucked away on a quiet street away from the noisier climes of the Avenues.
For business, it's a great place to get some work done. For more leisurely occupations, it's a great place to sit and dream. I spent some time writing a letter on the provided stationery; if a postcard is more your speed, the hotel provides those too. For the utterly tech-addicted, the hotel has free WiFi.
If you're bound for New York and a quiet intimacy is what you look for in a hotel, look no further than Turtle Bay-The Bernic is definitely your match.
The Takeaway: This intimate property feels like the polar opposite of bustling Manhattan, with cozy hideaway-style rooms perfect for relaxing and shutting out the urban melee.
The Damage: Very un-New York like pricing, with rooms from around $159 per night, depending on season and availability.
Instagrammable Moment: It's hard to photograph the feeling you get when stepping onto a heated floor, but little touches throughout the room make for photo moments, from curated book collections to cute mini terrariums.
Good to Know: Not only is there a restaurant downstairs, serving up homemade pasta, there's also a rooftop bar and lounge.
Loyalty: The hotel participates in Stash Rewards.
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