Boston recommendations?

[Scooter]

DH & I are going to Boston next fall, with DD (will be 18 mos). I've got a couple questions.

1. We're looking for cheap accomodations, hopefully in a central location. A friend gave us some recs, but nothing under $150/night. Any other suggestions, are there any safe and clean places that cost less than that? (This is going to determine whether we're there for a couple days or a week, so all the plans hinge on it.)

2. Will we need to rent a car? Is most of the city accessible by public transportation, like the MBTA?

[HeatherFL]

Scooter, sorry I can't help with hotel recommendations, I always stayed downtown or near the Harbor (on the client's dime!) and prices can get :eek: in those areas. Have you considered doing a bed and breakfast? This would also include breakfasts and some snacks (usually) so you would save money on that at least? Here are a couple of websites I use for B & Bs:
Bed and Breakfast.com (www.bedandbreakfast.com)

Bed and Breakfast Inns on Line (www.bbonline.com)

There is so much to do there and it is a beautiful city. Honestly, I don't think you'll need to rent a car. You can do public transporation, walk or take a cab. I've never rented a car there and always gotten around just fine. :)

~H.

[EJH]

Fall is a pretty popular time to come to New England, so you may not get the best deal on prices on hotels. I know the Midtown Hotel, which is near Copley Square has fairer prices.

Another B&B....

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=boston@33&cur_section=lod&property_id=52136

If you are just planning to do the tourist stuff in the city, even heading over to Cambridge for Harvard etc, you'll do absolutely fine without a car. Everything is accessible by MBTA.

I'll keep my eye out for good hotel deals.

Erin

[boilermaker]

Quite honestly, you're going to have a little harder time finding good deals this far out. You may want to consider booking one place that has a decent cancellation policy then keep looking for better deals as you get closer to your trip.

If you stay out by the airport, you will find better hotel rates, but then you would need a car to get into downtown or any of the tourist areas.

In downtown itself, I have stayed at several of the decent chain places for under $150/night (Doubletree, Courtyard, etc). But again, it all depended on the dates I was traveling and when I booked my trip. Staying closer to the downtown area, you do not need a car to get around.

Have you considered using priceline to find something?

[Golightly]

Oh Goodie! I get so excited when people are planning visit Boston! If you've never been before, you'll LOVE it!

Check out the Swisshotel (spelling might be incorrect) near downtown crossing. I've never stayed there so I don't know about the rooms, but I think it has reasonable rates for being right downtown.

There is also a Holiday Inn (I think it's still there) in Beacon Hill (on Cambridge Street) right near the hospital. I stayed there the night before I moved into my apartment in 1998. And it was fine. Beacon Hill is a great area to make your home base. I'm biased though because I lived there for nearly eight years! There are lots of restaurants right near by and little shops on Charles Street, you're not far (15 minute walk) from the water front and the Esplande (Charles River) is right there too.

There are also a number of hotels near BU that should be reasonable as well as just over the river in Cambridge (try Harvard, Kendall, and Central Squares.)

If you are planning on sticking to Boston proper and Cambridge, you don't need a car. You can use the "T" and Boston is a wonderful walking city! My mom used to visit me and drive me crazy because she insisted on wearing "cute" shoes that were "appropriate for the city," so she would never walk anywhere and I think she missed out on a big part of the Boston experience. Pack your sneakers!

Have fun planning your trip!

[HeatherFL]

I stayed there the night before I moved into my apartment in 1998.
Since it's been 9 years, I'd like around on TravelAdvisor.com to see if the hotel is still nice and getting good reviews. :)

~H.

[Golightly]

... Exactly. That's why I mentioned that it was so long ago. :)

Although, as it's a Holiday Inn, I believe they have a pretty universal quality mark. That little area in between Beacon Hill and the Hospital recently went through a major rehab (new shopping area, new hospital buildings, new condos, etc.)

Just trying to help.

[HeatherFL]

Oh I hope that didn't come out wrong. I just know that I've personally been to some places that were great and then years later they've become in the words of Borat...uhhh not so nice. :)

~H.

[j*east]

If you stay out by the airport, you will find better hotel rates, but then you would need a car to get into downtown or any of the tourist areas.

