For many visitors, New York City starts and ends with Manhattan. And understandably so. It has the finest restaurants, the best shopping and almost all of the iconic sights. The downside, of course, is that it's expensive. Particularly when it comes to accommodation.

Over the last few years, boutique hotels have started appearing in the city's other boroughs. They're stylish, close to transport and considerably more affordable than their Manhattan equivalents.

Here are three of the best.

Z HOTEL NEW YORK, LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS

Where are the best views of New York? Not in Manhattan. Hop over the East River to Long Island City, Queens and you'll be greeted with a hypnotising panorama of the Manhattan skyline. The Z Hotel has taken full advantage of its vantage point by installing floor-to-ceiling windows in all 100 of its rooms.

My superior queen room is compact but sexy with black carpet, dark wood furniture and a faux grey leather headboard. There are all the expected facilities (LCD TV, iPod dock and safe) plus stylish additions such as a jet black bathrobe and matching thongs.

The bold design ethic continues in the lobby with a reception desk fashioned out of vintage luggage, a black crystal chandelier and an old-fashioned railway departure board. Z Lounge, the hotel's bar and restaurant, has a similarly eclectic aesthetic. Mismatched leather sofas huddle around luggage trunks while a sleek black bar stretches along the opposite wall. It's a versatile space that morphs seamlessly from relaxed breakfast room to casual lunch spot to intimate cocktail lounge.

During the past decade Long Island City has established itself as an arts district. Within walking distance is MoMA PS1, the Museum of the Moving Image and the Socrates Sculpture Park.

Manhattan is only one subway stop away but there's also a decent selection of restaurants around Vernon Boulevard. Either way, you'll want to finish your night on Z Hotel's enormous rooftop terrace, basking in the 360-degree view. If Z Hotel was in Manhattan, it would cost twice as much. As one couple confided to me one morning, "For the price, it's almost too good to be true".

Rooms from $US225 ($240). Includes free calls, bike hire, Wi-Fi and shuttle to and from Manhattan, see zhotelny.com.

OPERA HOUSE HOTEL, THE BRONX

Of all New York's boroughs, The Bronx is the most maligned. Just saying the name conjures up a mental image of dirty alleyways and dodgy deals. The reality is it ain't that bad. The South Bronx is starting to experience the gentrification that has revitalised Harlem during the past decade. Sure, when you pop out of the 149th Street subway it's into an insalubrious mishmash of pawn shops, discount stores and fast food joints, but it's a vibrant, bustling community that feels entirely different to Manhattan.

The Opera House Hotel's owners took a gamble when they opened the borough's first boutique luxury hotel in August last year. Housed behind the glorious Beaux-Arts facade of the former Bronx Opera House, the 60-room property is 150 metres from the 149th Street subway, from where a 2 Express Train will whisk you to Times Square in 25 minutes.

By New York standards, my deluxe queen room is palatial. Two queen beds, a desk and two chairs barely make a dent in the space. The colour scheme is the predictable hotel palette of browns, creams and beiges but the bathroom has an upscale feel. Best of all, everything still looks deliciously new - walls are scuff-free and the bathroom sparkles like it's been plucked from a show-home.

The Bronx has several notable attractions. Baseball fans will want to check out a game at Yankee Stadium, kids will love the Bronx Zoo and foodies should sample the Italian fare around Arthur Avenue.

So has the gamble worked? Are tourists being lured to The Bronx? The night I stayed, the hotel was full and at the time of writing it had a TripAdvisor score of 96 per cent. I'd say that's a yes.

Rooms from $US165. Includes free Wi-Fi and continental breakfast, see operahousehotel.com.

HOTEL BPM, SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN

Brooklyn has been flavour of the month for a while now and suburbs such as Williamsburg have a dedicated hipster following that wouldn't be seen sipping a soy caramel macchiato anywhere else.

Of course, this has pushed up rents which explains why DJ Bijal Panwala chose the less fashionable Sunset Park for his music-themed property, Hotel BPM (as in beats per minute). The hotel enjoys a slightly incongruous position among a cluster of car repair workshops, but it's only a three-minute walk to the 36th Street subway, from where it's two stops to Manhattan. It's also well-positioned for Brooklyn attractions such as the Barclays Centre, home of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team; Prospect Park, Brooklyn's answer to Central Park; and the serene Green-Wood Cemetery, resting place of composer Leonard Bernstein.

Musical touches abound. A soundtrack selected by Panwala plays in the common areas and guests are supposedly asked for a song request when they book (I wasn't). The theme continues in the rooms with music-inspired artwork and speakers in the bathroom. The largely white palette gives it a slightly sterile feel but it's well equipped with a 100-centimetre HD TV, iPod dock and Keurig coffee maker.

A free breakfast is served in the small onsite restaurant and other wallet-warming features include free Wi-Fi and free drinks from 10pm-2am on weekends.

Culturally, Sunset Park is still a long way from Williamsburg but its gentrification is inevitable. When it happens, Hotel BPM will be ideally placed.

Rooms from $US195. Includes free Wi-Fi and hot and cold breakfast, hotelbpmbrooklyn.com.

The writer was a guest of Brand USA, Z Hotel, Opera House Hotel and Hotel BPM. Qantas flies to New York via Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth; phone 13 13 13; see qantas.com.au; nycgo.com; discoverAmerica.com.