HotelChatter

'Hood: Midtown West, near key subway lines and within two blocks of Central Park, Carnegie Hall, and Columbus Circle. Diagonally across the street from the hotel is Hearst Tower, an architectural hybrid that looks like a “geodesic sock puppet."

Value Proposition: A strip of upscale bars—in the once-seedy Hell's Kitchen district—begins about three blocks south along 9th Avenue.

The Vibe A budget Roman hotel transplanted to Manhattan. The lobby's décor includes a fake fireplace and wall-mounted photographs of Italian landscapes, striking a palazzo motif without veering into kitsch.

Room Reactions: In the 24 rooms, rough-around-the-edges furnishings say "lived-in Ikea," with the exception of new 23-inch, high-definition flat-screen TVs. Bathrooms are recently renovated with marble tile. Rooms with numbers ending in 02 receive the most sunlight because they each have three windows overlooking 56th Street.

Distinctive Feature: Adjacent to the hotel, the owners' Italian restaurant, Joe G's, serves moderately priced comfort food. (Expect wan shrimp cocktail for $12.) I suggest you hotfoot it a couple of short blocks to the many critically-praised restaurants of Hell’s Kitchen.

Internet Connect: There's free Wi-Fi in the lobby and on the first floor of guest suites. A pair of PCs in the lobby provide Internet access for guests.

Plus: One of my (many) quirks is that I pick hotels by their proximity to restaurants I want to try. So it wasn’t an accident that the Da Vinci is less than a mile from Five Napkin Burger (where we had a terrific dinner). If you don’t walk to walk that far, I recommend you instead stroll five blocks to the secret Burger Place in Midtown’s Le Parker Meridien (where I’ve eaten on several other occasions.)

Minus: Function trumps form. In a typical detail, bulky wood-slat blinds block out sunlight well enough, but they wouldn't win any design awards. No pool, no modernist lounge furniture, and —um-- no true amenities or services to speak of at all. But after a typical tourist day of shopping, standing in the TKTS booth line for discounted theater tickets, and dodging the Naked Cowboy in Times Square crowds, that's not such a bad thing.

Recommendation: I’d recommend the Da Vinci to American or international couples looking to keep costs in line while still staying in a “clean, well-lighted place” that’s centrally located. It’s a step up from a hostel, in both price and quality. It’ll never be featured in Out magazine as a fabulous hotel, but it is gay friendly and, more importantly, it’s only a couple of blocks from a major gay community and the theater district.

The Bottom Line: Our total was $164 (after taxes and fees) in August but typically, doubles start from $89, plus a $1.50 processing fee. Rates can go up to $209 at the last minute, peak season.

Who the heck am I, anyway?: Official title is senior editor, online at BudgetTravel.com. It’s an honor to be asked to share my hotel review with HotelChatter. Thanks!

And many thanks to you Sean for sharing us your excellent budget hotel stay! For more hotel reviews from people in the know, check out the rest of our VIP Hotel Reviewer Series