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hot spots

Andy Gilbert

Where? Er, New York. It's on floors 35 to 54 of the new Time Warner Centre on Columbus Circle, Manhattan.

Why stay there? It's literally two minutes walk to the southwest corner of Central Park, or, if you're a New Yorker, six seconds by cab.

So, it's convenient then? A stone's throw from the shopping Mecca of Fifth Avenue, and Carnegie Hall, and just 15 minutes from Wall Street by cab, provided all other traffic miraculously vapourises for the duration of your journey. But there's always the subway.

But why there and not Donald Trump's hotel next door? Have you met Donald Trump?

Good point, but what else? As the newest top-class hotel in the centre of the universe, it's a place to be seen. It offers marbled opulence, with some of the city's most stunning views of Central Park or New Jersey - or both if you plonk yourself in one of the 'New York apartment-style' suites at the corner of the building.

Is it big? This is America, man. Everything's big. OK, it has 203 rooms, 46 suites and two special suites bigger than most Hong Kong homes. All have floor-to-ceiling windows, plasma-screen TVs, wireless internet access, and a vast bathroom the entire length of the room behind the bed.

So, anything to do if you get bored of the fantastic night-life, excellent shopping and bagels? Just pop in for some holistic rejuvenation, with a 'journey of the senses', at the 14,500sqft spa, called, er, The Spa. It has eight treatment rooms, vitality pools, steam baths, an exercise area and a 23-metre lap pool overlooking the Hudson River.

Anything else? There's the Tony Chi-designed Asiate Restaurant overlooking Central Park - not a bad spot to savour chef Noriyuki Sugie's French-Japanese cuisine. Or try the Chi-designed MObar, where the staff can knock you up a lemongrass-infused Mandarin Blossom - or get you anything else you want.

Anything? Even, say, a grand piano? I'm glad you asked that. The US$10,595-a-night (no, really) presidential suit has one, so you could tickle the ivories all night long and keep awake the paupers in the US$2,400-a-night suites downstairs.

Anyone famous stay there? The Earl of Lichfield, Isabella Rossellini, Frederick Forsyth and Michelle Yeoh all attended the hotel's opening bash last month, and it's unlikely they slipped out to a Brooklyn youth hostel afterwards.

Did they stay in the presidential suite? Probably not all at the same time, although it does have a double shower.

Rooms from US$595; suites from US$1,600. Mandarin Oriental, New York, 80 Columbus Circle, Manhattan, tel: [212] 805 8800 or visit www.mandarinoriental.com

Mandarin Oriental, New York

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