Sofitel New York

I wanted a bit of an escape, but I still had things to do (like go to work!) that prevented me from taking an all-out vacation. So I decided that it was the perfect time for a New York City staycation. I checked into the Sofitel, a luxurious hotel in Midtown, for a few days.

After years of traveling, hotels rarely impress me. But the Sofitel absolutely did.

From the moment you step through the doors, everything feels elegant and glamorous. The hotel has a strong French identity while seamlessly blending in elements of New York City culture.

The Sofitel has 52 suites, 4 terrace suites, and 1 presidential suite. And I stayed in the best suite of all!

My Prestige Terrace Suite has a separate living room, a massive marble bathroom, and a huge bedroom.

But by far the thing that makes this suite so special is its private terrace!

This was all mine:

And this:

There’s 856 square feet of private terrace to be exact! How soon can I move in?!

I loved the terrace so much, that one day I didn’t go into the office, and worked from “home” instead. It’s a tough life, isn’t it?!

It was actually a really great place to do work. It was so quiet! I could barely hear the traffic below, and I was only on the 24th floor! In fact, the entire hotel is located on a quiet street in Midtown. So you’re still in the heart of the city, but have your own little oasis.

That evening, I invited my friends Marilyn and Kendall over to enjoy the views. And be jealous of me.

If you can believe it, the terrace views get even more beautiful as the sun sets.

I could (and did!) spend hours on that terrace!

Some of the things that I love about the Sofitel are the little touches that make the suite feel special. Like gorgeous candles in the bathroom, Hermes beauty products, and fresh flowers every time I came home.

During one of my days at the Sofitel, I dined at its restaurant, Gaby. Gaby was a famous New York woman in the 1920s who, according to the Sofitel’s manager “was euphemistically known as a lady of the night.” Apparently the manager’s euphemism was a little too euphemistic, because my shocked response was “they named the restaurant after a prostitute?!” Nope, not at all. Turns out, his use of “lady of the night” was meant to describe something more closely resembling burlesque dancing! Oh Gaby!

The Sofitel’s Executive Chef (and winner of the TV show Chopped), Sylvain Harribey, prepared my lunch himself off of the restaurant’s Delight Menu.

You know me well enough by now to know I love foods like mac and cheese, grilled cheese, pasta, bread, etc. So when I heard that the Delight Menu was a healthy menu, and didn’t use ingredients like oil, butter or bread, I died a little inside. What did I do in life to deserve to be tortured like this?!

But, it turns out, Executive Chef Sylvain Harribey is good at what he does. And he uses herbs and other ingredients like honey to make the dishes taste like real food. And not just real food, but fabulous food.

For example, the Grilled Shrimps appetizer is delicious, and, had I not been told earlier, I would have had no idea that it is healthy!

It’s the same with the Salmon Tartare appetizer. It is so good!

The main courses were a little less exciting, but still fine. This is the Wild Fluke:

And this is the Duck Breast:

For dessert, the Passion Fruit Panna Cotta is absolutely decadent. I have no idea how the chef makes it taste so good out of healthy ingredients!

I have always had this fantasy that once I’m rich (I’m thinking next week or so…) I’ll hire a private chef and have him cook healthy meals that taste amazing. And then it will be so easy to eat healthy! Well the Sofitel beat me to it, and offers that exact thing to its guests. Plus, the Delight Menu items are interspersed with the standard menu items, and list the calories, so no one has to feel awkward about ordering healthy when they’re dining with others. If this doesn’t make you eat healthy, nothing will!

After a few fabulous days at the Sofitel, it was time to say goodbye to my amazing terrace…