Northern Lights Mansion

Stayed here for business. I needed a place close to Columbia University and this place was my best choice for a late booking. This is a brownstone converted to a boutique hotel. It is best described as immaculate with historical shabby chic. My room was about the size of a traditional hotel room. The bathroom was slightly smaller. The fixtures in the room are beautiful. I got a room facing the front allowing me to hear the sounds of the city. I used the kitchen to eat a meal I brought from outside. The caretaker is very warm and accommodating. The manager is about business, she helped me through a billing problem with care. The police station is right on the avenue and there are beat police walking all over this neighborhood. It might scare some of y'all but it's safe. Harlem has a couple of traditional hotels but stay here if you want a little flavor of Harlem life. Tons of good eats to include vegetarian just walking distance away. NYC Subway A and D lines are a 8 minute walk. Apollo theater is a 6 minute walk. Columbia University is a 10-15 minute walk.

Very quaint and homey B&B, owners were very nice and helpful. The room had no working a/c but otherwise very nice would be nice to have a tower fan at least. Provided small snacks and drinks in the kitchen and the place was clean. It is very homey, don’t expect a hotel. Great if you want a historic, real experience in Harlem. Just a few blocks from the express line so well connected to the rest of NYC as well. They provide a breakfast coupon to a nice little cafe that has great food. People will be out on the street for much of the day/night but relatively quiet for NYC. Great vibe to the neighborhood, safety has been a concern for a few reviewers, but doesn’t seem unsafe at all, feels like locals actually live in the neighborhood. Don’t expect a lower Manhattan experience. Well lit streets with people out enjoying the night; overall wonderful place to stay, would highly recommend if you’re looking for a quaint authentic experience, felt like I actually lived there for a couple days with a few additional amenities.

Both the property and the host were top notch. My party enjoyed beautiful, comfortable rooms with all of the basics like comfy beds and bathrooms plus special amenities like spray showers or Tatami mats. Diane, the owner and host made a multi course breakfast that satisfied every one's palates and she even allowed a late check out for those who needed one. We will be back to this wonderful property and just to say hello. I do recommend this place.

SmallNOT A MANSION AT ALL, furniture that looked like it was from a dumpster, staff hardly ever there, NO breakfast just some EXPIRED cookies and stale croissants. Exposed wires and bare switches coming out of the wall. Wires everywhere, NO AIR CONDITIONING outside of your bedroom so my guests and I couldn’t enjoy the kitchen or the parlor due to the stifling heat and humidity, it was to put it mildly nightmarish. I planned this weekend for 9 months and I’m way beyond disappointed, they present themselves as a “Luxury” b&b and charge between 300 and 400 a night!what an absolute joke.

Definitely untrustworthy. I reserved a stay through booking.com. Then I received an email from the Mansion asking me to transfer the amount. A short time later, without my consent, the amount was debited from my credit card. Almost 4 weeks ago I canceled the booking and am waiting for the refund. Upon request I was informed that it would reach me in the coming days. It's still not in my account and my credit card has been negative for a month, causing me problems.

This place is lovely. Here’s how I would break it down: Location: 3.5 stars. It’s still a bit of a rough neighborhood though there are a couple great eateries and a nice Whole Foods nearby. Biggest downside: it’s a trek to the city and a woman alone wouldn’t feel the safest at night. Service: 5 stars. Diane is lovely, personable and really cares. She’s done an amazing job with the place. Cleanliness: 3-4 stars. Could have been cleaner but she took care of all issues right away. Comfort: 5 stars. Beds are way more comfortable than what you’d find in a hotel and you have the creature comforts of a home. Character: 5 stars. I think it’s a bit overpriced for the location but as long as Diane can earn that she deserves it and should!

I could not stay in this hotel for an hour, it was very scary, I did not feel safe at all, the man who opened the door was cranky, our room was in the basement this was very scary, the jacuzzi was not clean and when I turned it on I saw hair that was not mine or my husband’s hair, there was something that looked like The coffin when I opened it smelled bad, we lied to them that we received an emergency call to get out and the same man who opened the door was the one who closed it and was smiling in a strange way and said a word in a language we did not know I think it was a bad word, it was a very terrifying experience and the street was scary and smelled bad, we had to To park the car behind the hotel we walked for 3 minutes, disgusting from the smell of the street, my first language is not English, I wish I could explain, this is not a hotel but it is a scary house,DON’T TRUST PICTURES.

