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Hotel rates in New York are some of the highest in the world, and easily the most expensive of any American city. Even with the favourable pounds :$ exchange rate, it's still a pricey place for British visitors to stay in.
If you want to keep costs down, you will have to make some sacrifices: the bedroom is likely to be small, you may need to share a bathroom, and there may be nowhere on the premises to have breakfast.
This last factor is arguably no great hardship, since in Manhattan - where all my recommendations are located - you are rarely more than a block or two away from a welcoming diner or cafe.
At most New York hotels, rates vary enormously according to the time of year. The best way to keep costs down is to visit in January or February, when prices can be a third lower than in the peak spring and autumn months. In July and August, rates can also be relatively low, but transatlantic air fares are high then.
Headline prices given are for the cheapest double room in late April (high season), including the hefty local taxes (13.375 per cent, plus $3.50 per night per room), which are usually excluded in initial quotes. Prices are based on an exchange rate of pounds 1 = $1.91 - a typical rate for credit-card transactions at the time of writing. Unless otherwise stated, prices are for room only. Some recommendations have minimum stays of several nights, especially over weekends.
* The international dialling code for New York City is 001 212.
1 East Village Bed and Coffee pounds 63
If you want cheap, alternative digs in Manhattan, you won't do better than Anne Edris's offbeat East Village home, which attracts sociable, open-minded travellers. None of the bedrooms is en suite: on each of the three floors, there's a shared bathroom, along with a sitting room (with TV, computer and internet access) and a well-equipped kitchen. Tea and coffee are provided: otherwise, you rustle up your own meals
Bedrooms are simple, mostly small, and very individual - particularly The Treehouse, which is reached via its own flight of steps and overlooks the ground-floor sitting room (not for the claustrophobic). The East Village...