Greenwich Hotel

Meet the best hotel in New York City—Robert De Niro’s uber lux, hand-crafted masterpiece in the city’s posh Tribeca neighbourhood.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Greenwich Hotel—whose Pennsylvania red-brick exterior was painstakingly laid by hand—is that you will probably walk right past its nondescript entrance. Everything about the hotel is luxury, discretion and exclusivity. The Greenwich is a favorite among Hollywood A-listers, movie moguls and the otherwise rich and famous (so try to act cool if Bradley Cooper is staying in the room next to you!).

We love the Greenwich not for its fancy clientele, but for the handmade richness and attention to detail felt throughout the property. Everything about the hotel feels solid and substantial. Expect hand-laid Moroccan tiles in the bathrooms, deep-soaking marble bathtubs (with Red Flower bath salts already laid out) and gorgeous wide-board wood floors in the rooms. The clever folks behind Soho’s famed Balthazar (Grayling Design) worked in concert with the hotel’s owners to create this New York classic.

After checking in, head straight to the hotel’s guest-only Drawing Room, which features a real fireplace and an ambiance straight out of a classic New York film. In warmer months, the courtyard opening just off of the Drawing Room is arguably one of the nicest places in New York.

The Greenwich features one of the city’s most exclusive spas, Shibui, and the hotel’s basement level pool is framed by a 250-year old Japanese farmhouse, which the owners had shipped over from Japan.

One of the many perks of staying at the Greenwich is you can order food from the adjoining Locanda Verde, one of New York’s most respected Italian restaurants, to just about anywhere in the hotel.

If money is truly not an issue, opt for the recently completed Tribeca Penthouse (April 2014), a masterpiece of art and design that includes 260sqm of living space and over 370sqm of outdoor terrace (spread over two levels) that includes a heated pool spa.

Designed by Antwerp's design god, Axel Vervoordt and Japanese architect Tatsuro Miki, the penthouse fuses elements of Tribeca's industrial past with the philosophical beliefs of Wabi. With materials ranging from custom stone to reclaimed wood, the suite has more of a country house feel than an ultra luxury penthouse, but it's exquisite nonetheless.

Well done, Mr. De Niro et al!