Growing up outside of New York City and being a frequent visitor as a child, I’ve always known of The Plaza Hotel. Then after seeing Home Alone 2 as a kid, I always knew I wanted to stay there at some point. But having lived in Manhattan for 16 years now, you generally don’t stay in hotels where you live. So I was thrilled when I got the chance to do a staycation at The Plaza Hotel in New York City!

A 3-day staycation at The Plaza Hotel was perfect for me and was like a little getaway without actually going anywhere. What a brilliant concept! The Plaza Hotel has undergone some major renovations over the past 7 years or so and I was keen to see what they’d done. I’d been to a few events at The Plaza in recent years in their famous Oak Room and had some meetings in the food hall but had never sniffed a room.

The Plaza Hotel is the most famous hotel in America and arguably in the world. It is a New York City landmark, icon, and really just an amazing building on the edge of Central Park. You cannot help but be impressed by it.

Fairmont Hotels, especially in North America, are renowned for their architecture, setting, and castle look: particularly in Banff, Jasper, Edmonton, Lake Louise and Quebec City. But what stuck out to me the most on my staycation at The Plaza Hotel was what was inside the hotel-an experience I won’t soon forget.

I stayed in 2 different rooms during my visit. A patio suite, which is a classic renovated room with a patio and view of the little known patio fountain within The Plaza Hotel itself. This room was excellent and was a taste of what you’d expect of old world elegance with modern day amenities. However, the highlight was staying in the Fitzgerald Suite.

The Fitzgerald Suite, as in F. Scott Fitzgerald, also known as the Great Gatsby Suite because of the famous novel and movie of the same name, is simply fabulous. It is so detailed, intricate, old fashioned and memorabilia filled that you don’t even want to touch anything. It’s too perfect!

I find that’s true in many suites I stay in. They’re just too pretty and well done to actually live in them. The Gatsby Suite was certainly one such suite but I managed to move in pretty comfortably, pretty quickly! The ceiling mirror and chandelier were a nice touch!

During my hotel tour I was able to tour some of the other famous suites and rooms such as every little girls favorite, the Eloise Suite. To be honest, I had never heard of Eloise until this stay but I became quickly familiar as I entered the bright pink, Katy Perry teenage dream of a suite!

If the neon lights aren’t enough, the suite also has little girls dress up clothes in the closet and of course sleeping bags for all of her friends. I’d say that’d be a pretty nice gift for any young girl or a special place to stay for a mom and her daughter. Not so much for grown men (that would be creepy), but it was still cool to see!

Aside from the Gatsby Suite, my favorite had to be the Hardenbergh Terrace Suite with a massive patio. This suite is a duplex apartment that will make anyone who lives in a normal Manhattan apartment jealous with amazing outdoor space and Central Park views.

Of course, any staycation at The Plaza Hotel involves much more than just nice rooms. Food, drink and spa are a necessity! Let’s start with food.

The Todd English Food Hall is pretty awesome. The food is varied and it is all excellent. Todd English also happens to be a very nice guy and gave us a cooking demonstration at the Taste of the Plaza event I attended recently.

I highly recommend going with a few people and doing a tasting of several different things. You’ll never be able to pick one or two things to eat because you’ll want everything!

Furthermore, no staycation at The Plaza Hotel and really no trip to New York City is complete without afternoon tea at the Palm Court in The Plaza Hotel. In my 16 years of living in Manhattan, I had never done it so I was pretty excited to see what all the fuss was about.

I’m not going to lie, I feel that if I was a teenage girl and with my mom and grandma or something it’d have a much larger impact on me. However, I do understand the novelty of afternoon tea especially having lived in London for a time. Plus, it’s at The Plaza and the Palm Court is absolutely beautiful. Also, any excuse to drink Rooibos Tea is good in my book!

The Rose Bar is another great place to get a few amazing cocktails in the Plaza just above the main lobby where the champagne bar is located. It’s a place where you can sit and enjoy some jazz and people watch. I personally loved the old fashioned at the Rose Bar.

Finally, I got my first facial at the Caudalie Spa in The Plaza Hotel. I was honestly a little apprehensive about getting a facial as I consider myself a real manly man and of course I knew my friends would make fun of me when I went public about it. However, I have very thick skin, I really don’t care what others think and I really enjoyed it! So guys, indulge in a facial if you’re at The Plaza Hotel. It feels good, cleanses your skin, and you get a head, hand and foot massage with it too!

So my staycation at the Plaza Hotel in New York City was a big success and I’d put The Plaza Hotel up there with any of the great hotels I’ve stayed in around the world. But the best thing about The Plaza is location. So don’t forget to get out and enjoy Central Park, tons of great restaurants in the area, and the best of what New York City, my city, has to offer!

Disclaimer: My stay at The Plaza Hotel is the first in an ongoing campaign with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts; which will take me around the world to several different Fairmont properties. I receive financial compensation for these stays and my stays are fully hosted. All opinions expressed are solely my own, based on my personal experiences, and have not been influenced in any way.

Sharing is caring!