Boston/Cape/ Back to Boston (Or Have we Made a Big Mistake?)
 

Our family of 4 is traveling to Boston and points beyond, and if I may, I would appreciate some advice. The majority of the trip is planned and lodging is booked. Except for Boston on the back end of the trip.
We're traveling from Houston to Boston (all on points).
We fly into Boston from Houston on 6/13. Rent a car and drive to Mystic, Ct for 2 nights
Then drive to Cape Cod for 4 days.
We leave the Cape on Saturday and drive back to Boston. (Btw, we need to ditch said rental car which we haven't rented yet, because we don't need a car in Boston)
This is where I'm having trouble. I consider myself a proud deal finder but have met my match with Boston. I'm waving the white flag of hotel surrender and I'm seriously wishing we weren't finishing up our trip there due to the expensive hotel prices. And we don't consider ourselves extremely thrifty. I guess I didn't realize prices had gone up so much since we were there last a million years ago.
However, the flights are out of Boston and we would love to show our 16 year old twin boys the city. We already have Red Sox tix on Sunday.
Our boys are man sized so a tiny hotel just doesn't cut it. Suite prices are crazy and there's just not much available that suits our taste on Vrbo/Homeaway/AirBNB.
We live in Houston so traffic is part of our daily lives and my husband is pretty good about figuring out trains, etc.
If I had a magic wand here's what I would wish for:
A hotel with 2 queen beds and a kitchenette, or suite hotel, nice free breakfast, located close to subways/transportation so we could get around to the historical tourist sights easily.
Is $300 night realistic?
Priceline/Expedia/Hotwire, etc doesn't really work for suites or rooms with kitchenettes.
I've clicked on just about every hotel in Boston and some of the deal breakers are the size of the room for the price, no sleeper sofa big enough for 2 6'tall boys to share, 2 double beds for the four of us won't work, must be queen or larger, no free breakfast (these boys can eat!)
We would consider staying just outside Boston, maybe Cambridge? if the price and accommodations were just right. Is the train back to Boston for tourist stuff pretty easy from Cambridge? Are hotels even cheaper in Cambridge?
Also, while you're sorting out my problems, what about the rental car? We need the car when we arrive to take us to Mystic and Cape Cod and back to Boston, but won't need it while in Boston.
We will take a shuttle or something to the airport to get us back to Texas.
I sincerely appreciate any help or advice you might have to share.

I'll play around for you, but I'm thinking your limit is a little unrealistic. Even a hostel private plus 2 bunks puts you over that! I remember being pretty stunned by the prices the first time. Also, I looked into this last year, because I'd love to go to Boston on a chick trip- I seem to remember that it's usually a king+sofa bed with a kitchenette.

this looks like a pretty good deal to me:


http://tinyurl.com/The-Verb-near-Fenway


Queen beds but no kitchenette. Showing at about 340 before tax I think. (When I went to the site, it says special- 15% off for staying 3+ nights)

Had very little luck with the kitchenette thing, and I'd forgotten how hard it was to find two queens rather than doubles. Good luck...

This place showed up before- it's in the same price range, can't quite figure out the bed set up, but it looks more like what you are wanting.

https://www.expedia.com/Boston-Hotel...-20d08974b40a&

<i>I consider myself a proud deal finder but have met my match with Boston.</i>

My understanding is that Boston is the most expensive hotel city in the country.

<i>We would consider staying just outside Boston, maybe Cambridge? if the price and accommodations were just right. Is the train back to Boston for tourist stuff pretty easy from Cambridge?</i>

Bear in mind that compared to Houston, Boston, is small. Very small. I lived in the center of Boston. I worked in Cambridge. It was a 2.5 mile commute. When I didn't ride my bike, I took the subway.

All of that is a long-winded way of saying that Cambridge is, for most purposes, equivalent to Boston. The real question is where in Cambridge you are talking (the same question should be asked of Boston). If you are seeing anything labeled "Kendall Square" or "Harvard Square", then they are likely good locations. Use Google Maps - if they are walking distance to the Red Line, then they are good locations. There are some places along Memorial Drive that are a little far from public transit, but still close to the city (thinking the Hyatt), so some of it comes down to your budget for Uber or a taxi.

<i>Are hotels even cheaper in Cambridge?</i>

All depends upon the week.

I checked the week I think you are looking at and the answer is no.

Be careful, though. Cambridge is one thing. Newton or Quincy is another. Cambridge = Boston (for the most part), some other places slap Boston on their name and aren't exactly equivalent.

In a normal city, your requirements would be reasonable. Boston hotel prices are insane. As mentioned above, there are no deals in close outlying areas on public transit. And lots of hotels, taking advantage of tourists advertise themselves as Boston/Waltham - or some nonsense like that. In Boston, a commute of 10 miles can take an hour. Commuter rail runs primarily during commuting times.

