I am considering staying at the Hyatt Cambridge for 4th of July weekend. We have a balcony room. Is this a nice hotel? Is it far from the T? Is the pool area nice? Are there restaurants within walking distance or should we just go into Boston for dinner? Is it a safe neighborhood?

It's a very nice hotel...pool area with health club are indoors (over the parking garage)...balcony rooms look over the river (across fairly busy Memorial Drive). The hotel is practically on the MIT campus, but a considerable distance from lots of places to shop/eat. It is also about a mile to the T stop in Kendall Square...You might want to look at the Sonesta Cambridge if you want to be closer to things to do and less dependant on taxis...but it is a great hotel...

Yes, it's a nice hotel, but it's not a very convenient location for public transport. The hotel is just west of the western edge of MIT's long narrow campus. The Kendall Square T station is indeed at the other end of the MIT campus, but actually the hotel is much closer to the T stop in Central Square -- but still not really handy to it.

If you have a balcony with river view, you should have a great place to watch the fireworks for the Pops concert. Watch it on TV until the 1812 overture, then wander outside for the feature attraction.

Also, it's been a looong time since we ate there, but I recall that the revolving restaurant at the top of the otel has one of the best views of Boston. Can't comment on the food, however.

Its a fantastic hotel. Great restaurants, large and luxurious rooms and a great pool/health club. One downside: its out of the way to everything and is not accessible to a T stop. However, the hotel provides a complementary shuttle transportation to Boston/Cambridge attractions. As far as safety is concerned, I don't think you'll have a problem.

Great location for fireworks! Lots close by- enjoy!

Its' a lovely walk along the charles to walk to dinner or lunch in either Harvard Square or Boston.

We stayed at the Hyatt Cambridge in early June and while it's certainly adequate, I would not consider it 'luxurious' by any stretch of the imagination. The 2 rooms that we occupied had large balconies overlooking the Charles river, but the patio furniture was worn and the carpeting inside the room was stained. The front desk had a high percentage of trainees who were not very knowledgeable. The closest T stops (kendall or central) are about a 20 minute walk. The hotel does operate a shuttle but the schedule is limited. There's an indoor lap pool above the parking garage inside the fitness center. There are plenty of good restaurants in Cambridge a short cab ride or long walk away (do a search under Cambridge restaurants for recommendations). I don't think you need to go into Boston just for dinner. The area is very safe. Hope this helps.