The Best Vacation Rentals in New York City

Find your home away from home with a stay at these stylish NYC vacation rentals | Courtesy of Sonder – One Platt / Expedia

Emilie Hall

15 September 2021

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Get under the skin of NYC with these vacation rentals that combine the best bits of a boutique hotel with the freedom of your own city apartment. You’ll just need to narrow it down by neighborhood – base yourself in the buzzing Bowery, flit about in FiDi or receive high society in the Upper East Side. These are our pick of the best, bookable with Culture Trip.

Midtown South Apartment Rentals

Courtesy of Midtown South Apartment Rentals / Expedia

You’ll be perfectly placed for exploring Broadway’s bright lights, the hip Hudson Yards and the High Line – Manhattan’s elevated urban playground – from these sleek stays in the heart of historic Hell’s Kitchen. The open-plan studios have either one or two bedrooms, lots of smart storage and 1950s-inspired furnishings – plus a fully equipped kitchen, a dining table, air conditioning and a cable-wired TV for quiet nights in.

Sonder – One Platt

Courtesy of Sonder - One Platt / Expedia

Beautifully furnished and drenched in light, these Instagrammable apartments for up to two people are perched on Platt Street in the ever-evolving FiDi, so you’ll be surrounded by the district’s Gilded Age monuments and art deco architecture. When you’re not lounging in your living area or cooking in your kitchen, you can catch up on emails in the spacious co-living lounge, work out in the gym or soak up the sun – and the views – from the furnished rooftop terrace.

Sonder – The Nash

Courtesy of Sonder - The Nash / Expedia

Thoughtful design details make these versatile one-bedroom studios like little transplants of home: think jewel-toned sofas, upholstered headboards, marble-topped coffee tables and gleaming brass light fixtures. The building boasts a gym, laundry facilities and an astro-turfed rooftop terrace with sunloungers, a picnic table and a barbecue. Use your Murray Hill location as a launchpad for exploring Midtown’s sights: Rockefeller Center, MoMA, the Empire State Building and much more.

MySuites Bowery – Soho

Manhattan meets the mountains at this one-bedroom rental with ski-chalet-inspired interiors: there’s a wooden shiplap feature wall, snuggly faux-fur throws and artwork featuring woodland creatures. The space sleeps up to four people in two bedrooms – one has a queen-size bed and the other has twin beds. When you’re not cosseted in your cozy cabin watching Netflix or cooking in the full-sized kitchen, strap your metaphorical skis on to explore Washington Square Park, Soho’s shopping and the Bowery’s bars and restaurants.

East Village 2 Bedroom Apartments

Once a haven for punks, poets and political activists, the East Village is today a little less edgy but no less eclectic. These spacious two-bedroom apartments are perfect for groups of friends looking to soak up the bohemian spirit that still swirls around this arty enclave. From your Avenue A apartment, you can stroll to Tompkins Square Park, browse funky vintage stores and stay up late in subterranean speakeasies.

Hell's Kitchen Apartments

It’s close to Columbus Circle and Central Park, the Theater District and Times Square, but we’d say the best reason to base yourself in these one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments on the West Side is the glorious food. This part of Midtown has always been a multicultural melting pot where bang-for-your-buck bakeries and bagel shops nestle next to romantic “red-sauce” Italian restaurants and opulent sushi dens for omakase. So no matter your budget, you’ll always eat well in Hell’s Kitchen.

Sobe City Apartments

Courtesy of Sobe City Apartments / Expedia

These studios and apartments on a quiet residential street in the Upper East Side are perfect for families or business travelers looking for a more peaceful city sojourn. Choose from a one-bedroom studio or a three-bedroom apartment – each is equipped with all the kitchen essentials from big fridge and slick coffee machine to handy stove and even handier microwave. Plus, there are sofa beds in each pad, giving space for two more, and a flatscreen TV to keep you all entertained on nights in. The 72nd Street subway stop is just a few blocks away, while Central Park’s Conservatory Water – one of the city’s most beloved children’s attractions – is a short walk west.

Upper East Side Apartments

Tourists often favor the southern side of Central Park, but some would argue the quieter northern side is even more spectacular – the wooded hills and formal Italianate, French and English gardens are so immersive you’ll feel miles away from the skyscrapers of Manhattan. From these two- or three-bedroom apartments in the southern end of Spanish Harlem – or “El Barrio” – you’ll be just steps from those bucolic sights as well as the Museum of the City of New York.

West Village 2 Bedroom

Architecture lovers will admire the beautiful design of this space-for-eight Greenwich Village apartment, which includes an original fireplace, gleaming hardwood floors and sash windows that let in heaps of natural light. If you’re planning to bounce from the boutiques of Bleecker Street to the fashion mecca of the Meatpacking District, you’ll find plenty of storage to stash your finds. But be sure to hurry home in time for sundowners – you’ll want to be clinking cocktails at golden hour on the adorable rooftop terrace with blue wooden floors and a white picket fence.

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