Our GayTravel.com experts explored the GEM Hotel properties to give readers the down and dirty exclusive scoop to the best of the Big Apple!

The weather was really nice when we got to The GEM Hotel in Chelsea. We lugged our suitcases on the subway again but it wasn’t as bad this time. The hotel in Chelsea definitely has the closest subway so it was really convenient for us to get there. This hotel is the biggest of the 3 we’ve stayed at. I loved the modern décor in the lobby and it was decorated for the holidays as well.  Their main lobby is extremely cozy with two separate seating areas and flat screen TV’s. Another cool feature of this hotel is that they have a fitness and business center. The fitness center has an elliptical, treadmills and weights. Everything you need to get a good sweat on. The business center was perfect for us to get some work done while we were here. They even had an apple computer to use!

The rooms here are nice with a higher quality bedding to make their beds even cozier. Definitely a plus during these winter nights! They also have huge showerheads that I had to convince Zach not to pry off and bring home with us. As much as I wanted to throw on some PJ’s and get cozy in that  bed I knew that there was too much to see in Chelsea and I couldn’t waste any time. Chelsea is one of the top gay neighborhoods in Manhattan. It is full of art galleries, chic shops and great restaurants. We were starving so we headed right across the street to a thai place called Spices. We loved this restaurant because the food was tastey and it was moderately priced compared to most of the places we’ve eaten at in NYC. After we ate we had to go check out the High Line. The High Line was an old railroad above the city streets that is now converted to an amazing park-like walk way. You get some mind-blowing views of murals and the streets and it is great exercise. This attraction was only a few minutes walk from the hotel and was worth every second. If you walk far enough along the path you can even see the Statue of Liberty.

The GEM hotel in Chelsea is the prime spot for Christmas activities. It is only about 3 subway stops from Christmas land, AKA 5th Avenue. This was my all time favorite area to be in at night. There are Christmas lights along every building. Not to mention that it is where the famous Christmas tree stands in Rockefeller center. We spent two nights in this area wandering around checking out the amazing window displays and decorations. I loved the windows at Saks Fifth Ave. and the light show on the side of their building. Zach and I also stopped at FAO Schwarz. They have a huge candy section with gummy bears the size of your head! It was fun being kids again and seeing the large floor piano from the movie “Big”. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is also in this area. We were looking forward to seeing it but it was under construction while we were there and could only see bits and pieces of the historical church.

We woke up late the next day and wanted to get some lunch. So, of course we got more pizza. We had a few friends tell us that we had to try a place called Artichokes. Luckily for us it was right by our hotel! They are known for their artichoke pizza, go figure, but I am not a fan of artichokes so we got a meatball pizza. The pizza was huge and we were not disappointed. After lunch we boxed up our leftovers and spent the rest of the day walking around and browsing through all the cute shops in the area. That night we went to Winter Wonderland in Bryant Park. They have a cute winter village set up full of pop up shops and food stands. They also have a large ice rink and restaurant/bar called Celsius. We got some delicious fresh made waffles with toppings and some hot chocolate while we explored the area. I am surprised my clothes still fit after all this food we’ve been eating!

We had a long week so we went back to the hotel early. I forgot to mention that this GEM hotel also has a beautiful roof top deck! Zach and I made one last stop to the roof before we went to sleep. The deck is so peaceful. Our last day there was a snow storm so we were big wimps and stayed inside all day. Another thing that I loved about this hotel was that it was literally right next door to a restaurant and organic grocery store. When we got hungry we quickly ran next door and grabbed some food from the grocery store’s deli and brought it back to our room. So convenient for anyone who stays at the hotel and needs a few snackse twinkling lights and the great view of the Empire State Building. Couldn’t have had a better ending to the day. 

We have fallen in love with this city and are so sad to leave. A HUGE thank you to all the delightful staff at the GEM hotels who made our stay so satisfying. I couldn’t imagine having a more wonderful time here. I would definitely recommend to all of our reader’s coming to New York this holiday season or sometime in the future to stay at any of these properties. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and great New Year! My New Year’s resolution will be to shed the extra pounds I gained from this trip!