I'm beginning to plan a two week visit to the New England area in July (as part of a 3-4 week trip to the States for a summer wedding) and I started to check out hotels in Boston. I've stayed in major cities before and the prices in central Boston still made my jaw drop. I don't mind staying in a neighborhood which would require a (short) subway ride to the major sites but I don't know anything about Boston and its neighborhoods. I want an area that will have some restaurants / cafes in case we don't want to go too far in the evening.
I'm looking for a mid range priced hotel (up to $200 a night). We'd be staying about 4 or 5 nights.
Thanks for your help.

I've been researching hotesl and I see that less that $275 isn't going to get me any place near Boston at all. So I guess the budget is going up towards $300.

Boston hotel prices have pretty much gone completely stupid. Do you have specific dates? If so, we can give some more specific advice. Without looking at specific dates it is hard to say one hotel will be "better" than another. Pricing is so variable that a hotel that might be recommendable one weekend is horribly overpriced the next.

In general, though, I think that the "best" location for a tourist is near the Common/Public Garden as it is pretty central, has good transit, and is an easy walk to a lot of different places. Hotels in this area would include the Four Seasons, Park Plaza, Taj, and Revere. Only slightly less convenient would be the Ritz, Loews, W, and Courtyard. I have only been in the rooms at the Four Seasons, Revere, and W. All are fine. The Park Plaza is reported to have some very small rooms. Can't speak to the others.

The other area that would be almost as good for a tourist would be any of the hotels around Copley Square, such as the Sheraton, Fairmont, Westin, Marriott, etc.

Outside of Boston proper, I would consider some of the hotels in Cambridge. They are pretty convenient (as long as you aren't too far from the Red Line) and the Cambridge restaurant scene is arguably better than Boston's. Others on here seem to like some of the places in Brookline. I'm not crazy about the long rides on the Green Line that being out in Brookline entails, but it certainly isn't a terrible place to stay.

I would avoid most of the places labeled something like "Boston-Newton" or "Boston-Woburn" as they are inconvenient. The only possible exception might be if there are any decent hotels near a train stop in Quincy as the Red Line is pretty fast and it wouldn't be a huge issue to get into the city proper. I'd still try to avoid it, but it is something others might consider.

Do you know your dates in Boston yet, or can you be flexible. Hotel prices vary day to day depending on what is happening in town. There could be a large convention during the dates you've checked. Also it is still pretty early to see lower prices.

For 4 or 5 nights, you could look at airbandb and vrbo. But before committing, I would ask here about the location.

Also you might want to check the Charlesmark and the Harborside Inn. A new hotel is opening in November, the Godfrey. They may be offering good rates right now. It is well-located for sightseeing.

Try to time your visit so you won't have a rental car when in Boston. Parking is expensive. Make a reservation now that you can live with, and closer to your dates you can check prices again. Travelzoo often has some good deals along with the usual booking sites.

I would also check some of the comfortable B&Bs in Cambridge, convenient to the T red line subway into Boston. Irving House, Friendly Inn, Cambridge House, Harding House, Mary Prentiss, etc.

Boston, like Washington, DC, is a major destination for family travel in the summer owing to historical and arts sites and to the presence of major league baseball, which has fanatic adherents. All this peaks in July, particularly in the week around Independence Day, July 4. So you are looking for lodging during a perfect storm of events.

I think six months is way too early to book though not to look. Every hotelier feels in his bones that this summer will be the one where he is fully booked every day at rack rate. All sorts of factors make this unlikely. If you have points, go ahead and book a boring Marriott or Hilton or a not boring Fairmont. Otherwise, gather information, leap at anything that looks wonderful, but be prepared to book in March-April.

We have stayed at the Park Plaza a few times, and liked it. The location is great for walking to restaurants, shops, historic sites.

I recommend you call them, and talk with someone who will get the best room for you. The hotel is old, so the rooms vary significantly. Best to talk to someone about it.

At the Park Plaza, try to get concierge level if you can. It includes access to a nice lounge at all hours, plus a hearty continental breakfast, and evening hors d'oeuvres are served. We found the wine was fairly expensive by the glass, but the complimentary food made up for it.

Boston must be different from other cities. I've booked in New York, San Francisco and Washington DC (and all over Europe) months before and have found bargains.
At the moment I don't have specific dates (still waiting to hear what the wedding date is) but I understand that anything around the 4th of July will be very expensive and that hotels near the T Red line will get me into the city without any hassles. When I have the dates, I will buy my plane ticket (the sooner I do it, the better the deal will be. I'm coming from abroad.) and then I can book some hotels with free cancellation.
Aside from Cambridge, can anyone give me the names of the neighborhoods? It helps when I'm searching the booking sites.
I'm not planning on using a rental car - only public transportation.

