This is not a fancy establishment, or a place you'd want to come home to every night forever, but it can't be beaten for its Greenwich Village location. I did a lot of research into the best value for money in New York, since we're on a budget that doesn't go far in this town, and I think the Larchmont is a great compromise as somewhere comfortable, quiet and well-located while remaining a lot more affordable than somewhere with perhaps more up-to-date bedspreads.
Our room was undeniably a touch shabby and utilitarian, but sunny and clean and of a decent size - there was plenty of room to move around the bed even with our large cases open. There was a well-sized chest-of-drawers and wardrobe with robe and slippers. It was very quiet from both inside and out the hotel; there was some noise from the central-heating pipes that sounded weirdly like an animal whimpering at first, until I realised what it was - all part of the New York charm and novelty. I'd specifically asked for a quiet room in the booking submission, and was grateful we'd been granted one at the far end of a corridor on the third floor, with a kitchen no one ever used on our other side.
I'm never overly enthusiastic about the whole negotiating-of-shared-bathrooms thing, but this was offset by the convenient sink and mirror in the room, so traipsing up and down the hallway for every little handwashing or makeup-applying was minimised. In three days, I never once had to wait for the bathroom or toilet to be vacated, and they were kept spotlessly clean. They might have been old and utilitarian and covered in decades of reapplied cream paint, but they fulfilled their task.
There was a breakfast included in the room rate, which was served across a counter in a small room in the basement by a woman not to be messed with - it was like being at boarding school. The breakfast was pretty basic - pastries, packaged juice, apples - and we used it to take the edge off and then strolled over to Greenwich Avenue to Soy Cafe for real coffee most mornings. We only met the staff briefly, but they were all friendly and helpful, especially the man who helped us upstairs with our luggage and then greeted us whenever we came and went. The cleaning women were pleasant whenever we briefly encountered them.
Other reviews have complained about the smell in the stairwell, and I noticed that too, but couldn't really care about it - it's just a characterful old building with over a century's worth of accumulated boiled-cabbage cooking smells. Why are people so picky about unimportant details when they're paying $140 for a double room in Greenwich Village?
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
