Boston hotel needed - are we too late for deals?

[Ronsangel]

DH and I will be travelling from Ontario, Canada to Boston July 19 and leaving on the Carnival Glory July 21. Looking forward to having some time to explore Boston as we've never been there.

 

Have been checking the discount hotel sites (mybowlingvacation, aa.com) that I've seen mentioned here, and I'm thinking we're out of luck on getting a 'steal'. Just booked the cruise today, so we're behind most people in booking hotels.

 

Any suggestions for good, reasonable hotels in the area? We will have our car with us, but not sure if Boston traffic on Friday/Saturday is easy to drive in? Any suggestions appreciated! Trying not to break the bank on our pre-cruise stay! :)

[mtsnd1900]

hotels dot com

 

has some good pricing on some, many good ones about 200/night.

 

May have good luck just calling one of the places that are on that site, tell them you can book it online for X price, and will they match or beat that price, they usually do better. Note - find the hotels phone number from their web page, as if you use the one on hotels dot com page, you will actually get routed to the hotels dot com call center, not the hotel itself!

 

Enjoy!!!

[138east]

There are two excellent possibilities on Hotwire.

 

1). 4* Waterfront hotel for $169. This is highly likely to be the Westin Waterfront, but could be the Seaport.

 

2). 4.5* Quincy Market hotel for $189. This could be the Intercontinentak or the Langham.

 

Either would be an excellent choice for you. You'd also have two night's parking.

 

If you're on a super tight budget, staying out side the city would be an option, but more inconvenient for enjoying your two evenings in Boston as well.

[Mr. Boston]

I don't have any hotel suggestions but try to time your arrival in Boston either before 3pm or after 8pm on Friday. Traffic can be horrible during that time due to folks going either points north or south to the cape for the weekend. Depending where you stay, the area around Fenway Park can be heavy if there's a home game.

[jl001]

I just hotwired a hotel in Lexington - It turned out to be Element for $100 on July 8th.

My plan is to do Harvard/MIT in the evening on the 8th, and do duck tour from the Museum of Science in the morning of 9th before driving to Cruise Terminal.

[Ronsangel]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

 

We're thinking since we won't get into Boston area until the evening of the 19th, we might stay outside the downtown and just drive downtown on the morning of the 20th and spend the day. I'm looking at Burlington (mostly I'm looking at Burlington Mall :) ) ... is this a good option? Safe? The mall will keep us busy that evening. Any hotel suggestions in the area?

 

On Saturday...any suggestions for things to see and do. I'll admit, we're not big history or sports buffs, but we do like checking out interesting sites...so open to all ideas.

[xmasteach]

We arrive Saturday 7/20, and we are just looking at hotels with airport and cruise port transportation. And reasonable priced too...

Any suggestions

[138east]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

 

We're thinking since we won't get into Boston area until the evening of the 19th, we might stay outside the downtown and just drive downtown on the morning of the 20th and spend the day. I'm looking at Burlington (mostly I'm looking at Burlington Mall :) ) ... is this a good option? Safe? The mall will keep us busy that evening. Any hotel suggestions in the area?

 

On Saturday...any suggestions for things to see and do. I'll admit, we're not big history or sports buffs, but we do like checking out interesting sites...so open to all ideas.

 

I live near Burlington Mall and will look and get back to you.

[Traveling Library]

The Burlington Mall is a big shopping mall. Area is very safe.

When you come to Boston ride the Swan Boats in the Public Garden. Nothing like riding in a human powered boat on the pond, watching the ducks, and relaxing just steps away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Read the children's book "Make Way for Ducklings" to get the back story. If you do this you won't be too far from "Cheers". The food is pub-grub but lots of people like to take pictures at the place where "everybody knows your name." You can also walk along the Esplanade on the Charles River. I also would recommend the Duck Tour to see parts of the city and get a ride into the Charles.

The public transit system (the T) is easy to use and safe. http://www.mbta.com/ I almost never drive into the city.

138east can tell you more about hotels and the best way to take the T into Boston from Burlington.

[138east]

Yes - I will get back to you.

[Ronsangel]

No rush 128east! Just excited to plan more of our vacation, so throwing questions out there. I appreciate all your help!!!

[JanetAlice]

The Burlington Mall is a big shopping mall. Area is very safe.

When you come to Boston ride the Swan Boats in the Public Garden. Nothing like riding in a human powered boat on the pond, watching the ducks, and relaxing just steps away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Read the children's book "Make Way for Ducklings" to get the back story. If you do this you won't be too far from "Cheers". The food is pub-grub but lots of people like to take pictures at the place where "everybody knows your name." You can also walk along the Esplanade on the Charles River. I also would recommend the Duck Tour to see parts of the city and get a ride into the Charles.

The public transit system (the T) is easy to use and safe. http://www.mbta.com/ I almost never drive into the city.

138east can tell you more about hotels and the best way to take the T into Boston from Burlington.

 

I agree. Driving in Boston is awful. Take the T. It's much easier.

[138east]

We arrive Saturday 7/20, and we are just looking at hotels with airport and cruise port transportation. And reasonable priced too...

