Hotel in Boston near a ho ho stop

[CruzinNoony]

We are looking for a hotel to stay in Boston the end of September for 3 nights. Our idea is to be near a hop-on hop-off bus stop so that we can go to all the attractions in Boston. I have read a lot of the treads on here and the "T" is mentioned which I think is the subway. We would prefer the ho-ho bus. There are some really helpful local folks on this board so thank you in advance!:)

[138east]

The problem with Boston hotels is that they are expensive, which has been discussed on many threads. Please give us more details - exact dates, hotel budget, number of people and number of beds (if 2 people require 2 beds). Also, would you consider a non-cancellable hotel from priceline or hotwire or do you want a cancellable hotel? Some folks have gotten very good deals on priceline or hotwire - sometimes it is possible to guess which hotel it will be.

 

The good news is that Boston is a small city, so any hotel in downtown, Quincy Market, South Boston, or Back Bay will be close to a ho ho stop. Also, any 3* hotel or better will be satisfactory.

[CruzinNoony]

Hi 138east! You are so helpful on this forum. Thank you! The date we would be arriving would be Sept. 19 and we would be staying for 4 nights. In reading through several posts, the best areas are: Copley Sq., Quincey Market/Financial Dist. In fact, I think it was you who said that. We want to get the best price, so would be agreeable to do Priceline or Hotwire. We need only one bed (queen or king would be great), a shuttle that would pick us up from the airport would be very handy and an elevator is a must! We aren't fussy about the hotel, but want it to be convenient and in a safe location.

[138east]

Club Quarters is showing at $164 per night for those dates. This would be a cancellable reservation.

 

On Hotwire I'm seeing:

 

3* Quincy Market $73 Per betterbidding this may be the Holiday Inn Beacon Hill

3.5* Back Bay $102 Per betterbidding this may be the Sheraton

4* Waterfront $123 Most likely the Renaissance or the Westin

 

Take a look and see what you think. Ho ho would be accessible to all these hotels. However, the Bay Bay and Club Quarters would probably be the best. You would most likely have to take a cab from the airport.

[CruzinNoony]

Thank you for all your help. The Holiday Inn in Beacon Hill-is that a safe area? Do any of these hotels have a car rental desk inside the hotel? We will be flying into Boston on Sat, Sept. 19 and staying there for 4 nights. On Tues, we plan on renting a car and driving to Salem to spend the day and then drive back to Boston. The next morning (23rd), we will check out of the hotel and drive to Martha's Vineyard (Yes, we know there is a ferry involved!) and stay there for 3 nights and sightsee there. Then, on Sat morning leave Martha's Vineyard and drive back to Boston, drop off the car and get to the pier to get on the Jewel of the Seas. Do you have any advice on our plans?:cool:

[138east]

Your plans sound great. The Beacon Hill area is fine - in fact it is probably the fanciest residential area in Boston. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the hotel. Please read the reviews so you know what to expect - apparently folks expectations and experiences vary. This is not a new more poshy hotel. It is unlikely there would be a car rental desk.

 

I know there are car rental places in downtown Boston - you should make a reservation with an airport return. When you come back, drop one of you off at the Black Falcon with the luggage. The other can drive through the Ted Williams tunnel to return the car at the airport. From the airport you can take a cab back or go back to one of the terminals and take the Silver Line back to Black Falcon.

 

Since you are spending so many days in Boston, you might want to consider the Back Bay hotel. It will likely be located close to the indoor malls at the Prudential Center and Copley Place - good destinations in the evening for browsing and eating. Please note that based on the limited information you have provided about yourself, it is difficult to guess which option is best for you. Also, please remember that if you reserve through hotwire, there are no guarantees as to exactly what hotel you will get.

