The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

The Carlyle is the Upper East Side's classic luxury hotel, a tall Art Deco building on Madison Avenue at East 76th Street, a short walk from Central Park and Museum Mile. Operated by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, it is known for discretion and a residential atmosphere rather than spectacle, and it has long attracted performers, politicians and visitors who prefer a quieter corner of Manhattan.

Rooms and suites are decorated in an elegant, traditional style, and the signature suites feel more like private apartments, with generous living space and views over the neighbourhood or towards the park from higher floors. The Valmont Spa offers facials and body treatments, and the fitness centre has Technogym equipment and personal training.

The hotel's public rooms are among the most celebrated in New York. Bemelmans Bar, painted with murals by Ludwig Bemelmans, the illustrator of the Madeline books, has nightly piano music and a jazz trio later in the evening. Café Carlyle is an intimate supper club for cabaret, one of the last of its kind in the city. Dowling's at The Carlyle serves reinterpreted New York classics and displays more than 200 works by local artists, and The Gallery, designed by Renzo Mongiardino and inspired by the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, serves afternoon tea and light refreshments late into the night.

Rates are at the top of the market, and the hotel suits couples, culture lovers and travellers who want a calm base with easy access to museums. The neighbourhood is residential, with boutiques and galleries along Madison Avenue and excellent restaurants nearby, though it is a subway or taxi ride from Midtown and downtown sights. Book Café Carlyle shows and Bemelmans tables in advance when possible, particularly at weekends. Even if you stay elsewhere, a drink at Bemelmans or afternoon tea in The Gallery is an easy way to experience the hotel.

The Met is about ten minutes' walk north-west, the Frick Collection is a short walk south-west, and Central Park is two blocks west. The 77th Street station on the 6 line is a short walk east on Lexington Avenue, giving quick access to Grand Central and downtown. The hotel can be contacted by phone or email through its official website.