A LANG WEEKEND
THE VIBE
The Langham at 400 Fifth Avenue is ideal for exploring Manhattan. You’re within strolling distance of the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the Rockefeller, Bryant Park and MOMA.
Chic, contemporary and with the sort of conscientious concierge only the Big Apple can deliver, the hotel even has a signature scent - a waft of ginger flower permanently piped through the aircon.
THE STYLE
The hotel’s 237 bedrooms have been recently renovated in Italian walnut and marble and their angular floor-to-ceiling windows give vertigo-inducing views across the city, including the Empire State Building, just two blocks away.
Our 23rd floor Family Room was positively gargantuan even by NYC proportions, with two double beds, a bathtub, rain shower and a fully equipped kitchen (we’re talking Miele oven, Nespresso machine and microwave), ideal for those who don’t want to keep dining out.
FOOD AND DRINK
Head up the spiral staircase in reception to discover Ai Fiori. The interior designer took the restaurant’s italian name (meaning “among the flowers”) very literally, decking it out with hundreds of silk blooms.
First thing, they serve a standard a la carte breakfast, from two eggs as you like them to avocado or French toast. Then, once the coffee cups are swept away it turns into a fancy fine-dining establishment with 1,000 different wines in the cellar and a contemporary twist to dishes inspired by the French and Italian Riviera, such as blue crab spaghetti and roasted duck breast with kumquat, beets and chestnut which are as mouth watering as their prices are eye watering.
A side order of potatoes or broccolini will set you back $15 and risotto and pasta first courses come in at $40 – before tax and tip. Having Fred, our seven-year-old, in tow we chose to wander down Fifth Avenue to Eataly Flatiron. Crowds throng to the Italian market, where you can head to the food counters for baked margaritas, rotisserie chicken and creamy cannoli on the go, or pull up a stool at La Piassa for an aperitivo and antipasti.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE…
When staying in New York City , your hotel tends to be a retreat from the action. The Langham does this perfectly. The in-room movie and popcorn package is perfect for evenings when you can’t take another step.
Executive Club Rooms come with access to The Langham Club, a swish lounge which offers complimentary champagne on tap morning to night, a full hot breakfast, light snacks through the day and cocktails and canapes at sundown, with all the free candy you can eat.
There’s a fitness centre too, if you need to feel the burn after all the decadence. Fighting jet lag? Order the Langham’s Sleep Matters turndown kit. Designed in collaboration with the World Sleep Society it includes herbal sleep aids and teas to help you drift away, plus a silk sleep mask.
A DAY OUT
Dollar-to-pound exchange rates remain pretty brutal, so before we began stepping out on the sidewalks we signed up for the best value way we
could find to see the sights – a New York CITYPASS. These get you entry to a choice of top stops, including the Statue of Liberty city cruise, the American Museum of Natural History, the Top of the Rock observation deck and Guggenheim museum.
We hit them all and then, on our final morning I headed to the moving 9/11 Memorial & Museum, while my husband Alex took Fred to the amazing Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The Langham is a short hop to the Broadway district, so for our final night in the city we booked to see Aladdin at the New Amsterdam Theatre, a 10-minute walk away.
From the bafflingly brilliant flying carpet to the bejewelled costumes and Prince Ali’s jaunty earworms, the musical ensured that our trip’s culmination was truly shining, shimmering and splendid.
Our Family Room was positively gargantuan even by NYC proportions