Morning,
My wife has asked me to try and find a "nice" hotel in Boston for us to stay in for 3/4 dys in May. Naturally my first port of call was STW!
So who knows this city, where are the good hotels and which ar the areas to stay in?
Thanks in advance....
budget=?,.. will you have a car? ... whats the reason for the trip? ( sightseeing, business, family?
downtown there are some really nice places but that time of year expect $$$$
2 adults, on holiday so sightseeing/bars and restaraunts, no car, no fixed budget though ideally not at mega cheap OR super-expensive ends of spectrum...
ok... no car so you want to be pretty central and that means pretty expensive.
start checking Copley place, copley plaza -- Kenmore square area has some nice hotels also has some fleabag.
also check Charlestown area
any of the online hotel guides should be able to reference those areas
I could give you my bro. and sis in laws number but you probably wouldnt get much rest there.
this might blow the budget ( mrs. G and I usually book one night here to brace ourselves before trekking out to visit the family )
http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/BostonParkerHouse.aspx
make sure you get your pic at the entrance to CHEERS, do the history trail around the city (follow red line?)go over river to MIT, if you can day trip to Salm or Cape Cod.
we stayed in a fancy hotel in center (Clinton stays there?) but found a better (cheaper) one a little further out by the river and just jumped on the tram/train into town...who also did a free lift back to airport?
bars restaurants' ?... what are you into ? sports bars, piano bars, jazz ?
like seafood?
(( in case you havent caught on I lived 20miles west of boston for about 35year ) 🙂
red line = one branch of the subway ( tube )
yellow line = a literal yellow line on the ground = freedom trail
( and I'd second Salem, Cape Cod trips but with only 3-4 days choose one or the other as they are opposite directions... if you choose salem look also at a drive around Cape Ann... all this being supposed you have a car.. which ohhh *duhh* you said you wouldn t)
"clinton stays there" ... 'prolly the Park Plaza
*edit* I just looked at a map.. I think he used to stay at the Copley Plaza ( no longer confused with Park Plaza )
I did think you{Grynch} just really really liked going on holiday there...
Obviously I like sport and sports bars but not really my wife's thing. Both love seafood so any particular place to recommend would be great, avoiding crappy rip-off places is always a bonus.
Looked at a couple of hotels mentioned above, looking good so far. Thanks for all suggestions.
first off.. avoid any bar called "cheers" there are a few and they are not the cheers bar ( does that make sense ) but a cheap rip off of the cheers location which is "the bull and finch"
fanueil hall/quincy market .. sort of a tourist must see but generally overpriced faff.
legal seafood .. any location.. again overpriced but superb food.
err.. oysters?..raw thats is?.. how do you feel about them?.. for me a must go is the "union oyster house" .. oldest operating restaurant in the U.S. (not a must go but again for me a bit of tradition.. used to go there with my dad when I was 5 )
that time of year.. you have to take a swan boat tour around the duck pond / boston common.
look also at Duck tours. ( not to be confused again... )
sports bars?.. ditch the wife for an afternoon ( send her shopping on washington st.. make sure it's UPPER wash. st. ) and head to BostonGarden area..get momentarily confused and pop into Hooters for a quick pint.
i got a cracking deal on the Omni Parker house that someone else recommended a couple of years ago - was right before xmas too so not exactly low season
Actually made it cheaper than youth hostels in boston
Definately worth a look, fantastic historic hotel and perfectly central
We visited Boston in November - great place.
Stayed here : http://www.lenoxhotel.com/ but check otel.com and Expedia.co.uk to find the best price (I asked the hotel for a price match and they couldn't get close). Don't forget about cash back potential from Expedia if you go via TopCashBack.co.uk. The Lenox is spot on for location - great for eating, shopping (it's right next to Lord & Taylor which my misses loved, not to mention Crate & Barrel), and the subway (the T) for getting around.
Get a Charlie Card for the T - allows unlimited use on the subway and buses which can be nice to give the legs a rest. You can also get out to Harvard on it - that's a good morning.
I enjoyed the Boston Aquarium, personally better than the Natural History Museum at Harvard.
Try Mike's City Diner ( http://www.mikescitydiner.com/) for breakfast - I tried the three blueberry pancakes and thought I was going to explode. If you fancy a cheap tea one night, go to the Quincy Market Hall - take your pick from all the different food places (ace clam chowder).
http://www.atlanticfishco.com/ is crawling distance from the Lenox. Also worth going up the Prudential Tower at night for a drink. Minimum spend per person if you want a table but you can have a few drinks at the bar.
Don't forget to visit the Sam Adams for the brewery tour (use the T). Free for the short tour and then free beer tasting (don't forget your ID though) 8)
I've got a Word document at home listing all the places we found to visit, eat etc
HTH,
Chris.
When we went we stayed at 'Harding House' which is a really nice B&B in 'Cambridge' (near Harvard/MIT).
http://www.cambridgeinns.com/harding/
I think with the exchange rate at the time cost us about £500 for 6 nights, not sure what it would cost now.
The subway/underground is pretty good but once in the centre just walk around and there's a fair bit to see, it's an enjoyable walk just wandering along the freedom trail. My aunt took us on a 'Duck tour' on the last day and it was really good, I got to drive on the river! 😉
I can recommend here, much preferable to a big faceless hotel chain, a couple of cracking tapas place a short walk away
*taking notes myself* ohhhhh interesting.
I'm there in April, useful tips. Quite a pleasant walk across the bridge and on to Harvard....seem to remember a pretty good bike shop en route.
...seem to remember a pretty good bike shop en route.
bike shop ?... in the People's Republic of Cambridge? the town ( thankfully ) is littered with them. many ridden by tiny lil Harvard co-ed's.
ohhh be still my heart.
I'd recommend the Back Bay area. Loads of good food and lots of hotels. Can recommend the Fairmont Copley Plaza, not super cheap but very nice and deals to be had if you do a bit of searching.
As before the aquarium is quite good, do the historic walking tour.