CB and I are planning a little trip to Boston this fall. Because September / October is considered high season in New England and we are traveling on the weekends, I am finding that everything is more expensive than I had expected.
We’d like to stay in downtown Boston, with easy access to the T (preferably near the Green Line if possible). We will not be renting a car.
My friend found Hotel Marlowe listed for $170-$180 / night on Expedia.com, which is a big discount from the best listed price on the hotel’s website. I am leaning towards that hotel, because it’s nice and in a great location, but at $550 for three nights it’s still a significant cost. So before I book, I’d like to ask for the collective wisdom of the blog.
If there is something nice for $150 or below, I’d be really happy. I found a couple of B&B’s and inns that offered rooms in the $130-$140 range, but we’d have to share a bathroom down the hall. Even Hotwire hasn’t turned up anything satisfactory – I see 3 star hotels listed for $165, and at that price I’d rather just get Hotel Marlowe.
Part of me is thinking that as it is a vacation, we should splurge a little. On the other hand, we will already be spending money on the flight and transportation (almost $700 for the both of us) and the food (another $300-$350), it’s probably wise to save a little money on the hotels if we can. On the imaginary third hand, however, let me just admit it: I really want to stay in a nice place.
If you have any suggestions for where to stay in Boston at the end of September / beginning of October, please share! And between the two hotel choices ($180/night vs. $140/night), which would you choose?
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OMG, tell me about it! Boston is a nightmare! I have never been but am going there at the end of August. I'm staying with my good friend, but there was a moving scare and I thought I'd have to get a hotel, so I started looking. HOLY MOLY–even the hostels are insanely expensive, and don't come with A/C! No way, Jose! I also had to rent a car and it is completely ridiculous how much I'm spending (I'm driving to Rhode Island for a wedding, so the car is mandatory).
I'm not big on my surroundings while I'm on vacay–I usually only plan to sleep and shower in the place I'm staying, so I just need a clean, comfy, quiet bed and bathroom, and I'm golden. So I'd vote for the cheap one every time.
While I am sorry I don't have recommendations, I commiserate and I'll be watching this post carefully for suggestions!
I’ve always had great luck with naming my own price on Priceline, and you have plenty of time to try again if your first price is rejected. Also, Cambridge is a nice area to stay in. Have fun!
You should check http://www.kayak.com — they usually have really good prices.
Hi! I live here in Boston and can offer some insight. 1) hotel marlowe is very chic and boutique-y. It's also not in Boston, it's in Cambridge, next to a mall and a short walk to a T station. You might want to try some of the more "business" hotels downtown (Omni Parker is one) and call to see if they have weekend packages. 2) you are right: Sept/Oct is busy here in Boston: college is in full swing, as are the football games, family weekends, etc. 3) the leaf peepers… oh, the leaf peepers. there are busloads of people that descend upon our fair city to drive North to look at leaves. It's very pretty here, yes, but oh, the buses.
I live on the Green Line.. is there any reason you want to be there? Boston's very walkable, so wherever you are, you'll be fine.
Feel free to pm me if you want some insider tips… I'm 9th generation Bostonian and lived here all my 32 years. My bf and I love our city and are happy to help visitors!
To me, the hotel is part of the whole vacation experience. If it's not nicer than my everyday digs, then what's the point? So I say go for the more expensive one, and enjoy. Hotel Marlowe looks really nice by the way!
Hotel Marlowe is nice, but just making sure that you know it's across the river in Cambridge. It IS walking distance to the green line (either Science Park or Lechmere), but there isn't a lot around there (except the mall) that you could walk to in the evenings. Have fun!
I love boston Although I lived on campus I would recommend an inn on beacon st. Its close to fenway park and the green line. Yes it is not exactly downtown but its close about T stops on the greenline. I wouldn't suggest staying downtown they can be pricey…however if you want the experience I would reccommend the Park Plaza and the Omni great service and great locations.
I have to say, I've traveled to a lot of cities, but the only time I stayed in Boston was when my work was paying for it. It's a nice city, but I think any place you find is going to be expensive. Let us know how you rate your hotel when you do go. Have a great time! It's beautiful.
In S.C., we took an inpromptu trip in which we stayed at a B&B, and it was a great experience!
I think I would dig on the internet a little (I've never heard of the online site called bedandbreakfast.com, but it might be of value?) and see if I could find something that interests me.
Hmm, I just check your like to Hotel Harlowe, and that looks pretty sweet too!
Sorry, I didn't provide much value with this comment but I think either way you win! I love win-win scenarios!
Sounds like a great trip
Try using http://www.airbnb.com – I've recently discovered it, and it's pretty awesome! It's mostly not hotels, but you might find a guesthouse or something that is really rad. If I had to choose between the hotels, I'd probably go with the more expensive one – it's only $40/night more, and if the quality is really that much better, it's worth it. The trip sounds like such fun!
I checked it out – I can rent a private room for $80-$100 a night, which is very tempting indeed. Have you stayed at an airbnb.com place before?
