The Big Spender

New York is ideal for big spenders, as five-star service can be experienced here as nowhere else, with phenomenal hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and nightlife venues that cater to every whim. Our Luxury Hotel Guide gives you information below about: • Top Ten Luxury Hotels • Top Ten Restaurants • Savoring the Fine Life in New York

Our NYC.com hotel guide offers fantastic deals at New York's top hotels, and more than a dozen have ultra-luxurious suites for when money is no object. Heads of state, for example, favor the top-end historic suites at the Waldorf Astoria. In addition to the well-known international players, we have great deals on top-end boutique hotel rooms. In the $300+ per night category, you will find all the amenities and extras you would expect, along with stellar service. Should you find some detail overlooked or not to your standards, you would expect in this room class that management would respond to your needs right away. And in the $500+ per night category, you will expect (and receive) world-class service in this magnificent city that never sleeps. And you can absolutely expect to sleep, and sleep soundly, because all your needs will be met.

Top Ten Luxury Hotels

Four Seasons New York Midtown East The Four Seasons New York, designed by I. M. Pei, offers a remarkable luxury experience even by high New York standards. Its elegantly appointed deluxe, executive, and one-bedroom suites are spacious, bright, and designed in tasteful contemporary décor. Penthouse, Presidential, and Royal Three-bedroom Suites are also available. Additional Hotel Highlights: Four Seasons Hotel Spa, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon restaurant

Hotel Plaza Athenee Upper East Side For visitors who desire to stay at one of the finest luxury boutique hotels in America, The Plaza Athénée is a perfect choice. All of the tasteful rooms here are beautifully appointed, with French furniture, mirrored closet doors, flat screen TV's and super plush beds. Additional Hotel Highlights: Arabelle restaurant, Bar Seine, Planted Private Terrace

Mandarin Oriental, New York Midtown West Every room or suite comes with a stunning view from high above Central Park, the Hudson River or the Manhattan skyline. These 248 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites reflect the oriental heritage of Mandarin Oriental while incorporating contemporary elements of New York City. Deluxe and Premier level rooms are king bedded and feature luxurious décor, spectacular floor to ceiling windows, while suites offer separate studies, master bedrooms, wet bars and powder rooms. Additional Hotel Highlights: Five-Star Spa, 36th Floor Pool, Sky-Level Dining, Five-Star Time Warner Center dining

Ritz Carlton NY Central Park Midtown East This 1930s landmark has been transformed into an intimate hotel with a residential feel, French limestone walls, inlaid onyx floors, antique chandeliers, and a notable art collection. Deluxe rooms offer marble baths, 440-thread count fine linen, and inspiring views of Central Park. One-bedroom Luxury Suites feature spacious livings rooms and Bang & Olufsen televisions, and in-room telescopes. Additional Hotel Highlights: La Prairie Spa, BLT Market restaurant, Star Lounge

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel Upper East Side Brilliantly positioned on Madison Avenue, it is a true New York landmark—a showcase of great art, a purveyor of privacy and a sanctuary of refined taste. Guests feel truly ensconced in an elegant private residential atmosphere and the exclusive ambiance of an Upper East Side pied-à-terre. Deluxe rooms have entry foyers, spacious closets, and small pantries. Luxury suites offer stylish separate bedrooms, elegant furnishings and views of beautiful interior courtyards. Additional Hotel Highlights: Café Carlyle, The Gallery Restaurant, Sense Spa

The Mark Upper East Side The Mark occupies a 1926 Art Deco building on the Upper East Side on a quiet, leafy street lined with handsome Gilded Age townhouses and mansions. Its intimate marble lobby reflects that residential ambience. The extraordinary suites designed by Jaques Grange feature broadloomed carpeted bedrooms, Boffi kitchens by Piero Lissoni, and state of the art audiovisual technology. Tower and Penthouse suites have spacious foorplans, indoor/outdoor design, and multiple bedrooms. Additional Hotel Highlights: Jacques Grange Restaurant, Frédéric Fekkai Beauty Salon