The best I can do is (my old stand-by) Boston Park Plaza. They have a 2-Queen room for $384 - no cancellation. No breakfast included. However, it is the perfect location and walking distance to just about everything you would be likely to want to see - so rationalize it that you will be saving on taxis/Uber/MBTA.

There is a big convention in Boston from June 17-20 (20,000) so you are running into that competition for hotel rooms, driving up the prices.

Here's one idea. Look at the Best Western University Hotel. They have a 2 queen beds, free continental breakfast, microwave and frig in the room, for AAA rate $269, advance purchase $254, and regular rate $299.

The hotel is located about midway between Boston University and Boston College in a safe, mainly residential apartment area. It is right on the B Green Line subway (trolley). It will be about a 20-30 minute ride to downtown, mostly above ground. It has free parking, I think, in case you decide to keep the car. There is a Whole Foods nearby which has a lot of options for prepared food.

It's not as convenient as Harvard or Kendall Squares in Cambridge and not as convenient as being right in downtown, but I'm assuming you've checked most of the other hotels. And it's a lot better than being in Boston/Waltham or Woburn and driving every day to a T station.

I didn't check rates at the Revere Hotel downtown, but they seem to have some of the largest hotel rooms in Boston. I think the Park Plaza now charges a "resort" fee on top of their room fees.

I just checked the Revere. It has a limited time offer for your dates, non-refundable, at $307. With taxes and fees it goes above your budget, but it is well-located for you to walk to most places and convenient to come back during the day to regroup.

No kitchenette but it does have an indoor rooftop pool.

I don't think anyone mentioned this, but Saturday is a bad day to be returning from the Cape. It's a changeover day, and the traffic can be terrible, unless you leave very early in the a.m.

As for the hotel issue: The only solution I can think of is to get accommodations in the southwestern suburbs at some place like the Homewood Suites in Dedham (or similar). Try to get close to a "T" station where you can park and take the train in. That, of course, means keeping the car.

The fact is, with your budget, you're going to have to make some kind of compromise or sacrifice. Mine is just one suggestion.

Cape traffic to Boston is heavy on Saturdays because it is the changeover day for weekly rentals. I would leave earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon.

The good news is that the third week in June is not yet the busy time on the Cape because most schools are not on vacation yet, so the traffic will be lighter on June Saturdays than July and August Saturdays.

An aside - I know coming from TX you may be shocked that school in New England is still in session. Usual calendar for public schools thru HS is to start around Labor Day, have a week off in Feb, another week off in April (occasionally just a March vacation instead), and then school ends mid-late June.

If you pick a hotel like described immediately above - in Dedham. Factor in cost of keeping car or taxis and MBTA plus the annoyance of a commute into central Boston of as much as an hour.

An aside - I know coming from TX you may be shocked that school in New England is still in session. Usual calendar for public schools thru HS is to start around Labor Day, have a week off in Feb, another week off in April (occasionally just a March vacation instead), and then school ends mid-late June.

If you pick a hotel like described immediately above - in Dedham. Factor in cost of keeping car or taxis and MBTA plus the annoyance of a commute into central Boston of as much as an hour.

And Bill Gates is speaking at that convention.

20,000 microbiologists and Bill.

After giving this more thought - stay at the Park Plaza or anywhere else you can find right in Boston. Really - you will not be sorry. While easy to spend someone else money - economize a little in other ways. Get takeout for dinner a couple of nights. Don't buy souvenirs at Fenway. You figure it out. But taking a family of 4 on a week+ to New England is going to be a wonderful trip - and expensive. So I would trim a little $ here and there on the rest of the trip and go for good downtown location. Enjoy June in Boston - best month to visit.

We stay at the John Jeffries house but book way in advance. I have done apartments from flipkey for Boston also. Did you check Charlestown? I always say Paris is cheaper than Boston. Glad you are going to a game, well worth it to go to Fenway.

It does take a while to get off the cape on a Saturday.

1. John Jeffries is now limiting booking to only a month or so in advance - you have to monitor the website and jump at openings.

2. If the car is about $60+/day, it might be worth finding a place where you don't need one, even if it's a little more expensive.

For example, we always have stayed at the Best Western Tria listed as being in Cambridge. It does have free parking, but that's because it's a BEAR to get in and out of. **However** once you get there, it's easy to walk to the "T" stop on the very-convenient Red Line, and you can also walk to a Whole Foods and Trader Joes as well as other nearby stores for staples. Not the prettiest locale ever (at the nexus of some busy traffic arteries), but surprisingly convenient to getting downtown - and you don't need a car.

