254 East Vacation

( 2 stars , New York , United States )

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.

We stayed in the 4th floor suite and , other than the old fashioned bathroom with no jetted tub, it was great place to stay. The property manager, Danny Fontana , could not have been more helpful with early check in and late check out.I would recommed the place to anyone.

This place has gotten such bad reviews lately that we only agreed to stay there when everything else was full. What a pleasant surprise! Maybe they have cleaned up their act, and we only saw one room (5th floor, front), but it was clean, tastefully decorated, in a great neighborhood, and convenient--a few block walk to the 77th St Station on the Lexington Ave subway. The manager had left us all the necessary details in a phone message and in notes posted on the door. Based on our experience, I'll try it again. M, DC.

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.

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.

i'm sorry to have taken so long to write this review, but that is no reflection on the apartment or location. everything about this place is quirky and wonderful. just a nice size, great location and fab restaurants and shops on your doorstep. a great walk into manhattan, getting to shop at less 'showy' but equally great stores on the way. the local bars are great too and the raspberry martinis are to die for and dirt cheap!!!! we took a couple of nights around the greenwich area and then bleeker street but the people were friendlier and the atmos better around the apartment area so we chose to stay in around there and get to know the locals. great place and will be coming back in 2008 for more. one more thing, danny the super is the best!! a must is the thai restaurant around the corner - gorgeous food for very little money.

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 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.

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.

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.