Hi all,

I am planning a girls getaway weekend to Boston the end of January/beginning of February. We want to just have fun, see some sights, go shopping and go dancing at night. First question is what part of town should we be in? Second is any hotel recommendations - trying not to spend more than $230 a night if possible but we also need have either a foldaway bed or sleeper sofa or something in the room. Or rooms that connect. A b&b is fine also if rates are lower (2 in group are on a serious budget). We will be driving in from NJ so parking is also an issue.

While we are at it - food (no fish) and dance club recommendations are always welcome!

Anywhere you stay near Quincy Market would be close of everything you are looking for. I loved the Harborside Inn, and have stayed there a couple of times. It's right across the street from Quincy Market. Also right outside is the T blue line that will get you all around town.

Parking in Boston is expensive, what you might do is take the bus from Manhattan to Boston, $30ish rt into South Station and a quick cab ride to the hotel.

If you really want to drive, there is a city parking garage at Government Center, a 5 minute walk from the hotel, probably the best priced garage in the area.

Have a great time in Boston.

The Harborside looks great and the price certainly is perfect, however all of the rooms only have one bed and we need to fit 5, which is why we were hoping for 2 double and a pullout or rollaway or something.

I will look into the bus thing, thanks. any other ideas?

Other than "no fish," what are you looking for in a Boston area restaurant? Cuisine, price range, other considerations?

I'd stay in the Back Bay. It's the most central and you should get good rates in Jan. Look at the Copley Marriott, Westin Copley, Lenox, Charlesmark, Back Bay Hotel or maybe Nine Zero.

The hotspots for food and drinks right now are Towne, Market at the W, Woodward at the Ames, Post 390, Stoddard's, Back Bay Social Club and Clink and Alibi at the Liberty Hotel (actually the Liberty would be a good place to stay but probably $$).

Other restaurant ideas would be almost anything in the South End. The North End is the Italian section and very lovely, Lucca and Tresca would be good dinner places.

For clubs, there's Estate and District. There's some I'm forgetting, I'll think about it and post back.

Thanks for the hotel recs. Still having trouble finding room for 5, however. Are there no All suites type hotels in the city itself? I found a best western roundhouse that has 2 double beds and a pull out sofa, but its not within the city. Will that be a pain back and forth?

bachslunch - as far as food anything really. We just have 2 who are allergic to shellfish so trying to steer away from seafood places. Moderate prices - just an escape weekend, not trying to break the bank!

thanks again all

I wouldn't stay at the BW Roundhouse. It is in the city but it's not in the best area.

Have you looked at the Residence Inn in Charlestown? What about the Eliot Hotel? I think the Copley Marriott has some suites. The bottom line, though, is that Boston is a small city so large suite-like accommodations are not common, and it's unlikely that they'd be under $230/night.

What wyatt92 said. The BW Roundhouse is in an area that has a very isolated feel and is definitely not the best. And prepare for sticker shock when it comes to Boston hotels. You're best off biting the bullet and paying the costs, as a good central location for Boston makes a stay there more enjoyable.

A good time to get cheaper prices is to eat your big meal at lunchtime.

For good and reasonably priced eats, it's tough to beat Chinatown. Good options there would include:

-Dim sum: China Pearl, Emperor's (aka Empire) Garden, Chau Chow City, Hei La Moon.
-Non-dim sum Chinese: King Fung Garden, Peach Farm, East Ocean City (note that the last two of these specialize in seafood, but do offer several non-seafood items).
-Vietnamese: Xinh Xinh, Pho Pasteur, Pho Hoa.
-Malaysian: Penang.

The North End is ground zero for Italian food. Prezza (Northern Italian) is arguably the best place here, and while not especially cheap, you can keep things reasonable by ordering half orders of pasta at dinnertime last I checked. Pizzeria Regina on Thacher Street is arguably the best pizza spot in town. Some worthy Southern Italian spots that shouldn't break the bank if you order wisely would include Pagliuca's, Antico Forno, Rabia's, and Saraceno's (at this last stick solely to red sauce classics). Lucca and Tresca were suggested above -- they're good but notably more expensive. For an ultra-cheap downscale Southern Italian comfort food lunch, Galleria Umberto is great.

wyatt92's suggestion of the South End is great, with some spots being reasonably priced and others not. Pops and Delux Cafe are both good and fairly inexpensive here.

