Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

We were originally planning on staying in Manhattan, but we're leaving for the HM the day after on a noonish flight, so it seems better to stay on LI. Anyway, I checked out the hotel website, and the 'wedding package' seems like we'd get a bunch of stuff we wouldn't necessarily care about, and it's almost $300 more than if you just booked the same class of room without all the extras (we figure we'll get better champagne and strawberries at our reception hall).

Has anyone stayed there or seen the rooms? Is anyone planning on staying there? Which hotel(s) do you feel it's comparable to?

Also, if anyone has other suggestions for nice hotels in southern Nassau (or even closer to JFK), I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

I know the Wingate Hotel has a bridal Suite. They are in Nassau about a 1/2mile from Roosevelt Field.
I'd check them out. They are not a ritzy, but I've heard great things.

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

I've stayed at the GCH. Im going to tell you things honestly and I hope you dont take offense. The hotel and amenities are absolutely beautiful. But to stay in that hotel for your honeymoon night you might want to keep somethings in mind:

What time do you plan to arrive at the hotel? If your having an early reception and plan to be at the hotel at 8 or 9pm, by all means book the room!!!! But if your having a night reception and you dont plan on getting there until after 11pm, it's not worth it. You'll be paying up the arm to go to the hotel when just about everything is closed except the bar and the club (which you'll be too tired to go anyway). You'll end up going there just to sleep when you can do that in your own bed, and not have to pay $400 bucks for it. If you also plan to spend the following day at the hotel for the entire day than that can also be worth the money, but if you have an early checkout or an early flight you have to catch, you might want to rethink things. How did you get the room for $300? My friend who is getting married reserved the bridal package 2 1/2 years in advance to get it cheap and she's paying $400.....

PS - She's getting married at the watermill and by the time she gets to the hotel it will be midnight. Then they have a morning flight. If you figure it out she's paying $400 to sleep in an expensive bed for 7 hours!!!

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

I agree with Divabride - it's a lot of money for not too much service given your time schedule. We were originally going to stay there and even had a reservation and decided to stay at the Marriott in Uniondale. They have a larger room they use for a bridal package that includes champagne and room service breakfast and T-shirts It was $300 when we booked it which was for Sept 2002. It's probably more now but much less then the GCH.

I would save that for your anniversary or sometime when you can really enjoy the hotel. Which by the way is BEAUTIFUL! We checked out all the rooms before we made the reservation.

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

That's too funny. I was about to suggest the Marriott. That's a really nice hotel and it has to be cheaper than the GCH. That's a really good idea though to celebrate your 1 year anniversary there.

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

So, the deal is that the wedding package is $550, but if we just reserve the same category room (no wedding package), it's $269, which is comparable to many other hotel prices on LI. Sounds like the consensus is that it's not worth it to do the wedding package - so maybe we'll just do the 'regular' room rate and forego all the extras...

Edited to add: no offense taken at all! I posted b/c I wanted people's opinions! I agree with you about arriving late and leaving early, but as we live in the city and would prefer not to stay in my parents' house on our wedding night , a hotel it is, it's just a question of which one.

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

I know this might be out of the way since your looking for something on the south shore. But this place is BREATHTAKING. I've never been there, but I've seen it driving by and it still makes my jaw drop. The roslyn claremont hotel!!!!! I just went on to the website and they give you a bridal package for $250 and it includes many amenities. just add www and .com to it and I think that's the website. Go into 'packages' and I it's Honeymoon 2. Honeymoon 1 is a bit more expensive. Im thinking I should book there for my honeymoon night too!!

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

We stayed at The Claremont the night before my friends wedding at GW Manor. It's very nice but I can't really remember the room (it was 10 years ago) but I think it was very charming.

Re: Garden City Hotel for wedding night?

Divabride - we actually checked out the Roslyn Claremont and were a bit underwhelmed, although to be fair I think it's because the website photos are so great but we didn't like it as much in person. The rooms are nice - definitely a step above - and if your wedding is nearby I say it's the way to go. But as you note, it's a bit north for us, so I think we'll just stick with GCH. Thanks for your help!