We are going to be at this motel May 17-24 and would like to know what it is convenient to/walking from there, places to eat, etc. We are a family of four with two girls, ages 18 and 21. Thank you for any suggestions.

This Boston hotel is a little isolated for my liking as far as dining options go. You may want to check with the hotel and see if they have a free shuttle to the closest T station which will allow you to get around Boston fairly easiliy. The T is the Boston subway. I'm not sure just how close the nearest T station is to the Holiday Inn. It is really a stretch calling it Government Center as it isn't really all that close from what I remember. See the following link for the T routes.
http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_subway.asp

The Holiday Inn I was speaking of is in Boston - so very sorry.

You may want to rethink your plans--this is the WORST hotel I have ever stayed in in the United States.

First of all, it was on fire when I arrived (corporate event, so I had to stay there). The elevators were so slow it took FOREVER to get to my room, which smelled like mildew. The soap in my room appeared as though the same bar had been there, in its wrapper, for months.

The plumbing was lacking as well--ever time I entered my bathroom there was crap in the toilet--and it wasn't mine!

It was overall a nasty place--for the low, low price of $300/night!

On the flip side, there's a great bar across the street called The Hill, where I waited out the fire trucks. They've got a hot bartender named Chris and do a mean wood-fired pizza.

HTH,
Racy

The hotel won't have a shuttle to the nearest T stop, since you can walk down Cambridge Street 3 blocks and pick up the Red Line at Charles Street, or a few blocks the other way to the Bowdoin Street station (Blue Line) or Government Center (Green Line).

It's not far to walk to the incredible variety of meal options at Quincy Marketplace or the North End. I used to live just 2 blocks from this hotel and found it walkable to all of Boston's highlisths, including Back Bay and the various points on the Freedom Trail.

The hotel is in a good location, on the edge of Beacon Hill. So you can walk to Beacon Hill, the Common, Fanueil Hall and the North End. Charles St in Beacon Hill is my favorite street in the city. Cute shops and restaurants. I recommend Figs for pizza/pasta (it's a Todd English restaurant but a little more casual) and the Paramount for breakfast or really any meal but they do a nice breakfast.

The one downfall of the location is that the closest T stop is on the red line which isn't as convenient to the Back Bay and some other areas. So you'll either have to switch trains or walk to the Government Center T stop which is on the green line. It shouldn't be that far, maybe a 15 min walk. You'll definitely want to hit Newbury Street with your girls, it's the shopping mecca of Boston.

If you're heading to Newbury Street or any other part of Back Bay, you should walk from the hotel up Charles Street (i.e., walk out the hotel door, to Cambridge Street, turn right towards the big traffic circle which is the intersection with Charles) and then through the Public Garden. One of the nicest walks in Boston, IMHO, especially in mid-May.

Thank you so much for the help. One very negative opinion of the motel and that is all - hope that means it will be okay. It sounds like I am fairly close to alot. Is buying the GoBoston card a good deal or should I wait until I get there and decide what to do - there are SO MANY things to see and do and if the weather is nice, hopefully we will be able to do everything!! Any other ideas will be most appreciated. Thanks so very much.

There are lots of internet sites that provide hotel reviews that can help put that horrible one in perspective.

Whether the "GoBoston" card is worthwhile for you depends mostly on your own itinerary and energy level. It does cover pretty much anything you'd want to do, but it's very expensive and you could find yourself dashing around just trying to "get you money's worth," trying to do too many things.

We stayed there a couple of years ago during marathon weekend and paid a LOT less than Racy did, and thought it was perfectly acceptable. There are a couple of decent restaurants of varying cuisines more or less across the street. Otherwise, it's not too long a walk to North End, Faneuil Hall area, etc., as others have noted.