Yes, this is very very high season in the area and hotel prices jump by huge margins. Good luck.

Add: If the car RENTAL is about $60/day AND PARKING IS $30-45/day, it's worth finding a place where you don't need one (and cars are albatrosses around your neck in-town), even if the rooms are more than you wanted to spend.

Thank you all so much for the excellent advice and referrals. After sifting through all the options we settled on extending our stay on the Cape and will ride in to Boston for the day for the ball game and make a day of it, then head back to the Cape for a few more days.

It feels like the best option for us and are thrilled we were able to add a few days to our beach cottage AND show the boys a bit of Boston.

I appreciate your help!!

You are not going to have much time to see any of Boston, but your plan seems to be what you want to do, so I will give some advice. It is going to be a really long day.

Leaving the Cape on Sunday - as mentioned above, there will be a lot of traffic unless you leave at 7 AM. Everyone is trying to out-guess traffic and weather, Nothing you can do about it but be prepared. Leave enough time.

Parking in Boston. Boston Common underground garage is the most reasonable place I know of - and even that is not cheap. Dump the car there or someplace else and take the MBTA around. Parking within a half mile of Fenway before the 1:30 game is going to cost $40-60 - and the traffic will make you willing to walk back to Houston. So don't do it. Leave the car wherever it is and take the MBTA. Parking at the Prudential Center is $20 with Red Sox ticket - not sure how long after the game you can leave the car there for that price. It is about a mile away and not a bad walk.

You can not bring backpacks and bags into Fenway. Small purses are OK. Check the website (Redsox.com) for specifics on prohibited items and sizes. Like most pro sporting venues, the food and drink is expensive. But at Fenway it is really expensive and choices are limited. Eat first or bring $. You can not bring in any food or drink.

Even in the summer, an afternoon game at Fenway can be cold or brutally hot if you are in the sun. Bring sweatshirts. Check the seating map. If you are sitting on right field side, around 4 PM the sun will be in your eyes. Bring sunglasses or hats.

During the 8th inning they play the ancient Neal Diamond song "Sweet Caroline" and everyone sings. I think it is annoying, but I would be in the small minority. An odd tradition - the song supposedly being written about Caroline Kennedy as a small child - but the lyrics would make no sense with that as the inspiration.

Driving back to the Cape Sunday evening should be fine once you get out of Boston. With a 1:30 PM game you are not really going to have time to see much before game. You won't be free of Fenway crowds until 5:30 or so - but at least it stays light until around 8:30 in June.

Have a good trip.

Try Candlewood in Braintree. It's a Holiday Inn property but with larger suites and kitchenettes. It's designed for business people who stay for a few days, so they don't do daily housekeeping, which saves on the cost.

Thank you Gail, such thoughtful and excellent advice. I'll be sure to print this out ahead of our trip.

We have family on the Cape and their help along with your tips should keep us in the clear as much as possible. We'll definitely leave super early and plan the day accordingly. This will be our busiest day in a long string of relaxing days on the Cape so we'll be ready for the adventure.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!

" we settled on extending our stay on the Cape and will ride in to Boston for the day for the ball game and make a day of it, then head back to the Cape for a few more days"

What about taking the ferry over from Ptown for a day (and maybe a night) and then returning? Are you staying with family on the Cape? It would be a way to have an overnight in Boston without dealing with the traffic. I agree that a Saturday drive on/off the Cape can be exceedingly frustrating.

While one has to read the entire thread - and piece some things together - OP has decided to:
1. Go to Boston for day trip on Sunday for Red Sox game, spending all nights on Cape
2. It appears they are renting, since they refer to being allowed to add some days to Cape rental
3. Red Sox game on that Sunday is 1:30 - they are hoping to see a little of Boston before and after game.

I read the thread all the way through. I got the part that they decided to add days to the Cape trip.

This is the part I'm not sure of -
"We have family on the Cape and their help along with your tips should keep us in the clear as much as possible. "

I don't think it matters if their extra days are in a rental or with family (even though I asked the question about staying with family for the extra Cape days). Staying with family may make it more acceptable to pay for a hotel in Boston for more time in Boston. I don't have a problem with paying for two hotels for the same night, if it helps me meet my travel goals. A week in Kona with a night in Volcano without checking out of the other hotel - so I don't have to do the entire drive around Hawaii in just one day. A night in the keys while staying for a week in FL so I get to see more of the keys on a day trip that becomes an overnight trip.