The New York Palace Midtown East The Palace is known for its luxurious accommodations, spectacular views, spacious rooms and unparalleled service. Heads of state and rock stars stay here. Offering a choice of Deluxe, Executive Club, and Towers guest rooms, all rooms and suites are designed in either traditional or contemporary décor, with marble bathrooms, brocade drapes and classically patterned carpets. Top level Triplex Suites feature rooftop terraces, eighteen-foot windows and Art Deco interior design. Additional Hotel Highlights: Gilt restaurant, The Madison Room, Day Spa

The Peninsula New York Midtown East A 23-story, 1905 landmark building, The Peninsula New York has retained many of the hotel's original Beaux Arts architectural features, designed by Hiss and Weekes. The spacious and luxurious guest rooms and suites are decorated in classic contemporary style with Art Nouveau accents, and boast marble bathrooms, plush furnishings, and double-glazed windows to guarantee peace and quiet. Additional Hotel Highlights: Rooftop Salon de Ning, Gotham Lounge, Peninsula Spa by ESPA

The Waldorf Towers Upper East Side A stay at the Waldorf Towers represents an elite retreat, as each of its 180 rooms is fitted with a unique style, such as French Provincial, Old English, and Empire. Most have 12-foot-high ceilings, original crown moldings, chandeliers, velvets and silk fabrics, and impressive city views. Guest rooms feature beds dressed in triple-sheeted Frette linens and down comforters. Large marble bathrooms offer separate showers and tubs, brass or original nickel fixtures, Egyptian cotton towels, and Penhaligon's of London toiletries. Additional Hotel Highlights: Sir Harry's Lounge, Peacock Alley Lounge, Guerlain Spa

The St Regis New York Midtown East A 1904 Beaux Arts landmark in the heart of midtown Manhattan, The St. Regis provides the atmosphere and attentive service found exclusively in the most gracious residences of that era. Its 256 guest rooms and suites feature Louis XVI-style furniture, crystal chandeliers suspended from high ceilings, deeply carved crown moldings and wainscoting, marble baths, and silk wall coverings. Additional Hotel Highlights: St. Regis Butler Service, King Cole Bar, Adour Alain Ducasse restaurant

Top Ten Restaurants

New York has so many top places so that it is difficult to name just ten. For more of our recommendations, do check our restaurant guide and examine the top reviews. At New York's best restaurants reservations are mandatory, so proceed on to the guide to reserve that coveted corner table through the reservations link you'll find for each restaurant.

Restaurant Daniel Savor award-winning chef Daniel Boulud's seasonal French cuisine inspired by the market in Restaurant Daniel's sumptuous Venetian Renaissance style dining room or in the Bellecour Room. Seasonally based French cuisine means an ever-changing menu that nevertheless remains world class.

Le Bernardin New York's internationally acclaimed four-star seafood restaurant was born in Paris in 1972 by sibling duo Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze. Renown for setting standards in the cooking of fresh, simple and respectfully prepared seafood in America, Le Bernadin is one of the world's premier restaurants.

Chanterelle Serving the freshest seafood, produce, game, and wild mushrooms from small sources all over the country, Chanterelle combines the best of ingredients with a love for classic French cuisine and the flavors of the Far East. Its wine cellar boasts some 3000 bottles and offers unusual, small producers as well as the best of French wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy.

per se Thomas Keller brings his distinctive hands-on approach from Napa Valley's French Laundry to New York City, serving mouth-watering 5-course, 9-course, and vegetarian course menus. The elegant dining room holds just 16 tables and boasts spectacular views of Central Park.

Del Posto Del Posto's transgenerational Italian cuisine combines the creativity of contemporary culinary sensibilities with the powerful draw of classic Italian cuisine. Its version of "Cucina Classica" strives to highlight the distinctive regional and seasonal variations for which Italian cuisine is celebrated.