Some very good and reasonably priced Asian and non-Chinese possibilities would include Brown Sugar (Thai, out near Boston University), Montien (Thai, very close to Chinatown), Dok Bua (Thai and considered very authentic, in Brookline near Coolidge Corner), and India Quality (Indian, Kenmore Square).

I may be the only Fodorite who has stayed at the BW Roundhouse. You will note on their website FREE parking. This was in a lot next to the hotel. I agree with the above posters that it's a dreary area. You probably won't want to walk to the T (long walk) but the hotel will do some free shuttle service. Unfortunately 5 means two cabs but for this area, we always took a cab back to the hotel after dark. The time of year you are choosing will make the area look even worse. We stayed there a couple of years ago. It's very convenient to I93. The hotel was chosen by one of my 3 friends who had stayed there with her husband and liked the price and convenience to the hwy.

You probably have to calculate all the cab rides against the hotel price/free parking. I don't recall any nearby restaurant that looked good ... actually, don't recall any restaurant at all. Sometimes it's nice to be in a hotel with a decent restaurant. The year that there were five of us we stayed at a hotel in Cambridge that overlooked the Charles River. We've actually stayed there 2 or 3 times but the name changed. It was also a long walk to the T. OK in the morning but not after you've been walking around shopping all day.

Wow great rest ideas thanks everyone!! Ok so I think I found it - The holiday inn express boston garden - 280 friend street! Any thoughts? It looks close to main sights and the T, I know it's only a holiday inn but they have a suite with 2 double beds and a sofa for only $161 and parking is $30 a day. The hotel claims it's walking distance to Faneuil hall - less than 1/2 mile. What do you think?

220 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
www.midtownhotel.com
Phone: 617-262-1000
Fax: 617-262-8739
Email: [email protected]

Last November we stayed at the Midtown Hotel - great area for walking to everywhere - huge indoor mall with lots of stores and restaurants a couple blocks away.
They have parking but we didn't have a car so I don't know what they charge.
You can take the T and the trolley to anywhere - but we did so much walking to all the historic areas and everything felt safe for a girlfriend weekend.

I don't have any experience with that hotel but the location is indeed good. You'll be able to walk to the North End, Faneuil Hall, Downtown Crossing, Beacon Hill, etc.

Holiday Inn Express usually offers a complimentary breakfast, too. Does this one? We have had very good experiences at this chain in other cities.

I just had an idea for you, check some of the hotels in Revere, which is just north of Boston, and on the Blue T line to downtown. Parking would be FREE and you just take the T back and forth into the city. Remember the T shuts down at night and does not run 24/7 like NY.

AND the best part is, staying in Revere you're close to KELLY'S,,,,,,ummmmmm, Kelly's. It will become a favorite spot for you while you are in Boston.

There's a hotel just off Revere Beach, and if you look around you will probably find it, and staying there would be good for your budget too!!

Ummmmmm, Kelly's,,,,,,can I come toooooooo?

I wouldn't want to stay in Revere, especially when you've found such a good deal at a hotel in a great location.

It may be un-PC to say something like this, but it's the truth: Revere is a dangerous slum, and it's also a suburb that is far from the kinds of activities in which ladybug98 has indicated an interest. As much as I love Kelly's Roast Beef (I go there once or twice a month), I don't think Revere would be a good choice for ladybug98.

In my opinion, Chelsea is the close-in Boston suburb that most clearly fits the notion of "dangerous slum," though an isolated few areas in this city aren't bad. Will agree that Revere indeed has its share of very dicey sections (some not far from the subway), but it's not in total the horrid pit hawksbill suggests. And while Revere is on the Blue Line, there are plenty of parts of this city that are nowhere near public transportation -- booking a hotel here could make for a comparatively reasonable subway ride in or a public transportation nightmare. And if the OP is thinking of doing some wee-hours clubbing and won't get back to the hotel until very late, I'm not so sure she'd feel all that safe wandering the areas near Revere's Blue Line stops that late. Besides, the subway stops running at ca. 12:45 am or thereabouts, and a cab ride from Faneuil Hall or Chinatown to Beacon Hill will cost a lot less than one out to Revere.

Agreed with wyatt92's idea that the Holiday Inn makes much more sense, as the location is very good and the price offered sounds great. No idea what this place is like, of course.

Thanks again everyone!! We booked the Holiday Inn. I'll report back and let you all know how it was.