Help for a Brit
 

My brother and I are visiting Boston and surrounding area in September. We have never been before and not sure where to go or what to see. We have almost two weeks (the last 3-4 days we are staying in New York). I have downloaded lots of hotels in Boston from the net, all seem to be in the $150-160 per night bracket, does anyone know of anything a bit cheaper? Also where should we go from Boston? Cape Cod sounds wonderful to us, but then most of the places do. Any suggestions would be most appreciated, from two "Londoners"

Hi Julie, <BR>I stayed at The Wyndham, Chelsea. it is outside the city, but you can get a taxi in to downtown(hotel has a deal with local cabs) or they run a shuttle to the metro. It is a brand new hotel, lovely pool, great staff and rooms. we paid 85 dollars a night. <BR>We toured to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Salem, Gloucester,Rockport, Sturbridge, Concord(Mass.) (can't remember exact way we went). Highlights were Salem(take the Mass. Hysteria Tour in a purple Hearse - it is great) and Concord (Home of Louisa May Alcott), Maretha's Vineyard and whale watching from Gloucester. there are loads to do in this area. <BR>In Boston go on the Duck Tour, walk through the Common, go up the Hancock Tower, visit Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall and more than I can remember!! <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful time. It is a lovely area.

Unfortunately, Boston hotels are on the expensive side, in part because of taxes. If you stay just outside of the city proper, there will be less tax on your hotel room. <BR> <BR>Cape Cod is a nice visit, and in September the crowds will have died down a bit. You can also arrange to go from the Cape, via ferry, to either Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket Island, for a few days or a long day trip. Both are really nice. <BR> <BR>If you'd like to visit a visit a lovely New England town, complete with shops, restaurants, and harbor, try driving up to visit Portsmouth, New Hampshire - maybe a 90 minute drive north from Boston. You can also go right over the Maine border from there and check out some of the towns in lower coastal Maine. Try Ogunquit or Kennebunkport, for example. <BR> <BR>

Hi Julie <BR>As a Brit who has visited New England several times I may be able to help. <BR>www.boston-online.com givs good info you could use the message board to ask about hotels as the response is usually good and very helpful. Also note staying in boston at the weekend should be cheaper. <BR>Do visit Cape Cod www.capecod.com will give lots of information. Try to visit Chatham - beautiful - Go see the lighthouse (Shore road). Dennis is nice and route 6a between sandwich and orleans is very scenic. Also whilst in cape cod you could go whale watching, tours depart from many places I recall hyannis had several tours. <BR>If you are staying in cape cod around labour day weekend (First monday in Sept - prices WILL be higher and accommodation harder to find, after labour day cape will be much more quiet - something to consider) <BR>If you want to visit Nantucket or the Vinyard try www.islandferry.com <BR>On the way to Cape cod (From the direction of Boston) you could visit Plymouth MA. If you like history there is the landing "rock", a replica of the "Mayflower" and Plymouth plantation. Try www.plimoth.org and www.plymouth1620.com for more info. <BR>If you like to shop and will hire a car you could take a drive to Wrentham Outlet stores (Off I-495 i think its exit 14) <BR>Sturbridge in central massachusetts might be good for a day trip try www.sturbridge.org <BR>If you don't mind the drive you could vist the Berkshires (From boston take I-90/Mass turnpike west this is a toll road and will take you directly to the berkshires which are so beautiful with much to do there. <BR>Other sources of information: <BR>www.northofboston.org <BR>www.mass-vacation.com <BR>www.capecodcanalchamber.org <BR>www.dennischamber.com <BR>www.harwichcc.com <BR> <BR>Have a great time. <BR>LJ <BR>

Thank you so much for all your advice, I will certainly look at staying outside of Boston, it makes sense, just like if you visit London, the hotels are very expensive in the centre but just as good and less money if you stay just outside. Thank you for the tips on where to go, I am so looking forward to visiting. Any more ideas greatly appreciated.

If you can make an inexpensive phone call, or know someone in the states to do it for you, try calling Boston Hotels at (800) 332-3026. They're sort of a middleman who can steer you in the direction of who has what deals for a particular time period and book for you if anything sounds good. You'll have a much better time if you can stay somewhere inside Boston rather than monkey around with traffic or the trains (even though the train system is very easy and good and I think patterned after your own). <BR> <BR>

I am booked into the Wyndham Chelsea in a couple of weeks. We chose it to be near the airport before we return-- I don't recall our rate, but it is reasonable. Another inexpensive option is in southern Maine, if you do decide to go north a bit. The York Commons Inn is in York. While it is not on the coast, it's very close. I will be there on my upcoming vacation as well, so I'll report when I get back in early August.

Julie: <BR>You may want to try quikbook.com for hotel prices. They list incredible rates for some hotels and unlike other discount hotel websites, you don't have to pay up front and can cancel your reservation up to 24 hours in advance. I've had really good luck with them and try to use them whenever I can. <BR> <BR>Also, my friends have had great luck with priceline for hotels. Unlike airline tickets, you can be more specific about what type of hotel you are looking for (4 stars, downtown, etc.) Hotwire is also a good website. <BR> <BR>Have a great time!

