Belnord Hotel

Clean, basic, great location

by A TripAdvisor Member

We (two prof journalists from Paris) spent four nights at the Belnord from Nov 10th and had an excellent time. The room was very small, but the window let in light and both it and the bathroom were very clean.
OK, so there is no service. But if you are looking for a cheap hotel in a truly beautiful and well-connected location--just round the corner from 86th street subway--then the Belnord is well worth it.
Must say, the bedbugs rumour in the review below sounds worrying, but we had no probs.

Just what we needed

by TripAdvisor Member Sammy999

My boyfriend and I just got back from spending a week in New York. The Belnord was great: the area is nice with lots of restaurants and little shops, and close to 3 subway lines. The bathrooms were always clean and the rooms were tidied every day and beds changed. The room was small, but that is to be expected, especially for the price. Double bed was comfy and the response to our demand for a new blind for the window was very quick and efficient. All in all the Belnord is perfect for those wanting a comfortable but cheap place to stay in NYC. It is hardly more than a hostel in price but much nicer to stay in. We had a great time.

Its not worth it!!!

by A TripAdvisor Member

This is one of the nastiest places I have ever stayed in. The workers at the front desk are rude! The rooms are so tiny and the bathrooms are dirty. My sheets and mattress had stains on them. When in the lobby I saw two roaches. I also got bug bites all over my body. Even though this is a very cheap place to stay I would recommend you sleeping with the homeless guy on the corner before staying here. Staying at the belnord ruined my trip to New York. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!

I was a fan but now I'm not so sure...

by TripAdvisor Member Natspat

On the 22nd November I got back from a 5 day stay at the Belnord; a brithday trip to new york. My partner paid for both flights and the accomodation so understandably he had a tight budget for our hotel.

Secretly I was dreading our stay at the Belnord, however I was kinda relieved when we arrived to find that it was fairly presentable from the street. Inside was ok too i thought - more of a hostel than a hotel, but ok. We had an en suite bathroom and a double bed.

The bedroom was tiny and once we'd shopped there was barely any floor space (we probably only had 5 or 6 shopping bags) but it didn't matter really! The window didn't open which was supposedly made up for by the aircon machine...it wasn't, the room was hot and the aircon was old and noisy, but again, who cared, we were hardly there. As a big plus, our bathroom was very clean and there was a tv (ideal for checking out the weather as the window faced a brick wall and the climate indoors was misleadingly tropical!).

Basically we didn't mind the more negative aspects of the hotel because the location was excellent! Upper west between Amsterdam and Broadway and minutes from central park. The route is on one of the main subway lines and the walk is not too far into the centre or over to the east side. It's safe and there's a calm feeling to the area. Check out Blondies for a great veggie burger and the Gin Mill bar on Amsterdam is cool.

Overall I had a great time in New York and it wasn't in any way affected by our choice of accomodation, as I'd first assumed it'd be. On returning to the UK my inital reaction when asked about our hotel was "yeah, fine, it was a clean place to stay with easy access to everywhere". BUT...

...it's now thursday 2nd December and since last weekend I've become covered in itchy spots!!! Of course I don't know for sure that they're bed bug bites, or even that they've come from hotel if they are, but it does seem a bit of a coincidence don't you think, what with all the other reviews that mention it????

Had the spots not erupted since my stay I would definitely have gone back to the Belnord if I ever returned to NYC on a budget, now i'm not so sure. But then again who knows, maybe it's the pox???

find somewhere else!!!

by A TripAdvisor Member

As A college student I live at the Belnord. My room is 9ft x 8ft. The hotel staff is nasty and the rooms are dark and drab. The hotel has a bedbug issue and dosent seem to know how to fix it so students, as well as hotel guests are being bit by little bugs. The basment has many roaches, wich is not uncommon for new york but it is still discusting. I cant tell you how many times I have been in the lobby of the hotel and watched the front desk managers loose someones reservations, book them for the wrong nights, and just over book the hotel in general leaving many people without a hotel room. I strongly suggest you continue your search for hotels in NYC!!!

