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Where To Stay

Anyone can find a room in any destination, you don’t need us for that. But not everyone can find those special places with a particular charm to them. That takes time, tenacity and a special perspective. We try to find places that evoke a “wow” when you open the door to your room, places you’ll tell your friends about when you get home.

Mandarin Oriental  |  Taj Boston (Formerly the Ritz-Carlton Boston)
XV Beacon  |  Eliot Hotel
Boston Harbor Hotel  |  The Liberty Hotel
The Lenox  |  Charles Street Inn

Mandarin Oriental
776 Boylston Street
SPECIAL OCCASION

This was my third stay at a Mandarin Oriental (there are only six in the U.S) and each time I get a greater appreciation for this wonderful Asian themed chain. Handmade furniture, carpeting and original artwork grace the lobby while a fireplace adds warmth and coziness. Located in the Back Bay area on Boylston Street and connected to the Prudential Center, the location is ideal for both business and pleasure travelers. With only 136 rooms and 12 suites, it has the feel of an intimate boutique hotel.

In keeping with its Asian themes of serenity and tranquility, The Mandarin has found a way to slow down the pace of life surrounding you in a cocoon of well-being. The outside world is kept at bay and you are free to relax and replenish.

The rooms are large by any standard, starting at a very generous 400 square feet and are equipped with luxury beds and linens, spacious bathrooms with soaking tubs and all the high tech amenities you would expect. The color palette is soothing, the setting elegant and comfortable. Great soundproofing give you wonderful city views without the noise.

The M Bar & Lounge is a popular after work watering hole with floor to ceiling windows, an illuminated glass topped bar and intimate banquettes. The exotic cocktails are great, the wine list extensive and the artisan cheeses and Asian style tapas, great appetizers.

Asana, the hotel’s signature restaurant is an elegant space highlighted by bamboo floors, walls covered with hand carved limestone block and rich exotic wood, and tables crafted from ebony and Inca gold granite. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook Boylston Street. Under the direction of Chef Nathan Rich, the seasonal menu presents contemporary cuisine with the influences of Asia incorporating seasonal New England ingredients that are locally harvested. Don’t miss the glass enclosed cheese room and if you have 8 guests, book the elegant Chef’s Table downstairs.

One of the many things that sets Mandarin Hotels apart from others is their spa. In this case a fantastic 16,000 foot facility with a fitness center, nine treatment areas and extensive heat and water facilities, including dedicated hydrotherapy room with therapeutic tub, color therapy experiences and Vichy shower, crystal Steam Rooms, vitality pools, experience showers, and ice fountains. Quite an experience and unlike anything you have seen before.



RATES
Weekend rates from $395, Summer through Winter, $445 in Spring.



WHAT OTHERS SAY…
AAA Five Diamond Award
Four Star Award - Forbes
Spa - Forbes Five Star

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Taj Boston (Formerly the Ritz-Carlton Boston)
15 Arlington Street
SPECIAL OCCASION

From the minute you enter the venerable, 75 year old doyenne of Boston hotels, you feel the service level jump a notch from other places you have been. Maybe it’s the doormen and bellmen in tails and white gloves that hold the door for you and remember your name. Or, maybe it’s the way someone always seems to materialize at your side to help. Whatever it is, you are in for a treat. Its location couldn’t be more perfect, looking out onto the Public Garden with views from the bar, restaurant and many rooms. Fashionable Newberry Street is right around the corner, quaint Charles Street just a few blocks away.

The understated lobby is decorated in antiques with soft beige walls and marble floors covered with oriental rugs with just a hint of color. Wall sconces, table lamps and subtle overhead chandeliers provide the lighting. The walls are adorned with original oils and oak paneling provides the background for the reception desk. Gleaming gold topped railings line the staircase. A true study in old world elegance.

The Bar may be one of the most beautiful bars anywhere in the world. With dark raised panel walls, a roaring fire in winter, views to the Public Gardens and soft comfortable couches and chairs, The Bar looks like an exclusive private club. It also gets my vote for the best dirty martini in town.

But the rooms are what you come for and they do not disappoint. Accommodations range from Deluxe rooms at 390 sq. feet to the luxurious Presidential Suite at nearly 1600 sq. feet. Executive, Garden and Luxury Garden rooms all feature working fireplaces. Rooms are stocked with European Bvlgari toiletries, plush linens, comfortable easy chairs and marble bathrooms.