Again, thank you all for taking the time to answer my call for help, you have all certainly given me some good tips and ideas. I am so looking forward to my visit, especially as lots of the names of places are very familiar to me as they are English towns and villages too, I imagine they were named by the people on the Mayflower, by the way, I live very near to the Mayflower Inn, the original meeting place of the "Mayflower" people, also the boat sailed from there.

Julie, <BR> <BR>You'll have a nice time in Boston, it is a wonderful city! I just returned from there. I used www.hotwire.com and got $57 per night hotel room at the Doubletree Guest Suites on Soldier Fields Road, overlooking the Charles River. This is a 3-4 star hotel and was well worth that price. If you use Hotwire, select the Cambridge area to try and land this one. In any event, you can't go wrong with this web site (IMHO). Have a nice trip.

For Robin; <BR> <BR>If you are staying at the Wyndham Chelsea and want to take a cab from the airport, be sure the cab driver knows wehere the hotel is. We drove around for miles and the cab driver got really angry and had to ring the hotel eventually for directions. The hotel only opened this year and apparently the desk staff said this is quite common for airport cabs to get lost. they use local cabs. They do have their own shuttle to and from airport...check it out.

A cousin who visited the area last year stayed in Braintree which is south of Boston. They were a few blocks from a T-station (the local "subway"). I believe it was the Sheraton Tara. Braintree also has a large shopping mall for souveniers and places to eat. Staying out of town allowed them to use the public transportation, avoid the highway crush, and get a bette rate. <BR>Some U.K. friends traveled to Plimouth Plantation and enjoyed their time there immensely. It's an historical recreation of the pilgrim village and the "historical interpreters" speak to you in the language of the day. You can stop there enroute to Cape Cod.

Duanne, <BR> <BR>I have tried Hotwire.com, but because I live in the UK, I can't get past the Zip Code, I have e-mailed them for help because a few people have recommended that site and it is annoying that it doesn't have a facility for people outside of the States. I will certainly let you know the outcome. I have also been told that it is quite a busy period in September, and because we haven't made any set plans for the rest of our stay, we haven't booked any other hotels on route yet, I am quite optimistic that we could drive and stop more or less where we want and find somewhere to stay, it doesn't have to be fancy, as long as the room is clean, I am not planing to spend much time in it. Do you think I am being overly confident? I think because we won't have any young children to think of, it will be a bit of an adventure. Am I mad?

As you've been told, September is a very busy time in Boston and the rest of New England. Accommodation can be very hard to come by--even basic motels are often booked up. In addition to the regular tourist going to New England to see the leaves change, you have a huge influx of students, mainly from the UK, who have spent the summer working at camps in that area and are now traveling around before heading back to university at the end of September. <BR> <BR>You probably are being overconfident, but if you don't mind the possibility of sleeping in the car, then don't worry about it. As you said, it's an adventure.

As you've been told, September is a very busy time in Boston and the rest of New England. Accommodation can be very hard to come by--even basic motels are often booked up. In addition to the regular tourist going to New England to see the leaves change, you have a huge influx of students, mainly from the UK, who have spent the summer working at camps in that area and are now traveling around before heading back to university at the end of September. <BR> <BR>You probably are being overconfident, but if you don't mind the possibility of sleeping in the car, then don't worry about it. As you said, it's an adventure.

Julie, <BR> <BR>How ironic! My wife and I are traveling to England in October, and although I've made reservations for the portion of our stay in London (at my favorite hotel in Earl's Court), I've decided to do the same as you when we go to Cornwall. I hope I'm not being overconfident in going to Cornwall without reservations for a hotel. <BR> <BR>As for Boston in September, I think you need to know that Monday, September 3rd is a holiday here in the states: Labor Day. The early part of September would be a BAD time to tempt your fate with a Boston hotel without a reservation. <BR> <BR>You may have a terrible time in Boston (price-wise, for sure) if you just walk up to a hotel without a reservation. If you can't get hotwire to work, I would at least try www.priceline.com, just so that you'll have a decent place to stay, but not at an astronomical price. For instance, the hotel (Doubletree Guest Suites) which I stayed at for $57 per night (thank you, hotwire), has a rack rate (walk up rate, no discount) of over $300.00 per night! I almost always feel better with a reservation when I'm going to a large city. <BR> <BR>Email me directly if you need further assistance. <BR> <BR>Duane

Duane, <BR> <BR>Believe me, you won't have any trouble booking a hotel in Cornwall for September, because our weather is not too great, most people tend to go abroad for their holidays, unless we have a freak heatwave where people would go on a last minute holiday, I think you would be fine. Do you want me to check out some hotels for you in Cornwall, what part are you planning to visit. North Devon is just as beautiful, very rugged, wonderful beaches and lots of charm. I spent my childhood holidays in a place called Woolacoombe and it is more or less the same today as it was 30 years ago. I would be happy to help you in any way