There are few places when visiting New York one can reside for peace and quiet, as it’s the city that never sleeps. There are even fewer places that don’t feel like home, but stand as a constant reminder that you are temporarily displaced from your normal domicile, for whatever reason. The Greenwich Hotel fits into neither of those categories. It really feels like your home away from home.
Located in one of the most sought after neighborhoods of New York, TriBeCa, The Greenwich Hotel’s success, I believe, is due more to its meticulous attention to details than to an effect of celebrity name dropping. For instance, the moment you step off the elevator, you are greeted with the date and weather neatly written on chalkboard. Conveniently adjacent are several national newspaper options which can be taken with you or enjoyed in the guest-only communal areas of the courtyard or drawing room, beautifully decorated with works of abstract expressionist painter Robert De Niro, Sr., mismatching furnishings that complement rather than clash and a wood burning fireplace to warm during the brash winter.
Filled with endless possibilities, Shibui Spa is the one amenity you must try. On my visit, I enjoyed the Drunken Lotus. Beforehand, I was escorted to the locker room where I changed into a Japanese Robe and sandals and given a short tour of the amenities available after the massage – the shower, the sauna, the pool, the vanity area equipped with blowdryers, razors and shower caps – and bathrobes hanging outside for easy reach. Now back to the Drunken Lotus, which as they so eloquently describe is, “Shibui’s signature massage uses customized strokes and hot, sake-soaked towels to release tired muscles, as jojoba, cucumber and essential oils nourish your skin and quiet your mind.” After, my tense muscles were soothed and it was brought to my attention I was more ticklish than remembered (sorry Anouk!), I enjoyed some moments lounging around the hotels lantern lit swimming pool, housed under the roof of a 250-year old wood and bamboo farmhouse.
Fixed with 75 rooms, 10 suites and 3 penthouses each dwelling takes on an identity of its own. From the hand-laid Moroccan tile or Italian Carrara marble bathrooms – intricately placed to create unique patterns – iPod docking stations to the hand loomed Tibetan silk rugs. ::sigh:: It’s like walking into a beautifully decorated, lived in home, updated with all of our modern world necessities. And blocks away from SoHo, Meatpacking and West Village, you’ll never be too far from home.