On our last visit we thoroughly enjoyed a Deluxe King #431, a corner room, (one of two of its kind), with sweeping views of Commonwealth Ave. and the Public Gardens. Decorated in golds and blues, with a plump king bed, sitting area and large marble bathroom, this was a spectacular room. The only thing that could have made it better was the fireplace offered in the suite rooms.

The hotel offers 24 hour room service, housekeeping twice a day, evening turndown, complimentary shoeshine and overnight laundry service. There is an on-site fitness center and guests also can enjoy privileges (for a fee) at the nearby at The Sports Club.

RATES: Deluxe Rooms $350-$600 depending on the season. Rooms with views higher.



WHAT OTHERS SAY...
“Thankfully, it’s really still the Ritz” insist admirers of this “lovely, old-world hotel” that’s now owned by the Taj group; the “impressive service” continues to earn praise (there are specialized butlers for the bath, the fireplace and technology), “its famous bar is as excellent as ever” and, of course, it will always have the “perfect” Back Bay location opposite the Public Garden; note that the type of room you get “makes a big difference”, since some are “large” and “comfy”, others are “cubbyholes.” ZAGAT 2010

To make your travel plans you can go to our Weekend Planner for all the contact information.

Want to save time? Let us make all your travel plans for you including air, car rental, accommodations, dining and activities. You'll even talk to a "live" person and be able to request specific rooms and tables. Just click here. Reservations.

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XV Beacon
15 Beacon Street
SPECIAL OCCASION

Generally the description “hip and trendy” for a hotel translates into a minimalist, ultra modern décor that has about as much warmth as, well, a glass and chrome table. XV Beacon manages to be hip and trendy without succumbing to that styling found in so many boutique hotels, particularly in New York. And it offers some very cool touches, like personal business cards with your name and direct phone line on them and the use of the hotel’s chauffeured driven Lexus. (We took it to dinner one night).

The hotel is located within walking distance of most major attractions; Boston Public Garden, Charles Street, Quincy Market and Newbury Street and close to many of our favorite restaurants.

There are only seven rooms on each floor and the décor, while sleek and modern, is still warm and comfortable. A cream and white color scheme blends with dark, almost black wood highlights. Each room has a working gas fireplace, queen poster bed with 300 count Italian linens, large screen TV, stereo/5 disc CD player, mini bar ( with things like Ketel One and Opus) and cordless phone. TV, CD player and fireplace can all be operated by bedside controls. Marble bathrooms feature a small 4” TV, heated towel racks, monogrammed bathrobes and slippers, Fresh toiletries and one of the best showers we’ve ever encountered. You won’t want to get out of it.

All of the rooms have essentially the same amenities, so the price differences relate to room size. On my last visit, I stayed in a Classic Room which is the lowest priced category and it was delightful, but a little small at 300 sq. feet. I would suggest a Traditional Room, about 100 sq. feet bigger or the Studio Room which has a sitting area and views over Beacon Street.

The hotel’s new restaurant, Mooo....is fast becoming a Boston favorite and the bar is a lively after work hot spot. The hotel offers 24 hour room service and a fitness room with sufficient equipment to work off all those great meals.



RATES: $295-$425, suites $995.



WHAT OTHERS SAY...
"Managing to “keep up with tradition but shake off old-school ideas”, this “wonderful boutique hotel” in a 1903 Beacon Hill beaux arts building boasts “sleek and stylish” “rooms with fireplaces and lots of amenities” including mini-TVs in the baths, surround-sound stereo systems with CD libraries and original artwork; add “first-class service”, power dining in the Mooo steakhouse and “complementary car” service for guests, and the result is a “warm abode” in an often-cold metropolis." ZAGAT 2010


To make your travel plans you can go to our Weekend Planner for all the contact information.

Want to save time? Let us make all your travel plans for you including air, car rental, accommodations, dining and activities. You'll even talk to a "live" person and be able to request specific rooms and tables. Just click here. Reservations.

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Eliot Hotel
370 Commonwealth Avenue
SPECIAL OCCASION

“Suite” hotels can be great deal for the traveler because you get more space, usually two rooms, for a price less than the cost of a suite in a regular hotel. Unfortunately most “suite” hotels, are designed for family travel, are decorated that way and usually show their wear. The Eliot in Boston, is a welcome exception. Privately owned and operated by the Ullian family, the stone building with green awnings and an ornate iron entry portico suggests an exquisite European hideaway. Ideally located in the heart of the Back Bay, the hotel is only steps away from Newbury Street and other attractions, yet just set apart from the bustle of the city.