Thanks for sharing that link, Kim. I'll need it for NYC next fall!
I'm a Cali girl like you but have lived in the Boston area for almost six years–hope you enjoy your upcoming stay here.
Some friends of mine came to visit in January and stayed at the Radisson Hotel Boston–it's within walking distance of several T stops (Boylston or Arlington on the green line, Tufts Medical Center on the orange line) and I got to see their hotel room. Their bathroom was miniscule but the view was spectacular (I think they were on the 23rd floor). Don't know how much they paid but it might be worth a shot.
I know some people recommended the Omni Parker hotel but I had a friend who stayed there two years ago and he said the walls were extremely thin. I didn't get to see his room but was impressed by the lobby and the old-time feel.
This is a hard call. Did you budget a certain amount for the trip initially? If you are just going over your budget by a couple hundred dollars, then I'd say go for the nicer hotel. However, if the whole trip is a spur-of-the-moment trip that wasn't budgeted for, then maybe going for something less expensive would be okay. Remember, you probably won't spend that much time in the hotel room, so that might be something to consider.
My sister is getting married next fall in NYC and I'm already trying to figure out how much I need to budget for. Hotels are ridiculously priced, however I don't want to share a bathroom with anyone either! I feel your pain.
Ohh Boston hotels. I have lived in Boston for about 10 years and yes, the hotels are quite pricey. Friends of ours stayed at the Gryphon House right in Kenmore Square, and according to their site they have rooms that start under $200 a night. It's a super cute B&B type place, and right next to the T. http://innboston.com/index.html
My parents recently stayed at the Hyatt Harborside, which is in East Boston, near the airport, but has a FANTASTIC view of the city and you are near the blue line (I think there is a shuttle from the hotel) or you can take a water taxi right into downtown Boston. There is nothing in that neighborhood, so not much to do at night.
What are you planning to do while here? If you want any suggestions, feel free to email me!
I adored the Omni parker. Not too expensive and great location…plus adorable styling and old time feel. Then again I just stayed there one night and stayed with friends the rest of the time.
I’ve lived in downtown boston for 4 years and it’s tough finding a good hotel in walking distance. I’d also recommend airbnb.com. Never used it myself but have read actual news articles discussing how good it is. Just google it and you’ll see various articles and editorials. Just make sure to pick a place with plenty of customer reviews.
Beacon Hill and Back Bay are the two big residential downtown areas as well as being the two nicest and most expensive. If you’re going to go the airbnb route, I’d strongly recommend staying in one of those two areas.
If you want to do a nice place, check out the new W. It filed for bankruptcy last year b/c it couldn’t sell any of the condos. Last saturday, a room was just $259. It’s much better than Omni or Parker house or any of the “boutique-y” places and it’s right in theater district (downtown boston).
I've heard good things about airbnb.com – I know the NY Times did a piece recently on using vacation rentals abroad, which might be interesting to read. I would also recommend checking out http://www.vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner) – my husband and I used it when we were going to Montreal and we got a really nice apartment in a good area for just $100/night. Boston is fairly pricey for hotels, and I would recommend staying in Cambridge, on the red line – its so easy to get downtown on the red line, and Cambridge has some really nice areas and some fun (and non-college) bars as well.
I think it's ok to splurge a little for the hotel. The Hotel Marlowe you've mentioned looks pretty good. Having a nice place to stay is part of the travel experience! Enjoy your trip!
I used airbnb.com to rent an apartment in New York for a two week visit. I got a great one bedroom apartment with a view of Central Park for a very reasonable price (it was cheaper than a private room at a nearby hostel once you added all the taxes to the hostel price). I looked for someone who had some reviews, read the reviews carefully, and took into account how quickly people got back to me (some wrote back really fast, others took their time). It worked out really well for me and I would use it again. The site bills your credit card, so I figured if it didn't work out, I could always do a charge-back. However, the woman I rented from was absolutely lovely.
If you stay somewhere on the green line, just know that it's one of the slowest trains
Consider what activities you plan to do…if the more expensive hotel is closer then you'll end up saving on cab fare if you have to go anywhere that's not on the T.
One tip: Go on a weekend before the clocks change. Boston is far east in the time zone, so it's dark by 4:30 in early Nov. Limits what you can see.
For perspective, my dad and I stayed in an absolute dump, straight outta Twin Peaks, in New Haven that was $115/nt and that was at least 2 years ago. (It was so bad that we sent photographs to the corporate chain, and asked what their *minimum* brand standards are…and got a 50% refund.)
Sub-150 pricing would set off alarms for me that something is wrong with the property or the location.
We stayed at Hotel Marlowe for my sister's wedding last year. It is a really nice hotel for the price and they have awesome happy hour drinks every evening. We rented a car and was able to travel everywhere very conveniently although going into Boston and finding places on the GPS was a nightmare. Coz of the buildings, the GPS goes crazy and the roads are rather confusing. You know I don't think the trains are that close to the hotel, you might want to be sure. Have a great trip!