Where to stay in Boston?
 

We are planning our first trip to Boston and are hoping to get advice on the best area of town for tourists to stay in. Also specific hotel recommendations would be appreciated.
After a few days in Boston, we will be visiting relatives who live near Exeter, RI. What would be the best mode of transportation to get there?
Thanks for any advice you can give us.
--Bob

You haven't given any price guidelines.
We like the Hilton Back Bay. Excellent facility in a great location.

Not aware of any public transportation to Exeter. Of course, you could rent a car. Or take bus or Amtrak to Providence - and hope they could pick you up there.

We've stayed at the Copley Marriot, the Marriot Longwharf, The Lenox, The Eliot, the Marriot in Weston and the Marriot in Cambridge.

As Howard mentioned, what's your price range?

I'm sorry, but I've spelled none of those "Marriotts" correctly.

Jury's Hotel in Boston - excellent!!!

Omni Parker House

RIPTA (Rhode Island public bus) #66 goes from Providence to URI in Kingston. It stops at the Rte2/102 Park and Ride (about 30 minutes from Providence), which is just a few miles from Exeter.

The bus terminus in Providence is at Kennedy Plaza, just a few minutes walk from the AMTRAK station. You can take AMTRAK or MBTA commuter trains from Boston. [No commuter service on weekends to Providence.] Or if you ARE taking AMTRAK, you can take it to the Kingston station and take the same #66 bus, but Northbound, back to the Rte2/102 Park and Ride (about 10 minutes).

Looking at the map again, the Park & Ride at 2/102 is less than 2 miles from Exeter. There might be another stop at the junction of 102 and 2(South County Trail), which is only a mile from Exeter.

We stayed at the Newbury Guest House over Thanksgiving. We were looking for a great location, reasonable price, clean and safe. That's the Newbury! I referred to tripadvisor.com when I made the decision to stay there. When I stay in urban areas and I am going to be out and about all day, I prefer good location, but not pricey. Good luck! Boston is a great city! Oh, the Newbury has a nice little complimentary breakfast - eggs and bacon in addition to typical continental breakfast items. For a family of four it was a savings!