The marble lobby of this elegant and luxurious hotel is small and intimate and check-in at the antique desk is quick and efficient. The staff is friendly and engaging and quick to hail a taxi or offer directions. The acclaimed restaurant Clio is on premises and is one of our Featured Restaurants.

The suites, decorated in shades of beige and green, are large with a bedroom and marble bath separated by French doors from the living room. Heavy, toile curtains keep out the noise from the streets below and the sun in the morning. The rooms are decorated in antique furniture and chinz fabrics and the living room has a couch, two easy chairs, a television in an armoire and a large writing desk. Books and magazines on the coffee table, and a little card with jogging/walking routes are just some of the personal touches that make this a wonderfully comfortable home away from home. Each room is equipped with high speed internet access, a lavish mini-bar, thick, plush towels, down comforters and silky soft bed linens.

There is 24 hour room service available and the hotel offers complimentary passes to the Boston Sports Club a few doors down.

My favorite room is #704. Large windows, that actually open, provide sweeping views down Commonwealth Ave. and Massachusetts Ave. This spacious suite is a great place to come home to at the end of the day or evening.



RATES:  $235-$295. This hotel tends to fill up quickly, especially in the Fall, so book early or call for cancellations.



WHAT OTHERS SAY….
“We’d run the Boston Marathon every year just to stay here” declare devotees of this “sophisticated” “little treasure” “well-situated” in the Back Bay up the street from the Copley Square finish line; they race in for the “luxurious, but petite, rooms” and for “top-notch dining” at Clio Restaurant and the “cool” Uni Sashimi Bar; contenders confirm that “what it lacks in features” – there’s no pool or gym – “it compensates for” with “old-world service” from a “professional” staff that “always remember you.” ZAGAT 2010



To make your travel plans you can go to our Weekend Planner for all the contact information.

Want to save time? Let us make all your travel plans for you including air, car rental, accommodations, dining and activities. You'll even talk to a "live" person and be able to request specific rooms and tables. Just click here. Reservations.

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Boston Harbor Hotel
70 Rowe's Wharf
SPECIAL OCCASION

With spectacular harbor views, excellent service, an award winning restaurant and a wonderful outdoor entertainment arena, it is no wonder the Boston Harbor Hotel is a favorite of many travelers, myself included. This is not a cookie cutter chain hotel. It has a style and character all its own.

Located on Rowe’s Wharf, it is just a short walk to the Financial District, Quincy Market and Fanueil Hall and right down the street from one of our favorite lunch/brunch spots, Sel de la Terre.

The lobby prepares you for the elegance within; beige colored raised panel walls, marble trimmed doorways, oriental rugs, chandeliers and large vases of fresh flowers. This comfortable hotel is rich in traditional appointments; dark wood furniture, patterned carpeting, raised panel ceilings, thick crown moldings, brass table lamps and striped wallpaper. The colors are soft browns and golds and blues and everything works together to create an atmosphere of sophistication.

There are 230 guest rooms including 24 one bedroom suites, 97 deluxe rooms with a separate sitting area and 107 superior rooms. All are good sized (starting at a very comfortable 500 sq. feet) and have all of the amenities you would expect of a fine luxury hotel. I stayed in a King Harbor View room that had a huge window overlooking the harbor with spectacular views, a separate sitting area and a large marble bathroom. Very comfortable and immaculate. Turndown includes fresh ice, a bathrobe and slippers laid out on your bed and the radio set to soft music

We’ll review the restaurant, Meritage, in our dining section, but in addition to that there’s a delightful café, Intrigue, which in the warmer weather spills out onto the patio with breathtaking vistas of the harbor and luxury yachts in the basin. Great place for lunch, or a cocktail before dinner. Inside The Rowe’s Wharf bar is clubby and handsome with wood paneled walls and comfortable chairs.

The Summer in the City entertainment series features music and movies on a floating barge behind the hotel overlooking the harbor. It’s a wonderful way to spend an evening. Tuesdays feature R&B and soul, Wednesdays, swing music, Thursdays blues and Fridays movies.

The hotel has a full service luxury spa and a fully appointed health club with all the equipment you would need for a great work-out. There’s also a wonderful 60 foot lap pool and a Jacuzzi for after your work-out or just to soothe your muscles after a day of sightseeing.

