Nova Hotel Brooklyn

You are choosing a boutique hotel in Brooklyn rather than a resort built around staying indoors. Nova Hotel Brooklyn has 66 rooms and keeps the useful basics close at hand: free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a lift, a fitness centre and a bar for the end of the day.

The mood is urban and straightforward. You can bring your pet, use the public areas without negotiating stairs at every turn, and head up to Vantage Rooftop when the city deserves a drink with a view. It is a sensible base for a New York stay when the plan involves going out, seeing things and returning to a room with a private bathroom.

The address is 101 Bogart Street, Brooklyn, New York. The hotel sits around 5 km from the city centre, in a part of Brooklyn where the nearby landmarks give you a useful first sense of the neighbourhood: Morgan Avenue, Maria Hernandez Park and HHC Community Hospital are close by.

For a day away from the hotel, the surrounding itinerary includes the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Bridge Park, DUMBO and the walk across Brooklyn Bridge. Time Out Market New York, Juliana’s Pizza, Dekalb Market Hall and Barclays Center also feature among the places to visit. In other words, this is a base for exploring Brooklyn and New York, not a property designed to keep you poolside.

The choice is broad enough to match different city-trip habits: standard and superior rooms, double rooms, balconies, city views, apartments and studios. If two of you are sharing, the double-room categories come with a private bathroom. A balcony or city view gives the room a little more of a sense of place, while an apartment or studio is the direction to look in when you want something less conventional than a standard hotel room.

The deluxe categories carry the clearest list of practical equipment. You get air conditioning and heating, a desk, Wi-Fi, a television, a microwave, bottled water, towels, toiletries, an iron and a hairdryer. That is useful after a full day on your feet: cool the room down, charge everything, make use of the desk and avoid having to organise every small item before heading out again.

Room equipment varies by category, so check the individual room card carefully rather than assuming that every option carries the same facilities. The private bathroom is a feature across the listed categories, while balconies, city views and the more extensive deluxe equipment belong to selected room types.

The drinks centre of gravity is Vantage Rooftop, an outdoor rooftop bar serving crafted drinks from 4pm to 11pm. That gives you somewhere specific to head once the city day is done, rather than leaving the evening to a vague search for the nearest open door.

Mornings are handled by a coffee bar; breakfast is not served at the hotel. Plan accordingly, particularly if you like to eat early before a long day out. A bar, bottled water and coffee or tea are available, and the rooms in the deluxe range include a microwave for simple practical use rather than full meal preparation.

There is no stated half-board or all-inclusive arrangement. This is a drinks-and-city-eating setup: coffee to get moving, the rooftop for the evening, and Brooklyn’s restaurants and food halls for the substantial part of the day.

The hotel’s main in-house option away from the bar is its fitness centre, available 24/7. You can use it to keep moving after a day spent walking through Brooklyn, or simply treat it as a place to stretch out before dinner. No timetable is needed, which is handy when New York has already rearranged your plans for you.

The more interesting leisure choices are outside. You can make a cultural day of the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, walk Brooklyn Bridge or spend time around Brooklyn Bridge Park and DUMBO. For an easier evening, Dekalb Market Hall, Time Out Market New York and Juliana’s Pizza give you concrete destinations rather than another lap of the same block.

The hotel also has accessible facilities and is wheelchair accessible. A lift makes the return from the street less of a chore, while the rooftop gives you a place to sit with a drink when the city has supplied quite enough entertainment for one day.

You have free Wi-Fi, luggage storage, a computer, an ATM, a business centre and a reception desk. The building has a lift, air conditioning and wheelchair-accessible facilities. The hotel is non-smoking, and pets are accepted, so bringing one is part of the arrangement rather than an improvised request at the desk.

If you arrive by car, parking and a garage are available, with public paid parking nearby. The hotel accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and cash. These are the small details that matter more once bags, coats and a tired body are all competing for your attention.

Check the individual room conditions when you book, especially if you need a particular balcony, city view, microwave or full set of deluxe facilities. Room equipment varies by category, and the practical difference between two similarly named rooms can be more useful than the label itself.