Nine Orchard

Not only is the Nine Orchard located in the New York City neighbourhood of the hour, affectionately known as Dimes Square, between Chinatown and the Lower East Side, it is also one of the most tasteful New York hotels we have seen. Housed in the former Yarmulovsky Bank, you check in where bank tellers cashed their notes back then. The 100 or so rooms, labelled on the door like New York flats (7Z or 11B), are perfectly simple cosy with ornate woodwork, great art and lovely touches like quality bedding and Ojas speakers playing four radio channels designed by DJ Stretch Armstrong and Devon Turnbell especially for the Nine Orchard. A day here starts in the Corner Bar and ends best in the beautiful Lobby Bar called the Swan Room with a martini. But you actually want to spend the whole day in the Swan Room – for us the most imposing room in the hotel. Apart from the opulence, the high ceilings with precious ornaments, there is nothing better than reading the newspaper here in the morning with fresh croissants and coffee and watching the exciting guests, who are all just incredibly chic and cool. If you stay at the Nine Orchard, you can look forward to a perfection of the New York Experience. For a moment, you think you might even be a true New Yorker.

Copyright all images: Stephen Kent Johnson