As travelgourmet mentioned, convenient Boston neighborhoods are Back Bay, Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall (not Quincy the city), and Downtown. Stay near the Red, Green, or Orange Lines. The Seaport area is not quite as convenient but would be a good place to stay in the summer. There are a lot of restaurants there now, and it's on the Silver Line which goes to the Red Line at South Station.

I think Brookline is convenient and is not such a long ride on the subway plus there are many nearby restaurants there. There is a Courtyard Marriott and a Holiday Inn in Brookline, plus a few small inns.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something in your budget. For a budget but well-located small hotel, look at the John Jeffries House. I've also read good reviews of Bricco Suites. They are located in the North End, the historically Italian section of Boston. It's right near Quincy Market.

Boston must be different from other cities.

My understanding is that Boston has pretty much the highest hotel rates in the country. The economy is booming here and Boston has a big convention business.

Aside from Cambridge, can anyone give me the names of the neighborhoods?

Within Boston: Back Bay, Beacon Hill, or Theater District would be my top choices. Kenmore Square has some decent hotels, but I don't think it as convenient. Downtown and Seaport would be a bit lower on my list, but still acceptable. Avoid anything in Dorchester unless you are desperate.

Within Cambridge, Harvard Square or Kendall Square would be my choices for neighborhoods.

Sambachula, Tabernash, and cw all offer very good advice.

Is Boston different from other cities? Possibly as far as timing is concerned.

Boston has been a great city for Priceline and Hotwire, and those don't really show bargains until fairly late in the process. You might book somewhere you can cancel without penalty and look for a cheaper place on Priceline a month out.

In addition to the convention business, Boston has well-known cycles: May-June 1 are packed with the families of students graduating from the dozens of local universities. Late August through Labor Day are difficult because of students moving back for the fall term. Homecomings and Parents's Days clog late September, and the Head of the Charles Regatta fills hotels with very large university rowing teams from around the world. We have discussed 4th of July. G-d

This is the "Why?" Now you only have to deal with the "Which? And "When?"

Ackislander, you gave me some good advice about booking early on and cancelling when/ if I find something cheaper. I usually don't use Priceline but I'll check it out.
Everyone else has been really helpful in clarifying the neighborhoods I should look into.
Now I'll deal with the which and when.
Thanks.

I haven't stayed there, but I did walk past the Beacon Hill Hotel on Charles St a few days ago -- the location is just ideal for tourism. It's accessible to everywhere you'd want to go, and it's also in a neighborhood that's as residential as it is commercial. (Dunno about prices or quality, though the few reviews I've read seem ok.)

Boston has well-known cycles

That is less true these days. Business and convention travel are increasingly driving hotel rates in Boston.

The Park Plaza often has some good (for Boston) deals. While it gets some mixed reviews - the older section is a little tired and rooms on the small side - the location is perfect. We hosted some guests there a summer ago and they said it was fine.

I checked some random dates in the second half of July and you can get a room for $200-225 per night.

Resist the urge to save money by staying in a non-central location. Commuting distances are deceptive in Boston area. A 10 mile commute can take an hour. Commuter rail runs infrequently except during rush hours. And "walking distance to the MBTA" sometimes means the distance is walkable, but not the actual roadway. I would stay 1 less night in Boston rather than saving $25-40/night and have to deal with a commute.

I stayed at the Renaissance in the Seaport area in September was able to get a room with a weekend rate of less than $250/night. Other hotels were much more expensive. I liked being near the water and the hotel has large windows that let in a lot of natural light.

In July the same hotel was over $400/night but I stayed at the Omni for less than $300/night.

At least you have a lot of time to search and consider various dates. I agree with finding something (that you can cancel) in a good location, a rate you can live with and booking it. I've done that a lot in Boston.

Last October, I had to use points for one night in Boston because the rates were sky high ridiculous. Even a boring Marriott was $500+/night. I didn't want to be in Boston that bad for a second night so I left and went to Portland, ME.

I went in July 2015 for my first time. I stayed at the Charlesmark. It's on Boylston St in the Back Bay. It was very convenient for public transportation (both T and Logan Express bus to/from airport) and there were plenty of places to eat & drink within walking distance. I used booking.com. I found it to be well-priced and it included breakfast. I would definitely stay there again.

The wedding couple surely know the date. If you found that you could more easily have a sense of what the scene is.

We went on redweek.com and booked the Marriott custom house!! Fantastic hotek, great staff and good rates!!

Thanks for all the suggestions. The wedding couple are a (very) laid back California couple and they still don't have a date (just "sometime in July"). I think I'm going to put Boston back on the list of places to visit until I can go during a less popular/expensive time (or up my budget). Although from what I understand, there aren't many choices unless I go in the middle of the winter - which I won't. The US is a big place and there's plenty of places to choose.