Hotel Review: CIVILIAN Hotel, New York

Set between Hell's Kitchen and the Diamond District, just south of Central Park, this is a great midtown Manhattan location. Grand Central and Pennsylvania stations are both around half a mile from the hotel, and several subway stations are close by.

By plane: flights from London, Manchester or Edinburgh to New York take 7 hours. A taxi takes one hour from JFK airport. Parking costs $50 per day. Book flights to New York.

The lobby area is compact and underwhelming but things pick up when you see the gorgeous restaurant and cocktail bar. The restaurant, with lots of white tiling, windows lined with plants and swish wood tables, looks out onto the street and has a slight 1930s train canteen vibe, but in the most stylish way. The cocktail room, with its exposed brick walls and wood centrepiece wall behind the marble topped bar, and leather sofas and carpet-style upholstery banquettes, all create a cosy and inviting atmosphere. Pictures of theatre productions underline the fact that we're in the heart of theatreland.

Service is friendly. There's a ground floor restaurant, Rosevale Kitchen, a second-floor bar, Rosedale Cocktail Room, and double-terraced Starchild bar on the 27th floor. There's a concierge, luggage storage and charged laundry, and guests can use the nearby luxury health club TMPL. There's regular live music at the cocktail bar, and DJ sets at Starchild.

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Terrace
• Free Wi-Fi

The 203 rooms aren't huge - in New York space is in short supply, of course - but don't feel cramped either. There's a choice of 'cozy' or 'spacious'. There's no coffee machine or minibar, but a hair dryer, clothes steamer, safe, smart TV and air conditioning.

Room types: Cozy, Spacious

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom with toiletries, hairdryer, hypoallergenic pillows, garment steamer, safe, free Wi-Fi

The food and drink are all superb at ground floor Rosedale Kitchen, the Rosevale Cocktail Room and Starchild rooftop bar. Breakfast is surprisingly minimal though, with fruit salad, granola, yoghurt and compote, pastries, cereals, orange and apple juice and drip coffee on offer.

Starchild: rooftop bar-lounge, light bites and cocktails. Open Tue-Sun, from 5pm.

Rosevale Kitchen + Cocktail Room: American cuisine, small plates and cocktails. Open daily, from 5pm (Kitchen closed Mon).