The Lowell

Serenity on the Upper East Side
Noteworthy for: The Lowell's classic afternoon tea - with scones and Devonshire cream, finger sandwiches, and more than 20 select teas - is an Upper East Side tradition.

Everything about The Lowell is discrete - from its location on a quiet, leafy Upper East Side street to its strict 'no visitors' policy and low-key front-of-house staff. There's no achingly hip bar to attract the city's scenesters and no marketing manager to hype the hotel's latest goings-on to the New York press. Instead, what you'll find here is pure, private luxury for Manhattan's most well-heeled visitors.
Some of the hotel's most lavish accommodations feature oversized flatscreens above massive soaking tubs, real wood-burning fireplaces, and ornate antique Italian sofas. But even the most basic rooms are well-equipped, with all-marble bathrooms and cavernous mini-bars.

It's one of the few high-end Manhattan hotels that truly feels removed from the city's bustle. No wonder, then, that megastars like Madonna check in here for a bit of R and R.