Jean Georges Chef and co-owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten brings back tableside service to the dining room of this stellar French restaurant in the belief that the aromas of finely prepared dishes should not be exclusively enjoyed by the chefs in the kitchen. In addition to its first-rate menu selections, Jean-Georges also features an award-winning wine list with an international array of 650 wines ranging up to $12,500.

Le Cirque One of New York's most beloved restaurants offers the finest nouvelle vague haute cuisine in the city. Master impresario Sirio Maccioni oversees a beautifully designed 16,000 sqare feet dining room and a truly spectacular French dining experience.

Oceana All varieties of seafood and shellfish are prepared at Oceana Restaurant with one goal in mind: to enhance the simple perfection of each ingredient. From the crab cakes or wild striped bass ceviche to other signature dishes such as grilled loup de mer or butter poached lobster, dining at Oceana is a totally gratifying experience.

Bouley Bouley offers modern French cuisine with world influences served in a warm and intimate West Broadway setting. Whether you choose a tasting menu at lunch or dinner, or order a la carte, diners will be amazed at the dazzling array star chef and owner David Bouley creates here.

Aureole This elegant two-story brownstone establishment opened in 1988 and very quickly earned its reputation as one of the finest restaurants in the United States. Aureole serves an inventive progressive American cuisine and has now gained a worldwide reputation for its elegant atmosphere, delicious cuisine, and talented celebrity chef, Charlie Palmer.

Savoring the Fine Life in New York

Now that you have reserved the perfect hotel room at NYC.com and made reservations at the top restaurants, might we suggest a romantic carriage ride at twilight through Central Park? Just hitch up with the horse and carriage on Central Park South. Or an afternoon at a top-ranked day spa? Follow that with spectacular views of the city from the 70th floor observatory at Rockefeller Center, then drinks at the Rainbow Room before heading on to your dinner reservation.

Surprise gift baskets are also a great idea Chelsea Market alone has a half-dozen places that can put together a terrific package for you, whether brownies from the Fat Witch Bakery, ruggelach from Ruthy's, gourmet items from Sarabeth's or Chelsea Market Baskets, or fancy cookies from Eleni's Bakery. Maybe you want to see Emeril cooking at the Food Network? You might also pick up a selection of demi-size bottles (or a magnum) of champagne from the Chelsea Wine Vault. So many possibilities under one roof! Links to the individual stores are <a href="/tag/chelsea_market.aspx?tab=all>right here.

For special weekend ideas it's important to know that Sunday mornings in the city are particularly quiet, a perfect time for an early-morning bike ride along the Hudson River or a taxi or limo ride down to see the World Financial Center and Winter Garden; the World Trade Center memorial; Battery Park, with views of Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; South Street Seaport; and a drive across the Brooklyn Bridge to have a romantic Sunday brunch overlooking the East River at the River Café. Depending on the season and the weather, a beach trip to Long Island might be enjoyable, or a warm-weather picnic in Central Park with food from Barney Greengrass, or perhaps ice skating at Wollman Rink instead.

Surprising your companion with tickets to a great show is always a good idea, so for tickets to hot Broadway shows and to read the reviews, just click on our section Broadway Tickets. Also have a look at the many types of Event Tickets we sell, as we can find you the best tickets at great prices, even for sold-out games and shows.

Of course you'll want to do a bit of shopping during your stay in New York City. With more than a mile each of top-end stores, we recommend you visit Fifth and Madison Avenues for every sort of luxury item imaginable. In addition to larger department stores, you will find boutiques from nearly every famous designer, and many additional chic boutiques can be found throughout SoHo. Have a look at our shopping guide for editorial reviews, addresses and phone numbers of stores and boutiques.

And last of all if you're considering spending a good portion of your cash enjoying the fabulous New York night life, we recommend you consult our NYC.com Guide to New York Bars & Music which gives you the lowdown on the latest hot spots, best jazz clubs, exclusive discos, and so much more. You can search it by geographic area, by highest rating, or various other criteria you specify.