First, this place is no mansion. We were told that this was a bed and breakfast. When we arrived the owner Diane was not there, so the manager Dorothy informed us that we could not use the kitchen to cook any food, we were given a coupon to get breakfast from a cafe that was a block and a half away from the mansion. We only received that for one morning, the second morning we had to pay for our own breakfast. I shared a room with a relative, the room had two twin beds. The beds had no frames, the beds were made up of two box springs sitting directly on the floor with a mattress on top. Everytime you turned in the bed, you felt the mattress sliding. There was also no wastebasket in the room, nor one in the bathroom. There was paper shades covering the windows in the room, and we had to ask for towels. I felt like we were scammed by Diane, because she mentioned none of this when we spoke with her on the phone. Also, this is a brownstone, so there are lots of stairs outside, and a very steep staircase inside that you have to climb to get to your room. If I could give this place a zero, I would.

This property is not a hotel. This property is a B&B. The building is old and dusty and the property manager has piles of paperwork everywhere in their office... I can only hope she isn't leaving guest information exposed. I cannot stress enough the LOCATION. The location of the property is in a ROUGH part of Harlem; there was literally a block party going on with people running up and down the streets the day we arrived. The business owner says there is free parking, which is true because you have to parallel park on the street, and move your car for street cleaning so it doesn't get towed. The owner asked me several times if our car was locked, as she clearly seemed concerned about theft. I feel as though the photos are misleading and would have been less disappointed had the property been rightfully advertised as a bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, my spouse and I had a family emergency, and were not able to stay for our booking. The owner of the property mislead us regarding the refund policy, much like she mislead us into reserving this property with photos that hardly resemble the actual property. We only received a partial reimbursement after begin told we could qualify for a full reimbursement. She said after the "hotels" review process we were found ineligible. After requesting details as so why, she could not substantiate any reason and proceed to tell us that is was unfortunate for the HOTEL that we had a family crisis because they lost money due to our hardship.

Took a trip to New York to celebrate my birthday and wanted to stay in the mix of things without being 'in the mix of things' and we decided on the Upper West Side area. When I initially found the Northern Lights Mansion online, I had to google it through a few other sites to confirm the price which was stellar and the rooms which looked beautiful were actually for real. I read review after review with a raised eyebrow and figured it was worth taking the chance and boy were we glad we did. Parking was important....I wanted to be able to park and basically forget about the car until it was time to check out. Not only was there free street parking but the mansion is right in the middle of two subway stations so you have your choice of subway depending on what you're doing that day. Upon entering the brownstone..........I mean...........i was floored!!! It was absolutely beautiful!! A truly gorgeous, gorgeous place with a shared kitchen that was to die for - the pics dont do it justice! As I got acquainted with Diane, it doesn't take long before you realize that you're with GOOD people that you can trust and that means a lot when you're staying with strangers. She is patient, kind and incredibly accommodating offering snacks, free waters, expresso's, breakfast vouchers, and great insight into the neighborhood. There are also a plethora of site seeing pamphlets available to you. There are 5 bedrooms - each with a distinct theme - and I had paid for the top floor name escapes me which had two beds, television with cable, closets, great windows that you can open if you like, AC, and of course - your own bathroom! I was determined NOT to stay in a hostel with a shared bathroom at the end of the hall but in this mansion, everyone has their own washroom and it was beautiful and spotless with NO BUGS!! Everything in this house is tastefully done...in fact, be sure to ask her about the history of the house and it's secrets! I truly can't think of a negative unless you dont like sharing space with others but then why would you be here if you dont? Remember, everyone is in their own quarters and the house is built solid so you don't hear your neighbors at all. In fact, there are a few floors keeping us apart so I guess if you have bad knees, the top floor can be a bit of a climb but its absolutely manageable. Also,I assume if one of the guests decided to cook spicey food in the kitchen, that may turn some people off but once again, this would affect ANY shared accommodation and wasnt an issue for me at all. Diane, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you! You are a gracious host and a wonderful human being! I can't thank you enough for extending your beautiful home and look forward to staying at the Northern Lights again in the near future!! Sincerely Kevin from Toronto!