In my experience (I lived in Boston and my sister still does), you'll be fine using the T to and from the airport as well. It's on the blue line and you'll probably do most of your travel on the red and green lines, but it's not a big deal to switch lines. I'd stay in Copley/Beacon Hill/Downtown Crossing area though.

It is possible (after a quick look on Expedia) to find places under $150, but under $100 will be pretty hard.

[bookworm]

Check out the Swisshotel (spelling might be incorrect) near downtown crossing. I've never stayed there so I don't know about the rooms, but I think it has reasonable rates for being right downtown.


This is now a Hyatt, and it's not a bad suggestion. Others that sometimes have ok rates... the Radisson in the theatre district, 2 Courtyards--one in the theatre district and one more in the Back Bay, and a place called "Hotel Buckminster" in Kenmore Square. You can definitely save money by staying by the airport, but there isn't much there you'll want to see.

You could also try the Coolidge Corner neighborhood in Brookline. It's about a 20 minute T ride from downtown, and there is a Holiday Inn and a Courtyard.

I would not rent a car. You'll pay $30/day to park it and if you're not used to driving around the city, it's a pain (one way streets, streets becoming other streets, Boston drivers :) ).

[bunkerhillst]

One suggestion to try is: www.constitutioninn.org. The hotel is in an area called the Navy Yard in Charlestown, which is close to downtown. This hotel is mainly used by military families, but anyone can stay there. The rooms aren't fancy, but they are clean and comfortable and most rooms have kitchenettes. There is a YMCA gym at the hotel with normal gym stuff and a big pool. In good weather, the Navy Yard is within walking distance to most of the downtown sights.

[laura]

I agree with a lot that's been posted - you definitely don't need a car if you want to stay in the city and inner suburb area. If you are firm on your price range, I would second someone else's rec to seriously consider using priceline, especially if you aren't attached to a particular area of the city. I would start high, like 4 star and $150, and just see if it gets you anything. Of course some areas of the city are more convenient than others, but there is nothing that is not do-able within a pretty wide radius via public transportation.

That said, if you are not comfortable with priceline or the like, I would personally not aim for a hotel near the airport. It is accessible on the T to the rest of the city, but it's kind of a pain and it will be a larger pain to change trains w/ a toddler and stroller, IMO - certainly not impossible, but I would personally avoid it if I could. If it's possible for you to increase your range to to $175 or $200/night, I think you will open up a lot more options. That said, I agree w/ the PP who said it will be challenging to find something for a good deal so far in advance. Once the fall gets closer, hotels will start having specials and I think the prices will come down.

One hotel I came across in my quick search - though I've never stayed there - is Harborside Inn in Boston. A quick glimpse sees mixed reviews on Tripadvisor (but what hotel doesn't have that?) but most of the recent reviews seem positive, and it seems that everyone can agree it is a good location.

For me, I would want a hotel located as centrally as possible to *something* interesting. Something close to Boston Common, the theater district, in Cambridge near Harvard, Kenmore Square near BU, any of those places would be fine for me. For me, I would avoid the Brookline/Longwood Medical area, staying too far down past BU into Allston/Brighton, and staying out near the airport. I don't personally care for the train service in those areas, which is why I would avoid them, and they are too far away from central locations to skip the train and walk, which is not the case for a lot of other areas of the city. I like suburbs off the red line like Cambridge and Somerville in the Davis Square, Kendall Square, Porter Square areas, but I'm not sure about hotels there. I know there used to be a Residence Inn in Kendall Square, but I'm not sure if there still is or not. I would personally avoid staying in suburbs off the orange line like Medford, Malden, etc., just b/c where the train lets you off is not that convenient to a lot of things.

However, if all else utterly fails, you could consider renting a car and staying at a hotel outside the city. However with paying to park, I'm not entirely sure this will save you money in the long run, and it will certainly be less convenient. Though if you drove to a T station (like Alewife) and parked vs. parking in the city, you would perhaps still save some money, though not convenience w/ a toddler.

May I ask, are you visiting Boston for something in particular, or just to visit?

[Scooter]

Thank you so much, everyone! You've been really helpful, and now I have a ton of information to consider and websites to search through.

And I doubt we'll need or want to deal with renting a car, if public transportation is that easy--thanks for that!

