I will be traveling to Mass. at the end of Sept. I will be staying in Boston for 3 nights and then going on to Cape Cod for a week. I am having a hard time deciding on a few hotels and would appreciate some advice.
We are considering the following:
Eliot, Lenox, Millinium, Omni or Wyndham Boston. We are early 40's, arn't picky as far as extreme detail to a hotel. location to us is more important.What is the best location??? We do like to walk but basically want to be in the center of everything if there is such a thing! I guess most convient is what i am looking for. Also, we will need a rental car to be picked up the day we check out of our hotel. For obvious reasons we do not want to pick up one at the airport only for it to sit there for 3 days and pay for parking. Where is a location nearby that one can be picked up?? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

i have not stayed at any of those hotels, as I live in Boston. However, I think the Lenox is the best overall location. Close to the T green line, shopping, restaurants etc. It really depends what you want to do and see though. Omni, Wynham, Millenium are close to the waterfront, Fanueil Hall, North End areas. Boston is very walkable though, so either of these locations are fine.

Ciao lvitaly --

The Lenox is in the middle of the busiest shopping and restaurant area, and it is also close to rental car offices. It would be a good choice.

The Eliot would also be an excellent choice if you wanted a location that's quieter. The Eliot is 2 or 3 blocks from the Boylston/Newbury shopping and restaurant areas, but it's on a lovely tree-lined street (Commonwealth Avenue) and just a 5-minute walk from the Charles River Esplanade. I'd probably choose the Eliot over the Lenox because I prefer the quieter location, but they would both be at the top of the list (among the hotels listed).

The Omni is close to Beacon Hill (the oldest and most architecturally interesting part of Boston), but overall its location isn't great. The Millenium and Wyndham are close to Quincy Market and the Financial District, but I wouldn't choose either one for a 3-day tourist stay.

Thanks to all so far!
Rizzuto(Italian???)-
If i stayed at the Eliot would we just take a cab basically to the nearest car rental offices? Do you happen to have the name so when i book i know where i am talking about?? It's now narrowed down to the Eliot or Lenox. Eliot through a package deal on Expedia is looking to be close to $200.00 difference.Thats 2 nice dinners in Boston(I hope!!).

I am originally from the eastcoast and have spent a lot of time in Boston. If you are flying into Logan airport, you can get a rental car from there. One of the places that I stayed is the Westin Hotel in Copley Square and it was very nice. Great location, close to the river, Newbury Street, etc. You can easily get to the exit by taking the highway from the airport. There are lots of great deals online for both the rental cars out of Logan and the hotel. Hope this helps and have a great trip! Boston is such a great city!

Hi lvitaly-

Regarding rental car locations, last year I rented a car from Enterprise, which is located at Prudential Center. That will be the closest location to the Eliot, which is within walking distance.

Another rental car location is at the Park Plaza, which is a short T ride or cab ride from your hotel. I believe at Park Plaza there is Hertz & Avis (not 100% sure but you can look it up at their websites)

I would not recommend renting from Logan airport if you're just renting the car for 1 day. It will be a hassle for you to go back and forth to Logan.

Thanks for the rental car info. Helps alot! We will rent the car the day we leave Boston and head on out to Cape Cod. I am most likley booking a package deal but thought i would rent the car on my own as it seems pointless for us to pick up at the airport, drive into Boston and have to pay to park while it sits there for three days.I just hope we can drop off at airport!

If you stay in Back Bay (which I highly recommend, having lived there for 8+ yrs), I would pick the Eliot. It's lovely and the food there is reportedly superb (albeit expensive!). Other terrific restaurants: Kebab-n-Kurry- right across the street, affordable and delicious Indian cuisine; Jae's Cafe/Grill (Korean/Thai) various locations- one in South End, one in Brookline- you could easily walk to those from the hotel; Sonsie-- on the corner of Newbury & Hereford- a mere block from the hotel- swank atmosphere and great drinks/food. There is great Thai on Newbury as well, one right near the Newbury Guest House, and one on Mass Ave, down near the Berklee college of music. Everything is walkable and as long as you are smart you can walk all around at night too. Enjoy!

I just returned from a trip to Boston where I stayed at the Radisson Boston. There was a Budget Rent A Car location which supposedly was at the nearby Park Plaza hotel (street address 24 Park Plaza) but in fact is located off an alley entered directly across the street from the Radisson.

I was able to book pickup at Logan and dropoff at the location across from the Radisson online at the Budget site, with no or very minimal extra charge, I've forgotten which. (However, the information at the Radisson web site that you can actually drop off your car at the Radisson did not prove currently accurate, but Budget is so close you can easily drop off your luggage at the Radisson and have the bell staff watch it for a few moments while you return your car, if you are returning your car at check in and can't divide those tasks between two people.)

I found the Radisson, while modern and not distinctive, and in a safe but charmless immediate neighborhood, itself quite satisfactory, pleasant and well located in other respects (two blocks from the Public Garden and the Arlington T stop, many restaurants and legitimate theaters within a block or so.) Best of all was a tremendous, sweeping view of the city from the room's open-air balcony on the 24th floor. The hotel starts on the 9th floor (above a parking garage) and it looked like most or all rooms had balconies and good views.

Ciao lvitaly -

Non son' italiano, ma...

For $200, I might stay at the Lenox. As you say, 2 nice dinners.

I would recommend renting from Hertz or Avis. Although they are not the very least expensive, they are convenient: you can rent downtown and return to the airport, and also they have many offices if you have any problems with the car.

Hertz has an office at the Westin Hotel, which is 1 block from the Lenox and about 5 blocks from the Eliot. (The Avis office is about 3 blocks from the Lenox and 4 blocks from the Eliot.) You can pick up the car at the Westin and return it to the airport.

To reach Cape Cod from the Westin, I recommend that you take the Mass Pike (Rt 90) west to Rt 128/95 south, then follow 128 south to Route 3, which goes directly to Cape Cod. (There are slightly shorter routes, but the one I suggest is the easiest to follow, by far.) If at all possible, avoid traveling there on Saturday morning or Friday afternoon, because traffic can be very bad.

Buon' viaggio,

rizzuto's route to Cape Cod is quite a bit longer than just heading south on Route 93 to Route 3. Just look at the map -- why go west when you can go south?

Re: Anonymous

You are right that taking the Mass Pike is longer than taking 93 south. However, getting to 93 south from the Westin means navigating through Boston's streets (either Stuart/Kneeland or Huntington/Mass Ave), then finding your way to the proper on-ramp. With the ongoing construction, route details change and signs are not always in place. I will always suggest that out-of-towners take the simplest, lowest-risk-of-getting-lost routes, even if such a route is 5 or 10 minutes longer than the route that I would take.