In my experience, bed and breakfasts are one of the best ways of experiencing a new place. In many cases the rates can be quite reasonable although there is an increasing number of high end luxury bed and breakfasts and inns, many of whom may end up charging several hundred dollars per night as well. At some of the more budget-oriented B&Bs you can get a simple, yet usually comfortable room, often with unique dcor. Sometimes bathrooms are shared which will result in lower prices, so if utmost privacy is important to you check whether your B&B accommodation offers private bathrooms.

B&B stands for "bed and breakfast", now obviously we have discussed the "bed" portion of the equation. As far as the "breakfast" portion is concerned, there are also a range of choices available. Some B&Bs will offer full breakfasts, some even with home-made ingredients, jams, preserves or various gourmet breakfast dishes etc. while others may only offer a simple continental style breakfast. In larger cities B&Bs may even exclude the breakfast option altogether, so if a nice meal in the morning is important to you, make sure you check whether your desired accommodation actually includes breakfast or not.

One additional advantage of B&Bs is that generally these places are owned by private individuals or couples who enjoy hosting people from all over the world. Quite often the hosts end up being quite entertaining and they can become your built-in local travel expert for the area. At any rate, be prepared for a rather personal experience since often the hosts share the house with the guests. Inns are usually larger and take on an atmosphere of a small historic hotel, so there the atmosphere will be less personal.

Here is a listing of websites that specialize in bed and breakfast accommodation for New York City:

www.citylightsnewyork.com
This website offers hosted bed and breakfasts in a range from US$ 80 to US$130. Unhosted bed and breakfasts go for between US$ 130 and US$ 300.

www.athomeny.com
At the time of writing this article, this website offered single occupancy rooms for US$75 and up while most double occupancy rooms ranged between US$125 and US$175 (and higher).

www.nyhabitat.com
This website specializes in apartment rentals and has a variety of different types of apartments available. As of March 2005 their rates were as follows:

Studio: $85 to $165
One Bedroom: $135 to $225
Two Bedrooms: $200 to $375
Special Apartments: $250 to $500

www.bedandbreakfast.com
This website offers quite a few bed and breakfasts that start below US$100 per night and their listings are divided between Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. I have picked out the ones that come in at the lower end of the scale although you will find a lot more properties that offer rates in the range from US$100 and up.

www.bnbfinder.com offers several properties in New York City ranging from US$40 and up.

Here is a listing of bed and breakfasts that I could find for under $100 a night:

Stay The Night Manhattan, NY, $60-$125
1291 Bed & Breakfast Accommodations Manhattan, NY, $40-$150
Chelsea Lodge - Manhattan, NY, $95 - $110
Bed and Breakfast NYC - Manhattan, NY, $95 - $225
Rooms in Soho Loft - Manhattan, NY, $90 - $110
Bed and Breakfast Mont Morris - Manhattan, NY
Efuru Guest House - Manhattan, NY, $60 - $125
Room in East Village - Manhattan, NY, $80 - $100
The Harlem Flophouse - Manhattan, NY, $75 - $100
Regina's New York B&B in Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY, $75-$150
Honey's Home Brooklyn, NY, $75-$150
Bibi's Garden - Brooklyn, NY, $65 - $125
Angelique Bed and Breakfast - Brooklyn, NY, $75 - $150
Eve's B&B - Brooklyn, NY, $70 - $125
Astoria B&B - Queens, NY, $50 - $70
The Harbor House - Staten Island, NY, $59 - $150
Victorian Manor Inn - Staten Island, NY, $75 - $120
Victorian Bed And Breakfast Of Staten Island - Staten Island, NY, $75 - $105
Victorian Villa - Staten Island, NY, : $79 - $98
Hartshorne House - Staten Island, NY, $55 - $95

Other bed and breakfast directory websites that you may want to check include the following:

www.bbdirectory.com
www.bestinns.com
www.bbonline.com
www.ibbp.com
www.iloveinns.com
www.newyorkbedandbreakfast.us

If you have never tried b&b-ing, check out this way of travelling. You might like it too...