I had to have an emergency medical outpatient procedure performed early in the morning and wanted to stay in a hotel near New York Hospital the night before the procedure. All the good hotels nearby were booked. I found 254 East Vacation on hotel .com. The price for Manhattan was very cheap and I expected to be sleeping in a flea bag hotel. I was pleasantly surprised at the old but very clean apartment with a backyard garden, kitchenette, comfortable bed , 2 TV's and quiet sleeping conditions. I felt like I was sleeping in my grandmother's house in the 1940s. Don't expect luxurious furniture, plush towels, a concierge or even a check in desk. But Danny met me outside carried in the luggage and upgraded my room at no additional charge when I told him I preferred not to have to walk upstairs. He was most pleasant and helpful. The hot water pressure was very good. There were adequate towels, a good hair blow dryer and a short walk to the hospital. The neighborhood is a lovely safe area with restaurants and perfect for a family or couple. You can't beat the price.

I'm English and was on my first visit to New York and had NO IDEA what to expect. I was very relieved and VERY pleased at the standard of 254 East 74th Street ground floor loft appartment. Comfy lounge with cable TV, big enough kitchen with large fridge freezer, full sized oven and hob, microwave, lots of other useful bits too, and a comfy double bed even if the ceiling was a little low. Airconditioning was perfect and not too noisy either. Plenty of shops and restaurants just around the corner and a short 5 minute walk to the nearest Metro (East 77th Street) so the rest of Manhattan is only a short train journey away. Central Park is 4 blocks away. I found it a real pleasure to come back to a cool flat after a hot day (and I would assume a warm flat on a cold day therefore). All-in-all a very good choice for me. The Property Manager (Danny) was very helpful.

We thought it would be fun to stay in a non-traditional hotel for a change, and the price was right at about $300 a night. The photos on the website looked great, however we were very disappointed when we arrived. The entryway was run-down and dirty. We stayed in the first-floor loft, which has a double bed upstairs and a sofa bed downstairs. Linens on the bed were stained and there was a ton of hair under the comforter. Luckily we had brought our own linens; I actually ended up sleeping on my own bedsheets on the living room floor, which was cleaner than the bed. The kitchen looked okay, but not clean enough to make me want to cook there or even store anything in the refrigerator. The carpet upstairs had obviously not been vacuumed after the last guests, downstairs was a little better. Bathroom was small but clean. It was a hot night and there was a window air conditioner but it never completely cooled the room. The website advertised wireless internet but we were unable to connect while we were there. Overall, a very poor experience.

We rented apartment 3A knowing that the building has no lobby, no attendant on site and no elevator. We knew we would have to carry our bags up 3 flights of stairs. But we weren't prepared for how grim the place is. The small galley kitchen is OK. The "living room" is a pass-through from the kitchen to the bedroom, about 10 feet wide, with a couch that faces a TV. The single ceiling light in the "living room" was burned out. In the bedroom, the window air conditioner -- the only source of air conditioning in the apartment -- is located directly behind the head of one of the beds. If you sleep in that bed, you can't run the air conditioner. If it's a hot night, you can't sleep without the air conditioner. When we came back to the apartment on Saturday night, we found the bathroom ceiling paint and plaster coming down owing to a leak from above. We called the owner and reported the problem. The owner didn't seem to care. We also told him there was no light in the "living room." Again, he made no effort to address the problem. Trust us, you don't want to stay here.

We rented apartment 3A knowing that the building has no lobby, no attendant on site and no elevator. We knew we would have to carry our bags up 3 flights of stairs. But we weren't prepared for how grim the place is. The small galley kitchen is OK. The "living room" is a pass-through from the kitchen to the bedroom, about 10 feet wide, with a couch that faces a TV. The single ceiling light in the "living room" was burned out. In the bedroom, the window air conditioner -- the only source of air conditioning in the apartment -- is located directly behind the head of one of the beds. If you sleep in that bed, you can't run the air conditioner. If it's a hot night, you can't sleep without the air conditioner. When we came back to the apartment on Saturday night, we found the bathroom ceiling paint and plaster coming down owing to a leak from above. We called the owner and reported the problem. The owner didn't seem to care. We also told him there was no light in the "living room." Again, he made no effort to address the problem. Trust us, you don't want to stay here.

