NU Hotel is a trendy design hotel, located on Brooklyn's stylish Smith Street. It occupies an interesting spot, sitting squarely between Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill (elegant brownstone houses and French bistros), Cobble Hill (old-world chops, bakeries and green spaces) and finally Carroll Gardens (an old-fashioned Italian neighbourhood). What's more, the hotel lies just two subway stops from Manhattan.

The facilities

Minimal facilities: the focus is on those clean-lined bedrooms. There's no restaurant, but an excellent choice of eateries in the surrounding streets, so be sure to ask staff for recommendations. A good breakfast spread is provided each morning, and there's a bar area for pre-dinner drinks. The hotel also boasts a gym.

The rooms

Each of NU Hotel's 93 bedrooms shares the same minimalist, white-on-white decor as the communal areas. Each boasts a flat-screen television, complimentary wifi, a well-stocked minibar and separate showers in the bathrooms. The King Hammock Suite is a particular favourite: boasting, you guessed it, a hammock big enough for two.