We recently got back from a fabulous trip to New York City, where we stayed at the beautiful and ever so luxurious Peninsula Hotel!

New York City holds special memories for us. It is where the hubby and I met, and we have family and close friends who live there. We have visited once before with Little M and this time we decided to make a vacation our of it and stay at the Peninsula Hotel.

Our weariness from our flight quickly disappeared upon entering our beautiful suite! It felt like we had our own personal apartment in the city. The lovely staff at the hotel thought of everything. Little M had his own bathrobe and adorable slippers waiting for him, along with a Peninsula coloring and sticker book, crayons and a copy of this sweet book. He even had his very own activities folder, with a list of children’s stores, kid-approved itineraries, and family-friendly restaurants nearby.

And let’s not forget the yummy welcome treat that they left for us…umm, I mean for Little M, including a Peninsula cupcake, gummy bears, M&Ms and a delicious cookie.

The Pièce de résistance was the stunning bathroom, complete with kids’ bath products, a rubber ducky and a TV in the bathtub. Let me just tell you, give our toddler a tub, bubbles and a television and you get pure happiness (and a squeaky clean kiddo).

The hotel’s location is incredible. We walked everywhere! Our favorite spots were Central Park – especially the Central Park Zoo, FAO Schwarz, Saks Fifth Avenue (for me) and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

I know what you’re thinking. A museum with a toddler? I was a little worried about how Little M would do, but figured we could always just enjoy the outdoor sculpture garden if all else failed. Well, the MoMA, which is just a hop, skip and short stroller ride away from The Peninsula, turns out to be an incredible place to visit with little ones.

We explored the  sculpture garden, strolled through the galleries, and Little M had a blast at the museum’s Art Lab, where we made shadow puppets, read (many) books and used pre-cut shapes to make funny geometric faces on a magnetic wall. After all that activity, we settled down at the MoMa’s Cafe2, which is very kid-friendly (I have never seen so many high chairs in one place) and has a good kids’ menu.

The next morning, we decided to start our day with a dip in the heated rooftop pool. It was pretty amazing to swim with a view of the magnificent buildings nearby. Little M received such a warm welcome and there were lots of pool noodles and little floaties for him to enjoy.

We finished off our morning swim with the newspaper (New York Times, of course) and some breakfast, which was served right by the pool. Little M pretty much polished off an entire croissant by himself!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and we can’t wait to go back (and hopefully stay at The Peninsula again)! Here are some my tips for making the most of your stay at The Peninsula New York.

• The 24 hour room service menu has a great kids section, with kid-friendly healthy items and fun drinks like the Spiderman (a chocolate and cherry net over a glass filled with ginger ale, cranberry and orange juice).
• Don’t forget your swimsuit! The heated pool is a great place for kids to let off some steam while you take in the beautiful views.
• Guests who book a suite have access to a complimentary chauffeur-driven Mini Cooper for up to three hours a day (based on availability).
• The hotel provides toys, games, board games and children’s DVDs from their in-house upon request.
• In addition to the helpful list of kid-friendly things to do and see in New York, the Peninsula also offers a scavenger hunt designed to give little ones a tour of the hotel with behind-the-scenes experiences. The list of items to find throughout the hotel includes an explanation of the door lions at the entrance of the hotel and a secret stairway in the pool area.
• The Peninsula Kids Academy offers one-of-a-kind experiential programs for kids to get the most out of their trip to the big apple.
• We brought our copy of Hello, New York City along on our trip and Little M really enjoyed pointing out the sights that he recognized from the book. He still gets excited when we read our book and see pictures of the taxis on the streets, horse-drawn carriages and the Statue of Liberty. I highly recommend taking a book about New York City with you if you visit. PS: here is a list of our favorite picture books about NYC.

Photos by The Peninsula Hotel New York, Central Park Zoo and Crayons and Croissants.