Each year I try to spend the first day of the New Year in a different country. I’ve been doing this for many years now and still enjoy it. In 2014, it was Hong Kong, 2015 was Singapore and 2016 is still unknown. It is such a fun experience as you get to experience the different cultures. There can be very expensive hotels though as you will see with this round up of 26 expensive hotels around the world for New Year’s 2016.
I’ve swallowed 12 grapes in Madrid, Spain while drinking champagne, which sounds easy, but its not :-). Picked a fortune off a tree in Japan. Froze in Times Square in New York and Amsterdam plus watched the city come alive in Panama City, Panama and Manilla, Philippines. I don’t think there are strict laws about fireworks in either of those cities.
One thing I’ve always wanted to do is to take Qantas’ flight to nowhere. Each end of year they have a flight that flies over the Antarctic. It’s also done a few other times during the year as well. It’s a privately chartered Boeing 747-400 and the flight last about 12 hours. Passengers take turns sitting at the window. For some, this is as close they come to the Antarctic. The one for 2016 leaves Melbourne (MEL) on 31 December 2015. Starting at about $1,199, its cheaper than two of the hotels on the list :-).
Luckily I usually stay with friends, but when I have to do a hotel, its usually a very sad place that is so overpriced its not funny. I once did a YMCA which was not too bad, but cost way more than it should. But at the last minute you usually don’t have many choices.
So I thought that I’d start looking at hotel rates for New Year’s 2016 in the major cities where New Year’s is celebrated. It’s pretty amazing what I found. Some places are odd as you can find cheaper places right in the heart of everything; still pricey though.. Take NY Times Square for example, you can still find properties in Times Square with availability that is less than the most expensive New York property currently available. So go figure? You can even uses your hotel points to book. But don’t wait too long as these rates will disappear very soon. I’m actually surprised that reward nights are still available in right in Times Square as well.
I used our partner HotelsCombined to search for the hotels on December 6, 2015. You can do your own searches below for your New Year’s hotel stays:
Below is a table with the prices for two nights; December 30, 2015 arrival and checkout January 1, 2016 for two person. Take a look and leave a comment below and let me know what you’ve found, what you normally do for New Years, etc.:
| Cost for 2 nights | Total w/taxes/fees | City | Hotel Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | $580,678 | $638,747 (HKD 4,950,352) | Hong Kong | Golden Island Guesthouse (1 star) Flat 2, 7/F Alhambra Building, 385 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong, Hong Kong |
| 2.. | $19,439 | $21,772.46 | Berlin, Germany | Novotel Am Tiergarten 106-108 Tiergarten Berlin, Germany |
| 3. | $12,371 | Apartment: $12,372 (€12,750) 10 % VAT: $1,237 Cleaning fee: $272 Total: $13,881 | Paris, France | Loft Luxe et Design Champs Ulysses 08. Champs-Elysees, Paris an apartment for 13 guests |
| 4. | $10,698 | Apartment: $10,699 Cleaning fee: $40 Price: $10,739 Property's Currency Brazilian Real: R$ 40,160 (for 6 guests and 2 nights) | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Ilive008 Apto 3 quartos Copacabana Rua Almirante Gonçalves, 4, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 22060-040, |
| 5. | $10,694 | Amount: US$ 10,694.00 | Miami, FL USA | Four Seasons Hotel Miami (five stars) 1435 Brickell Avenue - 33131 |
| 6. | $8,590 | Total Price (for 2 nights & all guests) USD 10,425.37 Hotel tax and service fees USD 1,037.37 included, Resort Fee Amount 2 night(s) USD 5.98 not included (collected by hotel) | Las Vegas, NV USA | Travellodge Las Vegas 2830 Las Vegas Boulevard South, The Strip, Las Vegas |
| 7. | $6,795.88 | Total room price: $8,155.08 (£5,396.22) | London, United Kingdom | onefinestay - Knightsbridge Apartments London, GB http://www.onefinestay.com/london/knightsbridge/ |
| 8. | $6,627 | $7,290 | Sydney, Australia | Intercontinental Sydney (5 star) Sydney CBD, Sydney |
| 9. | $6,350 | Total price including taxes: $ 6,927.28 1 x Meadow Suite -65 sq m -700 sq ft -King Bed -AC -..., | New York, NY USA | Crosby Street Hotel (5 star) 79 Crosby Street, 10012 New York, United States |
| 10. | $5,935 | Double Room Free Breakfast, Taxes and fees $593.54 Total room price: $6,528.84 | Rome, Italy | Romebest Via Varese 31, Rome, 00185, Italy |
| 11. | $5,822 | Dubai, UAE | JA Ocean View Hotel Dubai Marina |
|
| 12. | $3,824 | US$ 4,329.51 | Vienna Austria | Hotel Bristol Vienna (5 stars) Innere Stadt Kaerntner Ring 1, Vienna, 1010, Austria |
| 13. | $3,698 | Total Price: $4,251.22 | New York, NY USA | DoubleTree Suites by Hilton NYC (4 star) 1568 Broadway, Times Square, New York (NY), United States 10036 |
| 14. | $3,681 | $4,343.66 | Cape Town, South Africa | Cape Town Lodge |
| 15. | $3,518 | TOTAL PRICE: US$ 4,218.50 | Hawaii - Wailea, HI USA | Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Wailea, HI |
| 16. | $3,197 | 2 x Two Bedroom City View Residence + Breakfast $ 6394.96 Price $ 1039.18 Tax recovery charges and fees Total price (USD) $7,434.14 | San Francisco, CA USA | Fairmont Heritage Place Ghirardelli Square (five star) 900 N Point Street, San Francisco, CA, United States of America |
| 17. | $3,166 | US $3,938.94 | Tokyo, Japan | The Ritz Carlton, Sydney Minato Tokyo |
| 18. | $2,998 | Total room price 1 king bed or 3 single beds Balcony with ocean views $3,522.66 | Bahamas | Sea Duction The Grove, Nassau 270 West Bay Street, Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas |
| 19. | $2,490 | Classic Twin - Breakfast included Tax Recovery Charges & Service Fees: $498.14 Total: $2,988.82 | Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom | Gilmerton Road, Lasswade, EH181AP |
| 20. | $2,452 | $2,803 (€ 2,575) | Amsterdam, Netherlands | The Crown Overtoomse Sluis |
| 21. | $2,251 | Hawaii - Kapalua, HI | Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua Kapalua, HI |
|
| 22. | $1,836 | $2,771.86 | Bangkok, Thailand | Penthouse Sukhumvit 23 (4 star) Soi.Sukhumvit 23, Sukhumvit Rd., Wattana, Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand 10110 |
| 23. | $1,468 | $1,730.10 | Hawaii, HI USA | Aston Waikiki Beach Tower Waikiki, HI |
| 24. | $1,287 | Total room price: $1,739.94 (€ 1.599,00) | Reykjavik, Iceland | Reykjavik Residence Hotel (3 star) Hverfisgata 45, Reykjavik, 101, Iceland |
| 25. | $976 | Total Price $1,219.00 | New Orleans, LA USA | Farrah’s New Orleans Warehouse District, New Orleans 228 Poydras Street - 70130 |
| 26. | $829 | Seattle, WA USA | Four Seasons Hotel Seattle Seattle Central Business District, Seattle |