Hotel reviews: The Alex

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• Overview
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Beach
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The hotel's rooms were designed by renowned New York architect and designer David Rockwell who is responsible for numerous high-profile projects in the city as well as abroad. The hotel is particularly well-known for its suites which boast fully equipped, modern kitchens and lots of living space. The Alex is part of a small private group of hotels which include the newly renovated The Mark and The Flatotel in New York as well as two four-star properties in London.

• Location
• TO KNOW
• Overview
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Beach
• Photos

You'll be greeted at The Alex by one of the friendly giants that are ever present at the hotel's entrance. Always there to say hello, open the door or grab you a taxi they are real pros and make your stay that extra bit pleasant. The hotel's petite lobby is split into two parts by towering coloured glass panels with a seating area to the forefront and the reception area too the rear. To the left is a seating bank and tables and chairs all of which play second fiddle to the gas fireplace enclosed in the wall and which is backlit by a glass wall whose colour does a tour of the rainbow. The reception is manned by an ever so charming staff that takes a real interest in every guest and executes your needs with efficiency and a smile. The hotel's gym is top-of-the-range and has a wide range of cardio and weights machines as well as free weights and fruit, water and newspapers and magazines to read while exercising. Remarkably, not only do the cardio machines have individual screens, but they are the only ones we saw in the city with DVD players! A personal trainer can be arranged upon request as can any in-room spa and wellness services-just ask at reception. Guests are able to access (with the use of their key card) a business centre which has three free to use PCs as well as printing services and is a quiet place to work any time of the day. Wifi is available throughout the hotel as well. The hotel as a whole is in great condition and well looked after and you get the impression from the first class staff that its members enjoy working there and enjoy dealing with guests (it is rare that we have had so many long conversations with so many different staff members).

• Location
• TO KNOW
• Overview
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Beach
• Photos

The David Rockwell-designed rooms at The Alex are all contemporary spaces with clean lines and neutral colours but are above all spacious and highly functional. Basic rooms come with a double bed (some have two) dressed in Frette linens, and have nicely crafted cabinetry including lots of closet space and a purpose-built workstation. They have a seating area too with a comfortable couch and coffee table. The amenities are top quality with flatscreen television, CD/DVD player, sound system and a well-stocked minibar. The bathrooms boast walk in showers or bathtubs, Frédéric Fekkai toiletries and a small television screen. The studio suites are the smallest rooms to have the fully equipped PoggenPohl kitchens as well as extra living ad closet space in the bedroom. Larger suites have a separate salon with both a seating area and dining table for four people. They are very comfortable to stay in and offer everything one needs for a longer stay in New York, including great views of the Midtown Manhattan. It is like having your very own apartment in the city centre. The penthouses, which are the largest rooms in the hotel, have two bedrooms and two bedrooms and all the amenities of the other rooms.

• Location
• TO KNOW
• Overview
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Beach
• Photos

The hotel's restaurant and bar comes in the form of Riingo. Meaning 'apple' in Japanese this relaxed and popular hangout serves food all day long and is located just off the lobby to the right. The ground floor has the bar and a innovatively designed dining room to the rear, featuring suspended horizontal tubular vases and flowers in small alcoves in the wall and multiple projections of candles on the back wall. Upstairs is the mezzanine level with its illuminated wine cellar display, which can be hired for private functions. Both the breakfast and brunch menus are pretty standard affairs with no Japanese influence as such. While the morning menu has a mix of continental and hot fare, the brunch menu has all of this plus salads, sandwiches and burgers as well as a selection of early afternoon cocktails. Lunch is where the restaurant starts to come into its own. Chicken dumplings or beer-braised short ribs are on offer amongst others for starters while steamed mussels in coconut lemongrass broth or smoked chili-roasted chicken await for mains. Finish off with a ginger crème brulée or warm mango soup with coconut sorbet. The dinner menu features a few extra dishes including seared scallops to start and rack of lamb for mains. Our food was beautifully presented, delicious and was served by an extremely agreable waiter.