Any suggestions

 

You come from Florida - the land of cruiseports, cruise hotel deals, and cruise shuttles. It doesn't work that way in the northeast where cruising is an insignificant piece of the economy and metropolitan hotels are expensive.

 

You're best all round deal right now is on Hotwire - 4* hotel in the Waterfront area for $175 with a 95% approval rating. This is likely to be the Westin Waterfront, but could be the Seaport. It is one of the closest hotels to the airport without being at the airport and is the closest hotel to the pier. A cab ride from the airport would be about $25, but if you can roll your luggage, you can take the Silver Line T bus (which is currently free from the airport) to World Trade Center and walk the block to the hotel. A cab to the pier should be $10 or less, but you can also take the Silver Line to the pier for $5. There are upscale restaurants in the area plus the harbor is right there.

 

There are hotels that offer airport shuttles and Cruiseport shuttles, but they are in fringe areas like Quincy and Dorchester where you are essentially a captive of the hotel with minimal local services available.

 

If you are intersted in the Hotwire hotel, make a decision quickly - this will disappear for sure.

[138east]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

 

We're thinking since we won't get into Boston area until the evening of the 19th, we might stay outside the downtown and just drive downtown on the morning of the 20th and spend the day. I'm looking at Burlington (mostly I'm looking at Burlington Mall :) ) ... is this a good option? Safe? The mall will keep us busy that evening. Any hotel suggestions in the area?

 

On Saturday...any suggestions for things to see and do. I'll admit, we're not big history or sports buffs, but we do like checking out interesting sites...so open to all ideas.

 

Most of the hotels along route 128 in Lexington and Burlington are just fine. Hotwire is showing a 3* for $82 which could be the Aloft in Lexington or Hyatt Place in Burlington. I think the 2* hotel for $69 is Candlewood Suites because it has a 90% approval rating and a kitchenette.

 

All these hotels are close enough to Burlington Mall. To get into Boston, you would go south on route 128/95 to route 2 and east towards Cambridge to get to the Alewife T station. Garage parking is $7 and the T is $2 with a hard plastic Charlie card. The Red Line will take you to downtown Boston. Park St is the Boston Common, which is a good place to start your explorations by walking the Freedom Trail to Quincy Market and the North End. Lots of interesting sites to see with as much history as you want or don't want.

 

If you're doing Hotwire, make a decision because these hotels will disappear quickly as folks make their summer weekend plans.

[Ronsangel]

Thanks so much 138east...it's comforting to get advice from someone who knows the area! We're waffling between the convenience of staying downtown vs the affordability of staying outside the downtown area. I know we'll need to make a decision soon, so guess that's the plan for this weekend....figure out what we want to do while there, and figure out the best location for us from there!

[138east]

Well, you could split the difference. You're arriving after a long drive from Canada on a Friday, so book a less expensive Hotwire hotel in the Burlington or Newton/Waltham area for Friday night. For Sat night book the 4* Waterfront hotel for $175. Drive into Boston Sat morning, drop your luggage off at the hotel, and take 20 minutes to find the Cruiseport parking garage, park your car, and walk back to the hotel. You will then have the entire day and evening in Boston, plus time the following morning to see sights. You will pay the regular parking price for one night and then the cruise price, but you will have gotten rid of your car for the duration, which is a big plus.

[Nitemare]

I just hotwired a hotel in Lexington - It turned out to be Element for $100 on July 8th.

My plan is to do Harvard/MIT in the evening on the 8th, and do duck tour from the Museum of Science in the morning of 9th before driving to Cruise Terminal.

 

You will have a car, right? There's no public transportation for miles and miles near the Element there, unless you want to borrow the property's bikes!

[138east]

You can't worry about it - that poster has just one post. I doubt we'll here from him again. It's too bad because I was going to advise taking the Duck Tour from the Museum of Science because the parking is easier and cheaper than the parking near the Pru in Back Bay. IMO the Museum of Science is also easier to get to via 128 and I93 even though it's more miles.

[jl001]

You can't worry about it - that poster has just one post. I doubt we'll here from him again. It's too bad because I was going to advise taking the Duck Tour from the Museum of Science because the parking is easier and cheaper than the parking near the Pru in Back Bay. IMO the Museum of Science is also easier to get to via 128 and I93 even though it's more miles.

 

Yes, I will be driving from Toronto, and so I have a car. I thought about bidding hotels in downtown area, but I couldn't get anything below $200 (+ parking + breakfast)... So, I think $100 for Element suits my needs.

I will be taking the Duck Tour from the Museum of Science because of all the reasons you mentioned.

 

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but my only question is how the traffic is in the morning... What time should I leave Element to get to the Museum of Science for 9:30 or 10:00 Duck Tour?

[138east]

Weekday morning - that could be bad. From the Element north bound on route 128 is actually against the rush hour traffic, but I93 into Boston is definitely the rush hour direction. I'd allow at least an hour plus some time to park in the Museum of Science garage and find the duck tour.

[jl001]

Thanks very much, 138east.