Manhattan’s notorious Plaza Hotel reopened its doors on Saturday after a two-year restoration, which left guests and reporters present at the big opening speechless.

“The Plaza is back. The legend is definitely going to continue,” Shane Krige, the hotel’s general manager, said as he cut a giant ribbon that spanned the entrance near the southeast corner of Central Park, Reuters reports.

After a $400 million restoration, New York’s Plaza hotel has 282 rooms and suites at prices averaging $1,000 per night and 181 condominium apartments starting at $2.5 million apiece, which were immediately sold with just one exception (it was not ready).

Miki Naftali, chief executive officer of Elad Properties, a unit of Elad Group, which bought the building for $675 million in 2004 called the Plaza “this great castle on the park” and he could not have been more right. Legendary New York locales such as the Oak Bar, the Palm Court and Plaza Grand Ballroom were brought to their original state.

“Everyone was very determined to do one thing and one thing only, to recreate The Plaza and bring it into the next century,'' Naftali told reporters yesterday.

Once you enter the fairy world of the Plaza white-gloved butlers are stationed every floor and ready anytime to help you. Guest rooms feature 24-karat gold-plated bathroom fixtures, flat screen televisions, electronic personal concierges, crystal chandeliers, mosaic floors and gold gilt headboards and mirrors, all in the Plaza’s traditional Louis XV style.

“The Plaza team is passionate about delivering the highest level of service to the most discerning travelers. We will pamper our guests with personal touches, and offer one-of-a-kind amenities not available anywhere else in the city. Our iconic hotel will continue to host legendary events, from the most intimate to the most lavish, in our restored Grand Ballroom and throughout the hotel with the re-opening of the historic Palm Court, and the debuts of the new Champagne Bar and Rose Club,” said Krige.

With such a facelift it is no wonder there were spent $400 million. The biggest bill was $30 million to repair a leaking roof, as the owners sought out the original Italian manufacturer of its famous green tiles.

Along the time, the Plaza had been the place where celebrities gathered around and tasted a little bit of heaven. For example, the Grand Ballroom was the setting for Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball, Mick Jagger’s 50th birthday party in 1993, the wedding celebration of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas in 2000 and the wedding of Richard Nixon’s daughter Julie. Moreover, scenes were shot at the hotel for movies including “North by Northwest,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Crocodile Dundee” and “Home Alone 2.”

Guests are already thrilled with the major changes The Plaza has suffered during this restoration.

“It’s part of New York history. I booked my room over a year ago. I’ve wanted to stay here since I was 17, and when it closed I was crushed. I wanted to be the first guest to arrive on opening day,” said Ruthann Picerno from Lyndhurst, N.J., quoted by the Associated Press. He was the first guest since renovations ended.

The hotel operated by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, will have a formal reopening on May 10, the Saturday opening being considered just a soft one.