I selected this accommodation as someone who has lived in NYC for three years and needed to return with 3 month old and mother in law for a business meeting. We thought that having a small apartment would be easier for everyone and were prepared for the 'unhotel' nature of the accommodation. Yet, I must say that I underestimated the low standards that New York can get to when describing what is acceptable for a room or accommodation, particularly when seeing the price charged for each of these rooms. Overall the experience was my mother-in-law's first in new york, and I had wanted to let her experience something comfortable, but ended up showing her the typcial overpriced and bad rental unit reality for many New Yorkers. Firstly we were on the 4th floor (our mistake) so lugging all luggage up narrow flights of stairs was not fun. Nor did we have help. But perhaps most surprisingly, we were greeted after 20 hours of travel to NYC by a handwritten unprofessional note at the building entrance telling us the entrance code and nothing else. Later someone came around to see if we were comfortable, but some things could not be corrected: Namely, the bathroom was in bad condition, lead paint peeling and bad fixtures. It left the impression that it was far from clean, and neither of us ventured off of the carpets. The heating system was not adequate and when I complained it was turned up too high. Paint was peeling also in the main bedroom with both beds directly in front of the heat so either you freeze (with open windows) or become too warm. I should add that we were experiencing an unusal cold spell our few days in NYC, but I would except the apartment to have better heat controls than a badly maintained tenament apartment. Also, anyone staying should note that there is not phone in the apartment. This becomes almost laughable when you realize that the advertised wi fi (it worked 1/2 hour of the 3 days that we were there even after I noted this several times to management) does not work which essentially means that you are without any means of communication. As a person with a European mobile phone, this caused unbelievable inconvenience and cost as I paid for 'roaming' in order to make local NYC calls. Overall, the experience exhausted me, and for almost 200 dollars a night, I expected, I believe realistically, better than was provided.

Great neighborhood, convenient to museums, subways; excellent Turkish restaurant two doors down. Superintendant Danny was nice as could be, and accomodated late checkout. However: place could use a thorough cleaning. Bathroom shelves had residue of toothpaste; refridg. had crumbs from prior guest. When I picked up something in the kitchen area, noticed dust, junk and shards of glass under shelving unit. Also, beds were OK (two doubles), but one had only a twin size blanket, somewhat tattered, and other had a giant king blanket. No washcloths or hand towels in bathroom. A good cleaning, and attention to these small and inexpensive niceties would go a long way to make this place less shabby.

Great location - close to all public transportation, few blocks from Central Park. Property Manager, Danny was very accomodating - we were able to check in mid morning rather than the regular 3pm check in. No phones in the apt but a message was delivered very promptly. The 1 bedroom apt - #2a on 2nd floor was very neat and clean. No noisy neighbours just the rattling pipes. The only thing in the unit that needs to be upgraded sooner rather than later would be the bathroom sink. We had lots of clean towels, shampoo etc. Apt entrance hallway and stairway have been renovated since one of the other reviews. No elevator so pack light. Would stay there again and definetly recommend this place to friends. LD Canada

When we first came across 254 East Vacation, East 74th Street on the web, only one rather uninspiring feedback had been posted for it on the Expedia website, along with a meagre two stars. Googling the address, however, offered up a completely contrasting report (the first in this string, from another Brit) which seemed to reflect on the place in its own context rather than that of some glitzy tower. We had a great time on this our first visit to New York - all the usual sights, plus two trips on the Adirondack schooner (recommended ++) - and it was made all the better by the knowledge that we could return “home†each evening to our own self-contained suite without being bothered by a string of beaming-faced tip-seekers. At 254 we got all that we'd paid for and more. Our rear-facing suite was clean, quiet and comfortable with excellent beds, two TV's and a small but perfectly adequate kitchen … and it cost notably less than many a fancy hotel en-suite room that boasts gold taps and traffic noise would have! Only a few blocks from either Central Park or the East River, there was a frequent bus service just around the corner on 2nd Ave and the subway was only two avenues and three short blocks away at 77th and Lexington. Both the buses and the trains run the length of Manhattan, so getting around was easy. There's a great choice of restaurants and food stores in the immediate vicinity. Go to the corner of 71st and 3rd for a splendid food emporium the likes of which you will look hard to find in the UK. Danny the property manager was welcoming and willingly helpful when we arrived and went beyond the call of duty by offering to carry our heavy bags down three flights whilst we were out enjoying our last day, and keeping them safe for us to collect at whatever time suited us best that evening. Shortcomings? The shower was hot but the flow a little slow, otherwise there was nothing that bothered us. Who should stay here? … Anyone who's happy to make their own beds, climb a few stairs and enjoy peace and quiet away from the teeming city. Thanks again, Danny. Just the job! C&A, October 2006.

