Haven on the Hudson

For a historic, country retreat about an hour’s drive from the city, in Milton, N.Y., escape to Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa. Choose from 13 unique guestrooms, and for the most private, book the North Cottage set inside a cliff overlooking the Hudson. Help yourself to 24-hour refreshments from the fridge, and ask the front desk for a tour of the property to see what most guests overlook: the animal farm, organic vegetable garden, and exquisitely furnished homes also available for rent on the outskirts. A delicious breakfast is served, though other meals must be eaten out. Just a short drive into town will bring you elegant dining at Ship Lantern Inn, with the best burgers are at the Raccoon Saloon.
220 North Road
877-7-INN-SPA
www.Buttermilkfallsinn.com

Completely Confidential Crib

With a best-kept secret best kept, well, secret, it is with trepidation we share this one. But the West Side YMCA, steps away from Central Park West to the west and Lincoln Center to the east, offers rooms for as low as $92 a night. Posh? Certainly not, but completely functional with many perks: a 65,000-sq.-ft. fitness center, two pools, more than 100 group-fitness classes, a complete cardiovascular and weight training center, steam rooms, saunas, and basketball, racquetball, handball, and squash courts. The on-premises café serves hot breakfasts, lunches, and dinners; there’s also a snack bar. Rooms with private bath go for up to $149. Holidays draw an eclectic, international crowd, ranging from school groups to aspiring musicians. Even so, the sight of limos transporting fur-clad doyennes to the door is not uncommon.
5 West 63rd St.
212-875-4100
www.ymcanyc.org/westside

For Women Only

Sisterhood is powerful, especially in power suits. An entire new floor at the newly spruced-up, 125-room Premier Hotel in Times Square exclusively devotes itself to women, with special, gender-specific amenities. Among them: copies of Cosmopolitan and Self, Lather brand exfoliating body scrubs and face masks, and a special room-service spa menu. But don’t confine yourself to your room; instead, partake of the Mezzanine-level Lounge where, at sunset, complimentary snacks and cocktails are served – along with chitchat with both sexes.
133 W. 44th St.
212-789-7670
www.thepremierhotel.com

Hotel Nocturne

Dracula would feel right at home amid the Modern Gothic splendors of the midtown boutique hotel, The Night, and so will you. Everything here screams black-and-white, including the walls, ceiling, furniture, bedcovers, and pillows. There’s also no stinting on luxury, courtesy of 400-thread 20-count sheets, 37-in. plasma TVs, BOSE stereos, and mini-bars stocked by Dean & Deluca. Should you tire of the monochromatic interior, simply peer through the window at the rainbow vibrancy of Times Square below.

132 W. 45th St.
212-835-9600

www.nighthotelny.com

Bit O’Heaven

With guest comments like “a gem in Manhattan” and “the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in,” the Fitzpatrick Grand Central Hotel is an intimate oasis offering deluxe accommodations and traditional Irish hospitality. Rooms feature oversized canopy beds, plush robes, pillow-top mattresses, a traditional Irish Legends book, and turndown chocolates from the Emerald Isle. A popular choice for celebrities, political figures, and business travelers.

141 E. 44th St.
212-351-6800

www.fitzpatrickhotels.com

And Keep the Robes

Looking for a particularly quiet, romantic getaway? The Library Hotel in midtown houses 60 charming rooms organized and themed according to the Dewey Decimal System. There’s enough reading material to get you through the night, but, with surroundings like this, who wants to open a book?

299 Madison Ave. (at 41st)
212-983-4500

www.libraryhotel.com