The Business Center is open during the day and has lap-tops for you to check your e-mail. Otherwise there is a slight in-room charge to use their wireless service.

Service is impeccable here. Doormen meet your car and quickly get you to check-in which is fast and problem-free. One of them is a closet Yankee fan, but I won’t tell you which one. Staff members remember your name, you are given a specific time to expect a room service order (and it came early) and my car came swiftly from the garage at my departure. The concierge was helpful in giving directions and finding a gas station for refueling.

This hotel would make any weekend a memorable one.

RATES:  Harborview King rates range from $325-$425 depending on the season. Superior rooms are less, suites more. Check for their Internet Specials.



WHAT OTHERS SAY…
The “city has never looked better” than from this “classic” waterfront hotel where there are “gorgeous views of the harbor” from “expansive” rooms; better still, service is “superb”, Meritage Restaurant is “top-notch” and the “indoor pool is terrific for kids”; N.B. hop on the water ferry from Logan International to beat the Boston traffic. ZAGAT 2010

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The Liberty Hotel
215 Charles Street
SPECIAL OCCASION

The Liberty Hotel, a summer of 2007 addition to the lodging scene in Boston is ideally located in my favorite part of town, Beacon Hill, just steps from the cafes and boutiques of Charles Street.

The 298 room hotel is the former Charles Street Jail and carries the jail theme throughout the hotel from the tiered floor lobby to the restaurant, Clink with its jail cell booths, the bar, Alibi and room service, Solitary. Whimsical as that seems, this is a serious hotel with excellent service (a bartender went and printed out directions for my next day meeting), delightful rooms and restaurants and bars with major buzz.

My car was met instantly upon arrival, bags taken and car checked. An escalator took me to the front desk where I was offered a glass of champagne as check-in was completed.

My large corner room was a delight with floor to ceiling windows ¾ of the way around the room, affording views of the city and the bustling crowds below. Decorated in a soft beige palette with dark wood furniture, there were orchids strategically placed throughout the room and bath which was a charming touch. A plump featherbed with luxury linens centered the room and two reading chairs and lamp were off to the side. A large desk was perfect for working. A flat screen TV and a private bar rounded out the room amenities. The oversized bath had a deep soaking tub and separate glass shower, Molton Brown toiletries, huge towels and silky robes. Most rooms are in the 400-800 sq. foot range which is unusually big for a city hotel.

A lobby bar has lots of wonderful wines and champagnes by the glass and is a gathering place from cocktail hour through the evening. Clink serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and Alibi is a hot late night spot. Renowned Boston chef Lidia Shire has also opened an Italian bistro, Scampo on the ground floor which was packed the night I was there.

Room service is open 24 hours as is the Business Center and Fitness Center. There is evening turndown, a car service to various parts of town and back from 7-9am and 5-7pm. The staff will even check your bags for the airport for a $25 fee.

Love this hotel….



RATES: Weekend rates from $250 (winter) to $550 (peak).



WHAT OTHERS SAY…
AAA Four Diamond Award
"Prison rehab gets a luxury take at this “hip” new Beacon Hill hotel in a “fabulously restored” 19th-century former penitentiary that’s a National Historic Landmark; a “fantastic” lobby attracts lots of “late-night” “socializing”, deluxe suites afford “panoramic” views of the city and the Charles River (along with flat-panel HDTVs) and Lydia Shire’s Scampo restaurant is “amazing”, but humorless inmates dis decor that “overdoes the jail connection in a cloying way.” ZAGAT 2010



To make your travel plans you can go to our Weekend Planner for all the contact information.

Want to save time? Let us make all your travel plans for you including air, car rental, accommodations, dining and activities. You'll even talk to a "live" person and be able to request specific rooms and tables. Just click here. Reservations.

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The Lenox
61 Exeter Street
EXCELLENT

Originally built in 1900, The Lenox Hotel, was the first "boutique" hotel in Boston and has a fascinating history. Legendary tenor Enrico Caruso arrived on his private train, Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal stayed here while filming Love Story and Tony Curtis during The Boston Strangler production. Judy Garland stayed for three months before departing on her final London trip. I remember going to Diamond Jim's Piano Bar in the 70's to hear 80 year old Gladys Troupin, "Boston's Grand Dame," who was engaged to George Gershwin when he died.

Today, the hotel is a AAA Four Diamond property and a leader in the “green” initiative among hotels in New England.