I probably should have been more specific about the area & purpose of the trip in my 1st post. We're going to Boston for a wedding and it's going to be in what looks like the Copley Square area. (Sorry, I don't know the neighborhoods of Boston--we've never even been to the East Coast before!) We're looking to stay within walking distance so we won't have to deal with transportation after the wedding.

[singerwife]

I'd try the John Jeffries House. It's where I always used to stay in Boston, and it was very near the T.

http://www.johnjeffrieshouse.com/rates.htm

[laura]

I would check w/ the B&G and make sure there isn't a reduced rate for the wedding at any hotels in the area. We did that for our guests and the rates were drastically reduced; that said, some hotels offer a very small discount, it varies pretty widely.

[Scooter]

Laura--yeah, the hotel where the wedding will be held is offering a discount so their rooms are only $250/night. That's not quite enough of a discount for us. ;)

[bookworm]

Copley Square is in the Back Bay, and is generally a $$ area. Occasionally the Colonnade has deals. Oh, and there is a place next to that that always looked a tad suspect, but has been around forever and is probably fine. I can't remember the name though... The Sheraton Back Bay or Sheraton Copley (can't remember what it's called) is often available on Priceline inexpensively. I don't know that you could plan that in advance, though. Copley is an easy walk (though notsomuch in heels) from Kenmore and the theatre district. If the wedding is at a hotel, I think pretty much everywhere it that area has a doorman who would hail you a cab back to wherever you are staying.

[laura]

In that case, I would probably priceline it. You can get good tips about using priceline on biddingfortravel.com, I've heard, but a quick look at priceline shows that you can choose "copley area" as one of the areas of the city. I would start with "copley area", "4 star" and "$/night" (whatever you would ideally like to pay) and see if it gets you anything, and then tweak from there if it doesn't. It can't hurt, since you have plenty of time.

[meatpie]

Have you thought of renting an apartment for a week? Just a quick look on www.vrbo.com I found a 2-bedroom apartment for $125 a night in a good area.

Just another thought. I always prefer apartments when we travel with our son.

[ruledbymercury]

I have to agree that the ONLY way to get a great deal on a downtown Boston hotel is to use Priceline. I've used Priceline twice in Boston and have been VERY happy with what we got.

The first time (late-May of 2005), I bid on a 4-star at $80/night (so with tax and fees, it was right around $100/night) and got The Colonnade Hotel in the Copley Square area, across from the Prudential. The room would have cost us $250-$300 if we had booked directly through the hotel. We loved the room, and the location was great! There was a green line T stop litereally RIGHT outside the front door of the hotel.

Second time (late August of 2006) we knew it wouldn't be quite as great of a deal because the end of the summer meant lots of college kids and parents in town, as well as the last few summer tourists. We bid 3-stars at $100/night and got the Hilton Financial District. We were pleasantly surprised that the room they gave us was HUGE! It was a corner room with four giant windows on 2 walls. Bathroom was beautiful, bed was super-comfy, and the room was really attractive. We were about a 5 minute walk to the Aquarium stop on the blue line. I hadn't spent much time in the Financial District in the past, but found it to be a really quiet, somewhat sleepy area of the city. I actually really liked it.

I've also stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in the Copley area. LOVED that hotel too! We got a huge wheelchair-accessible room with a bay window that had a side view of Trinity Church. You could not beat that location. We were two blocks from Newberry Street in one direction, two blocks from the Prudential Center in another direction, and two blocks from the Copley T-stop in yet another direction. I'm not sure what kind of deals you can get on the Courtyard, because we stayed there with a 2-night free voucher my mom won at work, but I just thought I'd throw out that recommendation in case it's something that could work for you.

Definitely DO NOT rent a car. It's way more trouble than it's worth! You can get literally anywhere you want to go in Boston with the extremely wonderful public transportation system or taxis. I recommend getting a visitor's pass for the T. I usually order mine in advance, but you can also buy them at some of the major T stops. That way, you can get on and off the subway anytime you want. You can order them here (http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/passes/). The 7-day pass is $15, which is a great deal.

[Scooter]

OK, all of you have convinced me! :) Try through Priceline first.

Meatpie, thanks for that suggestion & link, I hadnt even thought of that, but what a great idea. That would keep the food costs lower, too, even better!

[meatpie]

Scooter - there is Craigslist.com as well for rentals. We just prefer rentals unless there is a hotel with suites. Glad to be of help!