Where to stay for a very merry New York Christmas

New York City’s Christmas attractions are as iconic as the city itself: The dazzling tree at Rockefeller Center, fanciful department store window displays, ice skating in Central Park and carriage rides in the snow are celebrated in dozens of movies, books, and songs. But while the wide range of travelers who come to experience the magical wonderland the city becomes in December want to see a lot of the same things, they don’t necessarily want to stay at the same places. We selected our favorite hotels for taking advantage of New York’s Christmas attractions, whether you’re on a romantic getaway or family trip.

A classy lobby lounge complete with a resplendent Christmas tree helps make a December stay at the Ritz-Carlton, one of New York's top luxury hotels, feel inviting and warm. The property dazzles with old-world ambience and doting service, and its location on the southern edge of Central Park means park views from many rooms and an easy stroll over to Wollman Rink, the ice skating rink in Central Park. Guests can also walk a couple blocks east for the decked-out department stores of 5th Avenue, and a couple blocks west for the high-end shops and restaurants, and the outdoor crafts-and-gifts fair, in and around Columbus Circle's Time Warner Center. The hotel's on-site BLT Market restaurant offers a fixed price Christmas menu that includes options like ginger butter poached lobster, orange glazed maple leaf duck, and lemon-tangerine baked Alaska.

Hotels in New York can be astronomically expensive -- especially at Christmas -- but you get good bang for your buck at Hotel 57: Guests will find a sleek lobby; friendly, knowledgeable staff; great skyline views from the rooftop terrace; and cozy, wood-paneled rooms with voluptuous feather comforters atop Marriott Revive beds. Plus, its quiet location between Midtown East and the Upper East Side make it a great jumping-off point for Christmastime shopping and exploring: Central Park, Bloomingdale's flagship store, 5th Avenue shopping and window displays, and Rockefeller Center are all a short walk away. All for significantly less than most properties in the area.

A stately stone facade gives way to interiors of marble, crystal chandeliers, and gold flourishes at the lavish New York Palace. Arriving guests pass through the Madison Avenue courtyard, decorated with a twinkling lights and a gorgeous Christmas tree, and enter the grand lobby that's also decked for the season. If they choose to emerge again, the Palace is just one block from Rockefeller Center, where in 2009 guests will find a 76-foot Norway spruce draped in colored lights, skaters twirling on the ice rink below, and wire-sculpted angels that date back to 1954. Also nearby are Radio City Music Hall, site of the popular Christmas Spectacular, glorious St. Patrick's Cathedral, the elaborately decorated windows of Saks Fifth Avenue, and Central Park.

The black and gold Art Deco facade of this hotel sits along the southern edge of Bryant Park, steps from the charming winter wonderland that materializes behind the stately New York Public Library each year. The park's green expanse transforms for the holidays, with the city's only free ice-skating rink (rentals available for a fee), a festive Christmas tree, and The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park -- more than 100 booths selling everything from scarves and jewelry to artwork and handmade crafts. The 138-room Bryant Park Hotel is a hip, sexy property; the lobby has red leather walls, red laquer counters, and soft techno music; guest rooms are spacious and modern with sleek leather furniture (not to mention a menu of sex toys -- families be warned). Stay-ins will appreciate the hotel's cavernous cocktail bar and on-site high-end sushi restaurant; guests looking to venture further afield are just a short walk from many of the city's top holiday attractions.

The Buckingham Hotel offers huge rooms -- two to three times the New York City average -- at very reasonable prices, making them great for families traveling with kids. These former apartments vary in upkeep and quality of decor, but all have a small kitchen equipped with appliances and utensils. And the hotel is just two blocks from Central Park's skating rink, less than a block from 5th Avenue shopping, including toy heaven FAO Schwartz, and seven short blocks from the tree and ice rink at Rockefeller Center.