Review: Carlton Arms Hotel, East 25th St, New York City

I found out about this hotel via HostelWorld, and was immediately taken in by the pictures on their website. It definitely looked like my kind of place, and it was located so conveniently (on the corner of East 25th and 3rd). For a private bedroom, it set me back $600 for a week's stay; the toilet and showers were shared, but after living in the woods for two months this wasn't even slightly a setback for me. It was a lot of money to part with, but seemed reasonable considering the location.

When I arrived, I found that the hotel entrance was a door next to a store, and you immediately have to climb a staircase to get up to the main lobby; I was amused by a sign downstairs, telling guests to bring the cat upstairs if she was at the bottom. Lugging my suitcase and holdall up the stairs wasn't much fun, but seeing the reception area kind of distracted me:

This place was covered, covered in murals; even in a week I was still spotting new things on my floor, and I haven't even seen the other floors of the hotel. It is absolutely stunning, and I love the idea of bringing in local artists and letting them loose to decorate every single room differently.

Checking in was a breeze; the people running the Carlton Arms are friendly, artsy folk who are really relaxed and approachable. I was asked which floor I wanted to stay on and, being lazy and sick of dragging my bags around, I opted to stay on the same floor as reception. They gave me the keys to the two remaining rooms on that floor and told to pick whichever one I preferred. I picked 6A, of which I've posted photos on here previously. It was a monochrome room with beautiful, slightly morbid murals on the walls - definitely suitable for me! I went back to tell the staff my choice, and to pay the remaining $510 I owed them. Here I hit a little snag - the temporary debit card that camp paid me on decided not to work. A lot of people had this problem, and I was incredibly embarrassed, not to mention worried that I would be thrown out before I'd even been there for five minutes. But the people running the hotel were honestly the nicest, most chill people. I was told to go settle in, and to bring them cash whenever I could get to an ATM. I was so grateful for their kindness, as I was pretty flustered at this point.

On my way back to my room, I noticed this windowsill and couldn't resist taking a photo:

As I was dragging my things through the door, one of the two cats (a tabby) that live in the hotel came into my room. She was very friendly, letting me pick her up and give her a big cuddle before depositing her back outside. I soon met the other, a grey and white cat who was a little more shy, and it was nice to have them roaming around the corridors - it made the hotel feel so much more homey and friendly. Not to mention that they keep the hotel clean enough so that you don't get cat hair all over everything you possess!

The bed in my room was a double one, and it was so comfortable (even if it was super squeaky). I loved sprawling out on it after a long day walking around the city. It was also equipped with a sink, and an air conditioning unit that worked like a dream. I was expecting it to be noisier than it actually was, but I suppose the noise was cancelled out a bit by the fact that all I could ever hear was the traffic out on 3rd Avenue. You'd think that would be really annoying and disturbing - I usually can't sleep with loads of noise happening - but I slept incredibly well at the Carlton Arms. Maybe I was tired from all my NYC adventures. Maybe it was because I wasn't sleeping in a cabin in the woods any more. I don't know. In any case, I slept beautifully there, even managing to have a couple of naps during the day when everyone was hustling and bustling outside.

A couple of the corridors on my floor.

All in all, I had a really wonderful stay. The hotel is 'basic', in that you don't get breakfast and there's not anything like a TV in the rooms, but the complimentary WiFi is great. The atmosphere in the place is so ambient and laid back; it's a truly charming little oasis in the middle of the big city and it was lovely to come home to it every evening. I definitely missed it when I left.

So, if you're planning on going to New York City any time soon, I would highly recommend the Carlton Arms Hotel. It's clean and pleasant, with the charm of an old house that's been really lived in and loved for years. If you're an artistic sort of person, a solo adventurer, a young couple or a fan of cats, you will adore it there. It's also really accessible, only a 5-10 minute walk over to 5th Avenue and the Empire State Building, and a short subway ride to famous places like Grand Central Station, Central Park and Times Square.

If I ever get to go back to New York, Carlton Arms Hotel will be top of my list for a place to stay!