Play Hooky At These Plush Outdoor Spaces in the Big Apple

Summer is officially here. With warmer weather creeping, it’s the perfect season to play hooky. Enjoy a glass of rosé, order room service and bask in the solitude of your very own pied-a-terre at these haute properties in the Big Apple.

The Ludlow Hotel

Trendsetting hoteliers Sean MacPherson, Ira Drukier and Richard Born made their Lower East Side debut with The Ludlow, modeling guestrooms after chic Manhattan loft and studio apartments that capture the history and urban charm of the iconic neighborhood. Book a Studio Queen or Loft King with Terrace, which offers breathtaking views of New York City’s landmarks and bridges, and enjoy room service by Major Food Group (Dirty French, Parm, Carbone). The property includes the Lobby Lounge, which features a rotating art display curated by Vito Schnabel, all-season outdoor “secret” garden, lobby bar with signature cocktail menu by Thomas Waugh as well as ground-floor restaurant, Dirty French. Full disclosure: you’re wafting distance from Katz’s Deli. 180 Ludlow Street.

The Jane

While most hotels with noteworthy views offer expansive azure blue seas or mile-high mountain peaks, The Jane Hotel’s Captain’s Cabin terraces offer a quiet slice of New York’s West Village life that few will ever get to experience. Guests can stroll out onto the terrace of their very own Village flat (at least until they check out) and enjoy the charming worn-brick, vine-clad walls of an interior courtyard that only West Village residents ever get to enjoy on a regular basis. Prior to enjoying light bites from Café Gitane in-room or on the rooftop, take your complimentary bikes and explore New York City’s most iconic neighborhoods and landmarks, whether it is Chelsea Market, the High Line or Chelsea Piers, shopping for boutique finds in the West Village and Meatpacking District, or picnicking in Hudson River Park. In 1912, The Jane.

The Maritime

With its signature porthole windows, white-tiled exterior, and elevated outdoor terraces overlooking Ninth Avenue, the nautical-themed landmark continues to reign as the calm, cool hub of Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood. The hotel’s two Terrace Suites features expansive outdoor space, leaving New Yorkers green with envy. The private outdoor patios include an outdoor rainshower (hello, exhibitionists), Japanese garden and plenty of seating for an informal dinner (psst: TAO does the room service!). Guests are completely removed from the sidewalk chaos in this al fresco oasis. 363 West 16^th Street. 

The Bowery Hotel

The Bowery Hotel is a leader in the revitalization of the once-gritty Bowery neighborhood. Located on Bowery and Third Street, the hotel is home to a warm and welcoming lobby, complete with handpicked antique furnishings, complimentary newspapers, a cozy fireplace, and an outdoor patio. The Bowery Hotel’s seven terrace suites echo the opulent warmth found in the rest of the year-old property and up the ante with private outdoor showers. It’s a rare example of an urban outdoor shower, which makes it all the more enticing. Guests who book a terrace suite get a bird’s-eye perspective of the Lower East Side while freshening up with toiletries from the Bigelow & Co. Apothecary line. 335 Bowery.

The Jade Hotel

Guests at The Jade Hotel in Greenwich Village will feel like they have their own pied-à-terre in this classic Manhattan neighborhood. But unlike the apartments of most New Yorkers, these rooms come with coveted outdoor space ideal for the warm summer months. Although most of the 113 rooms offer unobstructed views of New York’s architectural treasures, the Greenwich Suite’s on the 17^th and 18^th floors and the Hudson Queen Deluxe rooms on the 2^nd floor give guests the unique opportunity to have their own private outdoor space in the heart of the City. The Greenwich Suites feature large wraparound terraces that offer spectacular panoramas of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and the Hudson River. Whereas guests seeking a residential feel will love the landscaped garden patios attached to the Hudson Queen Deluxe rooms. 52 West 13^th Street.