The Jane

The 200-room Jane Hotel once provided temporary lodging to survivors of the "Titanic," and was later turned into an apartment cooperative. In 2008, hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode (of Bowery and Maritime Hotel fame) restored the handsome West Village landmark into a cute and quirky micro hotel. Fans tout the hotel's stylish and unusually inexpensive rooms, free building-wide Wi-Fi, polite and friendly staffers, and easy access to the West Village and the Meatpacking District.For equal amounts of boho chic with more elbow room, there is the Ace Hotel, farther uptown in Chelsea, which says it's committed to reasonable rates for its base rooms. If you're set on a night in a micro hotel, consider Pod 39 and 51 in midtown, two hotels that are more modern in design but also offer itsy-bitsy rooms for about the same price. But these Midtown East micro hotels don't have anything close to the cool-kid scene of the Jane, which draws locals to its indoor/outdoor rooftop bar, bohemian Jane Ballroom, and perennially hip Cafe Gitane.

The Jane Hotel is located in far-yonder West Village territory, next to the West Side Highway, on a quiet cobbled-stoned block lined with prewar brownstones. To some visitors it might seem like the middle of nowhere, but just a few blocks east guests will find the bustling and trendy restaurants, nightlife, and art destinations of the Meatpacking District (including the new Whitney Museum of American Art) and the eclectic shops of the West Village. This neighborhood is the place to be for a low-key, youthful stay.- Hotel is seven to eight blocks from the A, C, E, and L subway lines at 14th St.

• Union Square is 30 minutes away by foot.
• Across the street from the Hudson River Park, great for running, strolling, biking, and people-watching
• Two blocks from the enormously popular High Line elevated park
• Steps away from quirky shops and eateries, including local favorites like the Chelsea Market.

Plenty of guests arrive eager to try a 50-square-foot Standard Cabin or a tiny, two-person Bunk Bed Cabin. The decor is more sleeper car on an European train than budget hotel room. These tiny, cleverly designed rooms feature under-bed cubbies for storage, a wall-mounted flat-screen TV with a DVD player, and an iPod dock. For a shower, guests can head down the skinny hallway to one of the two shared bathrooms (the hotel even provides the flip-flops). Those not comfortable going the communal route should consider a Captain's Cabin, which is about 250 square feet and has a private bathroom.

The Jane is home to an outpost of Nolita's popular, celeb- and model-filled Cafe Gitane. The casual, shabby-chic restaurant serves its light Moroccan-French food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There's also a swanky rooftop terrace (the space was once members-only; it's open to the public now, but retains an exclusive vibe thanks to a tight door) and the Jane Ballroom, a dimly lit cocktail lounge and nightclub oozing in atmosphere.