Just two blocks from the water, this eight-story, industrial-chic hotel is blessed with spectacular river and Manhattan views. It's worth paying extra for one of the 'terrace' rooms on the northern side, which give you an unbroken view of the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the Upper East Side from your artificial-grass-carpeted balcony (some have swing chairs).
Floor-to-ceiling windows and glassed-in showers with bright subway tiles make the smallish rooms feel more open. Minibars, leather headboards, safes and essential-oil amenities by local maker Apotheke all come standard. There's a rooftop bar in the shape of a classic NYC water tower (open 6pm to 4am Wednesday to Saturday) and an outdoor rooftop swimming pool, plus free pushbikes for cruising Williamsburg.