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I have been on a quest to stay in all of the UES luxury hotels, (you can read about recent stays at The Surrey, The Lowell and not as recent stays at The Regency and The Mark). For a while I thought that my heart belonged to The Mark, but after sampling all the other options I think I ultimately have been won over by The Carlyle. A little background, I grew up on the Upper East Side, so for me that is where I feel most comfortable when visiting NY; and until I can convince my husband we need an apartment in the city I have been making due with quarterly long weekends. While I don’t always book on the UES, that is generally where I prefer to stay.

My stay this past weekend made me examine why exactly I had waited so long to book at the Carlyle, I love Bemelmans Bar, I love the location, I love “old school” hotels; but every time I mention the Carlyle to friends I am met with the same response- it’s iconic, but it is tired. Well, it was finally time to find out for myself.

After a very pleasant reception and check-in we were escorted up to our suite (714) to get a quick tour. I had carefully viewed photos of the different options to be sure that the accommodation I chose appeared fresh and updated, and thankfully in real life it did not disappoint. The first glimpse of our entry was an illustration (reproduction) of one of Ludwig Bemelmans‘ iconic drawings, and that same image graced the interior of our suite along with other drawings- pure whimsy. The set-up was similar to a small apartment and every aspect seems to have been recently refreshed. I am not sure about the other rooms/suites, but ours was not tired at all.

A stocked mini-bar, a luxurious marble clad bathroom as well as an additional powder room (my personal favorite suite add-on) plus an expansive closet area complete with a make-up table ensured I was a happy camper. Last but not least the bedding was incredibly comfy and when the shades were lowered the bedroom was almost pitch dark and quiet.

There was one unfortunate occurrence that took place, though it was not the fault of the Carlyle. We received notification that due to emergency construction scheduled by Con Ed the hotel would not have any hot water from 10 pm Saturday until 10 am Sunday. I appreciate that the inconvenience was out of anyone’s control, but a conciliatory bottle of champagne or a small box of chocolates would have been a nice gesture.

If you are staying at the Carlyle you simply must pay a visit to Bemelmans Bar to truly experience a taste of classic NY. We happily applied our $100 Virtuoso credit to happy hour where we enjoyed preferred access to a table (as a hotel guest) and atmospheric tunes on the piano while enjoying addictive munchies (praline peanuts for the win) and expertly mixed cocktails. The people watching is unmatched as well. The illustrations in the bar are original Bemelmans and are absolutely wonderful.

Breakfast at the Carlyle (also included as a Virtuoso perk- you can contact my travel agent here) was flawless, as you might expect. The service in particular was seamless, with the Captain excelling in charming each and every patron. The decor was right up my alley, especially the room outside the main dining room and since we dined each morning on the later side it was blissfully calm. My husband always orders a bagel with salmon in a NY hotel, and he said this one was perfection.

Our main reason for spending the weekend in NY was to participate in the wedding festivities of our dear friend’s son, so the majority of our time was spent doing just that though we did manage to sneak in some other activities. Having flown in from Montana for the weekend we were especially craving some Italian food, and the UES has a handful of spots that have been there for ages; we decided on Lusardi’s on Second Avenue, a quick stroll from our hotel. The food at Lusardi’s is reliably tasty, and the service is polished and respectful, as you would expect from an UES hangout. We left feeling full and satisfied, our craving sated.

Saturday morning was spent visiting two museums we hadn’t been to in a while. The Cooper Hewitt (one of my favorites from my childhood) currently features Christopher Payne‘s Made in America exhibit of industrial photography which is terrific. It runs through September 27th 2026 so you have plenty of time to pay a visit; which I would absolutely recommend.

The Guggenheim (whose architecture can’t help but make you smile) currently features an extensive show of Rashid Johnson‘s works entitled A Poem For Deep Thinkers. This show closes January 19th, so if you didn’t get a chance to see it I’m afraid you are out of luck. The works were displayed in a very impressive manner, especially those suspended from the ceiling, but to be honest my husband and I preferred the works from the permanent collection.

After our fill of culture we headed (slightly) downtown to check out the new Sothebys headquarters at the Breuer (like visiting a museum without the entry fee) and then stopped in at Ralph Lauren to look around and fuel up at Ralph’s.

At this point it was time to get wedding ready (and take advantage of the last bit of hot water until Sunday). No photos of the wedding which was held at Lincoln Center, but trust me it was spectacular.

After sleeping late on Sunday we found that when we woke up at 10 our hot water was back, just in time to wash up, have breakfast and get ready for the wedding celebrations part two. The “after” party required a trek to Brooklyn, Brighton Beach to be specific for an epic celebration at Tatiana Restaurant, which if you have never been should be on your bucket list.

Tatiana is a Russian club/restaurant that is completely authentic and over the top in the best way. There are not many places you can experience high energy entertainment, classic Russian dishes, endless vodka and mountains of caviar outside of Moscow, but in the case of Tatiana you just need to venture to Brighton Beach. The dancing and celebrating was non-stop and the party was unforgettable.

Take a glimpse of the veritable mountains of Russian delicacies we were served throughout the party. The festivities had started at 2pm, so by 8:30 we were partied out and heading back to Manhattan to get a brief night’s sleep before our early morning flight back to Montana.

There is nothing I love more than a wedding and the good news is we will be heading back to NY in two weeks for another! Stay tuned.