The 214 spacious guest rooms and suites combine old world charm with modern technology . Accommodations are richly appointed with mahogany furniture, crystal lamps, high ceilings accented with brass chandeliers, exceptionally comfortable beds and exquisite Italian marble bathrooms with Aveda toiletries and plump towels and robes.

When there is a nip in the air, book an Executive King with Fireplace. My corner room had over 400 sq feet of space and a wonderful wood burning fireplace. Great views of the Back Bay, a roaring fire and a glass of Cab made it feel like I was right at home.

Do not miss drinks in the dark and sophisticated City Bar with its lit from below bar top and amazing list of martinis and small plates. This is a new favorite after work spot in town. Great before or after dinner. The new City Table serves breakfast and dinner each day and dinner is a celebration of comfort foods like lobster soup, cod with grilled corn and lobster chowder sauce, fire roasted chicken, Maine lobster roll and sliders three ways; beef lamb and crab cake. Solas means “comfort” in Gaelic and you’ll find plenty of that in this authentic Irish Pub from Irish beers to Shepherd’s Pie to Fish & Chips Harp.

In an age of $600 per night rooms that charge for wireless access, The Lenox stands out for its amazing list of things it will provide the traveler…..for free…. from toiletry items you may have forgotten to a selection of pillows and much more. Nightly turndown comes with a seasonal treat, there’s a complimentary hybrid SUV service and stories about Lenox employees "going the extra mile" for guests are legion. One dedicated doorman once went the extra 50 miles—in his own vehicle—to deliver a forgotten briefcase to a very grateful businessman. Another recently retired after 60 years of service. It’s hard to beat family owned properties for attention to detail.



RATES
Weekend rates from $275-$295 most times of the year, $185 in Winter.



WHAT OTHERS SAY…
AAA Four Diamond recipient
Travel & Leisure Best Hotel’s Top 500 List

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Charles Street Inn
94 Charles Street
EXCELLENT

Few urban B&B’s can match the charm and luxury of the Charles Street Inn located in the heart of the historic Beacon Hill district. You could spend your entire weekend in this area of town and not feel like you missed anything. The Esplanade along the Charles and the Public Gardens are just a few blocks away and you can walk to the Hatch Shell for summer concerts. Beacon Hill is full of wonderful French, Italian and American bistros and is known for its antiques shops and specialty stores. The Ritz is around the corner and Quincy Market and Newberry Street are only a short walk away.

Marked by a small sign over an arched entryway, the Inn is an 1840 Victorian townhouse that has been marvelously renovated and includes nine large and beautifully appointed rooms, each named for a Boston Victorian who contributed to the arts. Each has original ceiling medallions and cornices, working fireplaces and authentic antique furniture and light fixtures. The beds, covered with Frette linens, are plump and oh so comfortable.

Unlike many Victorian B&B’s who are content to stock their rooms with Victorian furniture and leave it at that, this Inn understands today’s traveler. The décor of a bygone era is paired with modern conveniences, like new white tiled bathrooms with whirlpool tubs. Or custom cherry cabinets with sets of china, glassware and silver. Each room has a SubZero refrigerator with juice and water, cable TV and VCR player, high speed DSL internet access and Bose radio wave and CD players.

A Continental breakfast is served in your room each morning and the Inn has a wonderful library of books, CD’s and videos for its guests.

My favorite rooms are the Henry James (#2B), Oliver Wendall Holmes (#5B) and Frederick Law Olmsted (#3B). They are large, comfortable and very romantic.

One of the things I like to do here is to get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee and stroll through Beacon Hill. The townhomes, gas lights, cobblestone streets and beautiful gardens make for a great start to the day.



RATES: $225-$425 Depending on the season. Two night minimums on weekends and Holidays.



WHAT OTHERS SAY….
"Lovingly restored classic antiques... operates on the rare and precious middle ground between friendliness and respect for guests' privacy." Best of Boston 2003, Boston Magazine

Our hands-down favorite of the seven establishments we visited... The rooms are authentic Victorian... lavished with rich fabrics.. distinctively furnished.. the most luxuriant bed either of us has ever slept in.." "...we took a Dickinsian walk along Charles Street, with its gas street lights and Beacon Hill brownstones..." Boston Sunday Globe



To make your travel plans you can go to our Weekend Planner for all the contact information.

Want to save time? Let us make all your travel plans for you including air, car rental, accommodations, dining and activities. You'll even talk to a "live" person and be able to request specific rooms and tables. Just click here. Reservations.

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