Good base for NY exploration

by A TripAdvisor Member

Found this cheap place on the internet and our expectations were low. But its one of the best places we stayed in on our trip through the us. The rooms are small, very small, but its better than those horrible sterile hotel rooms which all look the same. We had bunks because of the lack of space, but we aslo got a small kitchen like room adjacent which had a refridgerator and microwave. When your in NY your not going to spend your time in your room are you? So why pay for an expensive room which your only going to see late at night and when you wake up? The bathrooms are shared but I never really bumped into any other guests. The location is fantastic. Infact its one of the better, quieter areas of NY. Just cross the road and theres a subway, and in a few minutes your in the thick of manhatten. Central Park is a couple blocks away and so are some of the museums. All in all I would come back here again.

Why pay more

by A TripAdvisor Member

I have to admit that I was a little worried by the prices. If it's that cheap, there has to be something wrong with it. As I found, there was nothing to worry about.

Quite simply, the rooms are cheap because they're small (the rooms wouldn't be big enough for twin beds, so have bunk beds) and the bathrooms are shared, but they're clean, air conditioned, and in a great location, and they're still big enough to live in.

If you'd rather spend the extra money and have the bathroom en-suite rather than across the hall, and have some extra floorspace, then go ahead, but if you've come to see the city, and not to see your hotel room, then there's no reason to pay more.

Excellent!

by A TripAdvisor Member

Excellent!
Excellent location, very clean, tidy and quiet and very nice staff. Yes the rooms are small and you share a bathroom but they were very clean and never had to wait to use the bathroom.
Highly recommend it!

Definitely worth it for the price

by TripAdvisor Member VermontDancing_Bear

Rates were very reasonable. Facility was clean. Staff was polite.

Room was quite small, but big enough for two people to stay in. You might not want to stay here if you were going to be in the room all the time, but you should be able to find enough going on in New York city to occupy your waking hours....

Bathrooms were shared, but there were four on the floor we were staying and we never had problems getting into one.

Be advised the hotel does not have an elevator.

HOTELS suggessted by VTers

by MZK

"Jazz On The Park hostel & Vanderbilt YMCA"

Posted by:
Sezi
New York: can u recommend?
Sun September 1 12:10:44 2002 EDT

Q: hi there! to everyone whose stayed with a family in new york... can you recommend a good hotel? preferably in a central location and not too expensive although obviously a central hotel in NYC won't exactly be cheap :-) i'm looking on the internet for accomodation etc etc but i just wondered if any of you vt-ers had found a nice hotel that you would recommend.
cheers
Sarah

10 replies so far. [REPLY]


Replies 1 to 10 of 10:
Posted by:
loubess

Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Sunday September 1 12:44:42 2002 EDT

A: hi sarah,
Jazz On The Park hostel in Upper West Side is very good and inexpensive. I've reserved by phone twice before, good service and found everything as promised when I got there.
Vanderbilt YMCA (47th St. I think) is another option, much more central too. It's more expensive but still very affordable considering. Last time I was there, however, the radiators in my room made a racket. I didn't sleep but then the whole City Never Sleeps!
You might try a search on the Net for address details. Good luck and have fun!
lou


[REPLY]
Posted by:
RobDavis

Click to enlarge.
Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Sunday September 1 19:47:37 2002 EDT

A: Most hotel rooms in Manhattan are so small that even the mice are hunch-backed...sorry, old joke!
I found the SouthGate Towers Hotel (corner of 30th & 7th) right across from Madison Square Gardens, to have very good sized rooms. They even have small kitchens. If you've got your family with you, you'll have a much better trip if you aren't stepping all over each other.
Rates are comparable with other Hotels.


