My husband, three teenagers and I will be spending New Year's Eve in Boston. Can you suggest well located hotels? We'd like a suite or two connecting rooms. With three large teenagers I need a good location close to shopping, entertainment and First Night activities. Any suggestions?

It's nearly always bitter cold and windy New Year's Eve, so the Sheraton, Marriott and Westin (all of which are very nice hotels near subway stops) are nice because they are connected to the Prudential Center and Copley Place both of which are chock full of shopping, dining, movie theaters, etc. Restaurants include Cheesecake Factory, Legal Seafood, Marche Movenpick, and two or more food courts.

See www.firstnight.org for First Night Boston activities and schedules.

Dinner reservations on New Year's Eve are highly recommended. Note, however, that many places will have limited menus (as opposed to their regular menus), some prix fixe at prices significantly higher than usual, so you should inquire about this when booking.

Also, most downtown hotels have 2 or even 3 night minimum stays over 12/31 - so be aware of that (we live 20 miles north of Boston and have tried to reserve a room for just 12/31 and not found any good deals or even availability for one night in past)

The Marriott Copley Place is offering rooms for one night only at $179 on their website - a low price for New Year's Eve in my experience.

Thanks for the suggestion. What about the Quincy Market area? I've heard the Millennium Bostonian is well located for First Night activities but would it be too noisy?