[Got2Cruise]

Thank you for all your help. The Holiday Inn in Beacon Hill-is that a safe area? Do any of these hotels have a car rental desk inside the hotel? We will be flying into Boston on Sat, Sept. 19 and staying there for 4 nights. On Tues, we plan on renting a car and driving to Salem to spend the day and then drive back to Boston. The next morning (23rd), we will check out of the hotel and drive to Martha's Vineyard (Yes, we know there is a ferry involved!) and stay there for 3 nights and sightsee there. Then, on Sat morning leave Martha's Vineyard and drive back to Boston, drop off the car and get to the pier to get on the Jewel of the Seas. Do you have any advice on our plans?:cool:

 

If you can get the Sheraton Back Bay Hotel mentioned upthread for $103 that would be perfect. If you stay at the Back Bay you can go to all the restaurants and shops at Newberry Street, as well as the Pru. Center. The price we are paying for our dd's graduation is more that double, and we were happy with that. Salem is very worthwhile. Go to the House of Seven Gables.

[Got2Cruise]

I think you would be a wonderful moderator on this thread. Did you see the sticky that Laura is looking for volunteers? And the Sox swept the Yanks! As Mets fans, we love it.:)

[138east]

Got2cruise - thanks for the compliments. I really appreciate it. It's really hard to make recommendations not knowing much about your audience. I know the Holiday Inn would be fine, but that area of town is not too exciting. They are spending 4 nights in Boston, so I really think the Back Bay area will have more to offer in the evenings. Wherever they stay, they will still have to get around a bit so I see some T rides in their future.

 

I haven't even gotten to Salem yet. I agree with you about the House of the Seven Gables - I really enjoyed it. I haven't been a tourist in Salem very much, but I do know from reading some reviews about the various attractions that there are some tourist traps there, so you have to pick carefully.

[CruzinNoony]

Thanks you guys!! DH and I aren't into night life at all. We plan on being out all day touring for the 2 full days we will be in Boston and in the evening have an inexpensive dinner (pizza, hamberger, pasta,etc.) go back to our room, watch tv and go to sleep. The ho-ho is our favorite way to see things. The first day, we will get on and go all the way around, getting off at stuff we see that looks interesting. Then, on the second day, we will do the Freedom Trail and more stuff. The next day is Salem (I went to the House of Seven Gables back in 2000-loved it!) and we intend on going to the Witches Museum and just walking around. Sounds very interesting. Then, the next day we drive to Martha's Vineyard. So, we will have only 2 days in Boston. We live in Las Vegas, so are coming from the west coast and will not arrive until around 7PM on our travel day.:)

[138east]

Sounds like a good plan. BTW - the Witches museum may be one of the tourist traps - please read some reviews on it before you go. You might want to look into the Peabody Essex Museum.

[Got2Cruise]

Sounds like a good plan. BTW - the Witches museum may be one of the tourist traps - please read some reviews on it before you go. You might want to look into the Peabody Essex Museum.

The Witches Museum was not bad, it told the history of the Salem Witch trials using animated figures like in Disneyworld, but not as high tech. There are tour companies that run tours that will take you around town and explain the history which is better. We went with the Girl Scouts so we did EVERYTHING, lol.

[royal_flush]

I think you would be a wonderful moderator on this thread. Did you see the sticky that Laura is looking for volunteers? And the Sox swept the Yanks! As Mets fans, we love it.:)

 

I'm not a mets fan and I still love it, just cause I hate the damn yanks! LOL!

[CruzinNoony]

Well, we got a hotel in Boston. My DH was goofing around on Priceline and put a bid of $69.00 with a 3 star hotel in Copley Sq area or Quincey Market area and got the Bulfinch Hotel. Of course, you have no idea what you are bidding on, so we hope this is an ok hotel. The reviews seem to be mixed, but the price is sure right. :confused:

[138east]

I think you'll be fine. I often think that one's expectations go along with how much you are paying. I saw on several reviews where people paid $200 +. I know I'd expect more at the higher price, but at $69 I would overlook a lot of things.

[CruzinNoony]

We are keeping our fingers crossed, but the hotel does seem to be in a convenient location. Now, my question is how do we get from the hotel to Logan Airport to rent our car using public transportation. Also, on the day we embarq the Jewel, how do we get from the airport to the pier. East123 you mentioned taking the Silver Bullet. Is that the train? I thought we could drive to the pier first, drop off our luggage to the porter, then drive to the airport, drop off the rental car, and take public transportation back to the pier. What are your thoughts?:eek:

[CruzinNoony]

I forgot to mention that the address of the Bulfinch Hotel is 109 Merrimac St. at Lancaster.:)