[REPLY]
Posted by:
Nathalie_B

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Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Monday September 2 01:04:19 2002 EDT

A: Hi Sarah. I highly recommend Da Vinci Hotel. Located at 56 St. between 8Ave. and Broadway. Very small, nice, clean and centrally located hotel, which is also inexpensve. Their website is: http://www.davincihotel.com but I would suggest you to give them a call, (you may get better deals this way) 212-489-4100
Nathalie

[REPLY]
Posted by:
mccalpin
Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Monday September 2 22:35:05 2002 EDT

A: In May, I stayed at the Clarion Fifth Avenue, which is on 40th just off of 5th Avenue (see www.clarionfifthave.com).
What was surprising is that I bought an AAdvantage Vacation (through American Airlines), and the total cost for airfare roundtrip from Dallas to New York - midweek - with two nights at the Clarion, was about $750. Normally, the airfare alone during midweek (no Saturday night stayover) would have been $1,200, much less the two nights in the hotel.
The hotel was nice enough, and the location is really quite good as their website says. The Salmon River restaurant off the lobby surprised my New York friend when I took her there; she had not been there and was pleasantly surprised.
I don't know the normal hotel rate (I'm sure it's not "cheap"), but these AA vacations are sometimes quite reasonable...
Bill

[REPLY]
Posted by:
piano_007
Answer: I have stayed here :
Friday September 6 03:51:12 2002 EDT

A: Belnord -207/209 West- 87th street
The Belnord is tourist class hotel, located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, on a residential street. The Belnord is walking distance to Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. Conveniently located near the 86th Street Subway station on Broadway, the hotel is only minutes to anywhere on Manhattan.
Accommodations are clean, comfortable and well appointed.
Lots of resaurants in the neighbourhood.
price:89.95
It's a walk up hotel- no lifts- 5 floors high.
http://www.new-york-hotels-discounts.com/hotel-information/new-york-city/belnord-hotel/

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[REPLY]
Posted by:
mark_steps

Click to enlarge.
Answer: Re: Re: can u recommend?
Sunday September 1 12:48:40 2002 EDT

A: Hi Sarah,
I have stayed in the Park Central which is near Carneige Hall. I think it was quite reasonable priced.Tho i will be using the Pennyslvania this Xmas, which is opposite Madison Square Gardens.
Hope thats been of some help.
x

[REPLY]
Posted by:
Yosemite_44

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Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Sunday September 1 13:34:40 2002 EDT

A: chelsea star. BUT not the regular rooms, they are terrible, but their apartments are about 120 per night and great! best value in town :D

[REPLY]
Posted by:
zuriga

Click to enlarge.
Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Sunday September 1 14:10:13 2002 EDT

A: There are sometimes great deals at www.quikbook.com. It's usually more helpful when speaking to an operator. I agree that On the Park is a good location and usually the same for price. For families there are a couple of places that always advertise in the Sunday NY Times.. they have flats at a good rate...sorry I don't remember any names.

[REPLY]
Posted by:
sandgrounder

Click to enlarge.
Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Sunday September 1 19:49:41 2002 EDT

A: Sarah
I've just returned from a three day stay in New York with my family (2 girls, 13 and 17). After much searching around and taking advice from fellow VT-ers we stayed at The Renaissance Times Square and can thoroughly recommend it.
I would say it's more of a mid-priced hotel than cheap but it's much more individual and friendly than some of the bigger chains. Staff were extremely helpful and rooms were quite spacious, very well appointed and very, very clean. We had a room with two double beds and had plenty of space for our three nights.
The location was superb, right on Times Square. Our room overlooked Broadway. Have a look on my New York travel page - not a lot there yet as I have been waiting for the relaunch. But the picture was taken from the window of the cocktail bar of The Renaisaance and shows its central location.
Have to say we didn't eat at the hotel except for breakfast on our last morning. Instead we ventured out to the local restaurants, and there are hundreds of them to suit all pockets.
The next time I visit NYC - and I certainly intend to go back - I will definitely be staying at the same hotel again.
Have fun.
Chris

[REPLY]
Posted by:
Nathalie_B

Click to enlarge.
Answer: Re: can u recommend?
Monday September 2 01:04:19 2002 EDT

A: Hi Sarah. I highly recommend Da Vinci Hotel. Located at 56 St. between 8Ave. and Broadway. Very small, nice, clean and centrally located hotel, which is also inexpensve. Their website is: http://www.davincihotel.com but I would suggest you to give them a call, (you may get better deals this way) 212-489-4100
Nathalie