My suggestion was to consider the ferry as an option to driving to Boston for a day trip. And they could even add a night in Boston for extra time if they wanted it. They were planning to spend more time there originally but balked at the high hotel prices. As you said "With a 1:30 PM game you are not really going to have time to see much before game". A quick trip over via the ferry would eliminate the driving/traffic problems and if they wanted to add an overnight in Boston (before returning to the Cape) they would have time to see more in Boston.

becker, here's the ferry schedule from Ptown to Boston -
http://www.baystatecruisecompany.com/schedule-fares.php

The route takes 90 minutes, which would be faster than driving. The last Boston departure is at 5:30 which doesn't give you much time but if you chose to spend the night in Boston, you'd have that extra day in Boston and none of the driving hassles.

Sunday is the best day to drive up from the Cape early with the least amount of traffic.

If you park at the Prudential Center you have the advantage of being able to walk back to the car after the game. You have to surrender your ticket stub to get Red Sox parking rates and you can enter the garage anytime after 7 am and leave before 3 am. http://www.prudentialcenter.com/visit_park_rates.html

Driving time depends on where you are staying on the Cape. From the Prudential Center you can take a Duck Tour for a quick city overview or take the subway to Park St. or Haymarket to follow a bit of the Freedom Trail. Green Line B, C, or D subway back to Kenmore for the Red Sox game. It all depends on how much time you have and if there are any sites you particularly want to see.

I like the ferry option but it won't work if you're trying to economize.

The ferry option doesn't work. We don't know where the OP is staying on the Cape, so travelling to P'town, parking and the roundtrip ferry will be $400. It will be a hassle to get from the dock to the game in under an hour. They would have to get a hotel (another $400) because they will not make the last ferry leaving Boston.

So with the OP watching their budget that's $800 vs a tank of gas and more time to explore.

An early morning drive on Sunday should not be bad at all, especially once you get over the bridge, it should be smooth sailing. If you are apprehensive about driving in Boston, you could always take the Quincy red line train in and transfer to the green line at Park Street. Also note that if you are careful and read signs very carefully, on street parking is free on Sundays, meters are not in effect.

I hit post too soon. Another reason the ferry won't work is they would have to find a way to drop the overnight bag at the hotel so would not make it to the game on time. Even if they were willing to spend the money.

What an awesome community of people willing to share their knowledge! Before this site existed I used to buy the Fodors travel books and read them cover to cover to plan our vacations. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate your input. Thank you for taking the time.

To clarify some of the details of our plans:

We are staying in a rental cottage on the cape in Falmouth, not with family. We do have family on the cape we'll be spending time with but we have our own accommodations that we're very excited about that includes kayaks and bikes.

The game we are attending at Fenway is on a Sunday. We'll be headed off the cape early that day, hopefully well ahead of traffic. Speaking of traffic, we live in Houston, so game on Bostonians!

We will take the car into Boston. Thank you for all the wonderful parking tips.

I know we'll be pressed for time to see too much, but a little is better than nothing. It's all good. We live in a very big city so we cherish time spent away from concrete therefore getting back to the cape for a few more days of kayaking and searching for sea glass is more our style.

I haven't mentioned this because it wasn't relevant to this conversation, but this is a very nostalgic trip for us. My husband and I spent the first year of our marriage in New London, CT a million years ago and we're so happy to take our boys to see where it all began for us.

After we fly into Boston, we'll rent a car and drive to Mystic, CT., for a couple of days, then on to the Cape. We plan to spend the week exploring the cape from Sandwich up to Ptown.

Our day trip to Boston on Sunday will be a nice addition to the itinerary.

Now...fingers crossed for a good deal on a rental car!!

Some people recommend Costco for rental cars. I use AAA discounts unless the rental car company has sent a recent email with coupons. Join the loyalty programs of a few of them and see if they offer significant savings. Plus, you can skip the long lines and rent from the members' line. Enjoy the cape. I love it!

Please, please - post back with a trip report of what you think of Boston traffic and roadways. While some here think driving in Boston is a near-fatal mistake, while very nerve-wracking, it is possible even for a non-local.

I have never driven in Houston. But layout of roadways in downtown Boston were originally along paths of cows and farmers - they just paved them and gave them names. A good part of downtown was originally Boston Harbor - and as it was gradually filled in to make land, they just added roads wherever the hell they wanted.

All streets seem to be one-way in the opposite direction you want to go. Going to the next street or around the block to head in the right direction does not exist - there is no grid.

And I am guessing there is no place in Houston where Rte 93 North is really the same road was Route 128 South - which is also called I95, but not everywhere and never by locals.

Despite all this, you'll be fine. Maybe your kids will think it is so much fun they will return for college.

One thing I could advise/warn you is the driving in Boston. It's a challenge even for the locals.

Boston is an old city and most roads are not on a grid layout, but if you have detailed directions you will be fine. I'm a local and the challenge is avoiding the busiest traffic not the driving.