Brooklyn Bridge, and Brooklyn for that matter, is all the rage. In fact, the view from DUMBO is a much more Instagrammed spot than the Empire State Building these days. Perhaps it’s true that the beating heart of NYC has now shifted to this hip part of town. In any case, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge got in well ahead of the game, creating a true urban resort, with an escapist and eco-conscious atmosphere, in the big, bad city.
Here’s the thing we’ve learnt about iconic views. Often it’s far better to be looking at a landmark than to be in or on the landmark itself. And from our suite at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the vista of Manhattan couldn’t have been more spectacular, with views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, downtown skyline and the Statue of Liberty all on offer. Just make sure you bag yourself a room on that side of the building, as there are others that face inland.
In-suite hammocks, refurbished furniture and on-demand yoga mats and meditation-videos, as well as kombucha in the minibar, gave us the feeling that we were actually at an island retreat. But all this, matched with the industrial feel and open plan guest-rooms of the purpose-built building, the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge felt like a utopian, futuristic vision of what hospitality can be. The hotel ranks high in the city’s eco-hospitality stakes, checking-off key good-guest criteria for today’s sustainable, OutThere travellers: from in-room freshwater dispensers; to hanging, vertical gardens in the sociable, lobby spaces. Then there’s the macro stuff, the hotel runs on wind power and collects rainwater to provide irrigation to nearby Brooklyn Park.
Oh, and if you can’t tell from the pictures of the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the playful rooftop pool-deck is an Instagrammer’s dream. We could have hung out here and watched the Lower Manhattan skyline all day.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Escapist | JFK / EWR | GMT -5 |
| While you’re Out There |
| If you just have to snap that iconic shot from DUMBO (we did), you’re in the right place. But wake up early (at first light if possible) and you’ll get a better photograph than everyone else, as the light is stunning at this time of day and you won’t have to contend with the crowds, apart from a few other eager beavers like yourself. Then it’s just a short walk back to the hotel, where you can have breakfast smugly, knowing you’ve captured it. All there’s left to do is to whack the “do not disturb” sign on for that well-deserved lie-in, or head to the pool to bag a sun lounger before anyone else does. |
Photography courtesy of 1 Hotels
