Just looking at Expedia, right now you have Courtyard in Revere (8mi from downtown) for $189, Days Hotel for $179 (that's the one on Soldier's Field Rd), Hyatt Place in Medford (5mi) for $187 and La Quinta in Somerville (3mi) for $179 that are within budget and close to downtown.

Agree with Anonymous.

At this stage, since the OP will have a car (3-4 people driving up from NJ), I think it makes more sense to stay out in the burbs where they can get free hotel parking, and just drive into the city every day and pay for parking.

Seriously, if the OP can find a hotel around $200 in the 'burbs, she'll still save $ with free hotel parking vs $300-400 range hotels in the city that charges parking.

If there's 4 of them, when you add up the cost of taking the T (and I'm not even talking about commuter rail here), it'll cost them $16 each day just to take the T roundtrip.

I checked the Hotel Indigo in Newton. There're still rooms available for $173/night. It offers free parking, is located just off the Mass Turnpike, so it'll be very easy for the OP to drive into the city; but also has the option of riding the T into the city if she wants (eg for the Red Sox game).

I think the Hotel Indigo will be nicer than the Days Inn or the La Quinta. Not sure about the Hyatt Place in Medford though.

You all have certainly given OP many valid options, and done a great deal more research than OP did.

It would be polite for OP to acknowledge this effort and thank people for all their help.

If the OP decides not to go to Boston because of lack of affordable accomodations, I'd be happy to use those Red Sox Tickets!!!

LIsamarie: you have certainly had a multitude of suggestions between this thread and the other one on where you could stay -

what have you decided?