The Carlyle

The Carlyle on Madison Avenue has been the most discreet of New York's grand hotels since 1930. Presidents from Truman to Obama have stayed here; Princess Diana kept a suite. The 190 rooms and suites are decorated in a palette of English country house elegance — antiques, chintz, and fresh flowers — that is entirely without ostentation. Bemelmans Bar, with its murals by Ludwig Bemelmans (creator of Madeline), is the finest bar in New York. Café Carlyle, with its cabaret programme, is a New York institution.