I spent most of my life living in the middle of Long Island. There were two places that we Long Islanders considered vacation spots: east to the Hamptons and Montauk, or west to New York City. On a recent trip, I discovered a place to stay to visit family that was not at either of these places. It still had a vacation vibe, with a touch of luxury.
Viana Hotel & Spa is in Westbury, New York. It offers the best of Long Island accommodation, at reasonable cost, and the ability to get to all you want—or do nothing at all. It also was wheelchair accessible throughout, something that has become a necessity for me.
The place takes you in from the beginning with a wide-open lobby with private desks to check you in instead of an area of lines with people cramped behind a tall check-in area. Just to the right of there, a cozy living room offers inviting couches and a fireplace. You’ll find the elevator just a bit later, with arrows pointing to stairs that can also take you up to the Marco Polo restaurant or down to the spa.
Why You Should Stay at Viana Hotel & Spa
- Parking is free
- The train station is two miles away and you can be in Manhattan in 45 minutes
- Cradle of Aviation Museum and Old Westbury Gardens are a few minutes away
- The beach is about a 15 minute drive
- A full-service spa has a heated pool & sauna for guests
- As a Wyndham Hotel, you can earn points, or use points to book rooms
- Pets are welcome at Viana Hotel
Viana Spa and Fitness
The Viana Spa has something for everyone, including salon services such as hair, nails, and makeup, a selection of body treatments, including spray tans, and massages. They also do holistic wellness, such as Reflexology and Reiki.
Both of these Asian treatments work to improve the body by rebalance. Reflexology applies pressure to various parts of the feet (after a foot exfoliation) for nerve stimulation that affects the entire body.
Reiki, which I tried, is said to help the immune system, and loosen blocked energy, promoting the release of toxins and stress. I don’t know if I had a long-lasting change in my stress, but I definitely felt more relaxed after a turn in the lap pool, time in the jacuzzi, a bit in the sauna, and the Reiki treatment.
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Guest Rooms at Viana Hotel & Spa
The variety of accommodations at Viana Hotel & Spa is pleasantly surprising. I had a huge Superior Room, which was accessible and had plenty of space for the wheelchair. Most of the other rooms have the spa theme throughout. The selection includes a Hydrotherapy Studio Suite, One Bedroom Hydrotherapy Suite (with or without a kitchenette), and a One Bedroom Balcony Suite.
Even the non-suites include a marble shower and bath, bamboo robes and towels, and toiletries from the Viana Spa. They also have large desks, complimentary bottled water, a Keurig coffee maker, microwave, mini refrigerator, and iron with board. And, the internet is free throughout the hotel.
Marco Polo Restaurant
The restaurant at Viana Hotel & Spa is far from your ordinary hotel eatery. Marco Polo has an Asian-Italian menu. While that may sound odd, it inspired some creatively delicious items from the chef.
I ate dinner at Marco Polo four nights with friends or family each time. Among the favorite items were Caesar Salad with crispy wonton noodles, Asian Vegetable Dumplings with Pesto Sauce, Korean BBQ Pork Ribs, and Penne a la Sake, their take on penne alla vodka.
The meals always started with unexpected starters such as sauteed edamame or cheesy bread. The ended with more traditional American desserts, including an excellent Red Velvet Cake. In the morning, there was a big buffet of cereal, pastries, breads, oatmeal, and yogurt, plus a station for omelets, pancakes, and waffles. The restaurant also has a bar with seats and lunch available.
Visit the Cradle of Aviation Museum
Long Island’s relationship to aviation began in the early days when Charles Lindbergh took his solo trans-Atlantic flight at Roosevelt Field (just a few miles from the Viana Hotel) in 1927. There is still a big aerospace industry out of here thanks to Grumman and other engineering companies that made this area their home. It is why Long Island has been called the “Cradle of Aviation.”
The Cradle of Aviation Museum is 10 minutes from Viana Hotel and is a must see. Plan to spend a few hours here because there is so much to see. You will be taken from the first gliders and balloons taking off from the ground to the Apollo missions and SpaceX. There is even one of only three (the other two are at NASA and the Smithsonian) lunar modules used in Apollo missions.
The Cradle of Aviation Museum also has a Pan Am exhibit which includes the history of the 707, Boeing’s first jetliner. There are also Planetarium shows and other seasonal exhibits.
Viana Hotel & Spa Details
The Viana Hotel & Spa is located at 388 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury, NY 11590. It is 22 miles from JFK International Airport on the south and the same from LaGuardia on the northside. Travel time varies greatly depending on traffic patterns.
There is a Long Island Railroad station just two miles away that you can take from New York City or Eastern Long Island. With a change at the Jamaica station, you are also able to get to Westbury from JFK Airport.
Although there is a shuttle to take guests from the train station to the hotel, it is not accessible. I took a wheelchair-accessible van from Manhattan to the Viana Hotel through New York City Wheelchair Transportation. They also took me from the hotel to JFK Airport after my stay.
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