When we first came across 254 East Vacation, East 74th Street on the web, only one rather uninspiring feedback had been posted for it on the Expedia website, along with a meagre two stars. Googling the address, however, offered up a completely contrasting report (the first in this string, from another Brit) which seemed to reflect on the place in its own context rather than that of some glitzy tower. We had a great time on this our first visit to New York - all the usual sights, plus two trips on the Adirondack schooner (recommended ++) - and it was made all the better by the knowledge that we could return “home” each evening to our own self-contained suite without being bothered by a string of beaming-faced tip-seekers. At 254 we got all that we’d paid for and more. Our rear-facing suite was clean, quiet and comfortable with excellent beds, two TV’s and a small but perfectly adequate kitchen … and it cost notably less than many a fancy hotel en-suite room that boasts gold taps and traffic noise would have! Only a few blocks from either Central Park or the East River, there was a frequent bus service just around the corner on 2nd Ave and the subway was only two avenues and three short blocks away at 77th and Lexington. Both the buses and the trains run the length of Manhattan, so getting around was easy. There's a great choice of restaurants and food stores in the immediate vicinity. Go to the corner of 71st and 3rd for a splendid food emporium the likes of which you will look hard to find in the UK. Danny the property manager was welcoming and willingly helpful when we arrived and went beyond the call of duty by offering to carry our heavy bags down three flights whilst we were out enjoying our last day, and keeping them safe for us to collect at whatever time suited us best that evening. Shortcomings? The shower was hot but the flow a little slow, otherwise there was nothing that bothered us. Who should stay here? … Anyone who’s happy to make their own beds, climb a few stairs and enjoy peace and quiet away from the teeming city. Thanks again, Danny. Just the job! C&A, October 2006.

I had to have an emergency medical outpatient procedure performed early in the morning and wanted to stay in a hotel near New York Hospital the night before the procedure. All the good hotels nearby were booked. I found 254 East Vacation on hotel .com. The price for Manhattan was very cheap and I expected to be sleeping in a flea bag hotel. I was pleasantly surprised at the old but very clean apartment with a backyard garden, kitchenette, comfortable bed , 2 TV's and quiet sleeping conditions. I felt like I was sleeping in my grandmother's house in the 1940s. Don't expect luxurious furniture, plush towels, a concierge or even a check in desk. But Danny met me outside carried in the luggage and upgraded my room at no additional charge when I told him I preferred not to have to walk upstairs. He was most pleasant and helpful. The hot water pressure was very good. There were adequate towels, a good hair blow dryer and a short walk to the hospital. The neighborhood is a lovely safe area with restaurants and perfect for a family or couple. You can't beat the price.

If you don't want to pay top dollar in NY for the same old dingy hotel room then 254 East is a good option. Yes, it has no reception, no elevators, no restaurant, no spa, no check-in or check-out and no porter, but what you get is your own place on the Upper East side, surrounded by as many restaurants and cafes and shopping as you want. We were met by Danny the janitor/caretaker, the keys were in the studio which was on the fourth floor - so pack light!!!! The unit was clean, with good a/c in the bedroom only. There are two comfortable double beds in the one bedroom which was clean and bright and nicely decorated. Being at the back of the house it was also totally quiet at night for sleeping, a big plus in NY. The kitchen although small was perfectly adequate and brand new and clean.The bathroom was dark and dingy but clean although it really needs new units. Shower was fine though. Toilet was brand new. Yes, the exterior does look a bit worn as well as the staircases and hallway, but once inside your unit its fine. So if you know this in advance and its all you need to enjoy NY, then this is certainly a very good value option in a city where hotel rooms can easily get up to US$500 to 600 per night. At 254 for US$250 you get two comfortable double beds enough to sleep a family of 4 for no extra charge plus a kitchen/diner too!! I will definitely go back.

East Vacation is hardly the fashionable upscale site it appears to be from its website. fine if you are looking into other peoples uptown apartments in the same street but Danny's East 74th is dirty, run down, badly in need of a complete makeover. its motel hell, cheap fittings, 1980's decor, no real sense of being in an aparthotel. There is no cleaning regime and to cap it all we were visited by mice in the last few days on our ten day stay. droppings were evident under the kitchen sink and cooker/fridge. the rooms weren't even vaccumned nor any litter removed - no wonder he attracts mice. we complained on day 9 after being chided for leaving a tied up bag of trash on the stairwell. his answer was to put down glue traps. This place is simply is not worth the cash.