Boston hotel or VRBO recs ?

[Alps79]

My kids have a week off of school in October and we are strongly leaning toward visiting Boston for ~5 nights. My mom may tag along with us; so 2 kids and 2 adults. I've been searching VRBO and different travel sites but am having a hard time finding a hotel under $500/night. Ideally we'd like to spend about half that. Maybe up to $300/night. We'd really like to stay in a walkable area. We won't have a car so parking is not necessary. Any recs or favs? What areas should I narrow down?
Also, what's a good length of time for a visit? It's a long trip for us so I really want to maximize our time. They have a full week off. I'm contemplating maybe adding NYC on for the last weekend but the price of lodging in both Boston and NYC might prohibit that. 
Kids will be 8 and nearly 11; the oldest is very into history and wants to see all the sights. 

ETA- Mom is no longer coming but my BFF and her daughter ARE; so 3 kids and two adults. 

[WOUNDTIGHT]

Oh man October is such a good time to be in Boston. Everything is very walkable it accessible by train. What are your dates? And do you need two or three bedrooms?

Offhand a location like this would be perfect if you could get away with two bedrooms: Check out this property on Vrbo t.vrbo.io/3QiAJPqEyV

[Alps79]

Apr 2, 2019 6:39:44 GMT -5 WOUNDTIGHT said:

Oh man October is such a good time to be in Boston. Everything is very walkable it accessible by train. What are your dates? And do you need two or three bedrooms?

Offhand a location like this would be perfect if you could get away with two bedrooms: Check out this property on Vrbo t.vrbo.io/3QiAJPqEyV

They have off the entire week of Columbus day, I was thinking we might fly in Saturday and leave Thursday. So the 12-17. We'd be fine with 2 bedrooms. Thanks for the rec! I've never been to Boston but I have a feeling I'm going to really love it!

So WOUNDTIGHT, Back Bay is a good area to target?

[msmerymac]

That's peak time in Boston! That might be why it's so expensive.

If you can stay anywhere near a T line that will really help. Copley Square/Back Bay is really convenient, but I'd also consider Cambridge/Somerville, as long as you can walk to the T (red line). The T does get crowded during rush hour.

I'd avoid the Seaport, not because it's not good, but because there's not a ton to walk to. There are some museums and restaurants, but it's a mile+ walk to places like Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market and not great/direct transit options.

[WOUNDTIGHT]

Apr 2, 2019 7:30:28 GMT -5 Alps79 said:

Apr 2, 2019 6:39:44 GMT -5 WOUNDTIGHT said:

Oh man October is such a good time to be in Boston. Everything is very walkable it accessible by train. What are your dates? And do you need two or three bedrooms?

Offhand a location like this would be perfect if you could get away with two bedrooms: Check out this property on Vrbo t.vrbo.io/3QiAJPqEyV

They have off the entire week of Columbus day, I was thinking we might fly in Saturday and leave Thursday. So the 12-17. We'd be fine with 2 bedrooms. Thanks for the rec! I've never been to Boston but I have a feeling I'm going to really love it!

So WOUNDTIGHT, Back Bay is a good area to target?

Yes, Back Bay in right in the thick of it. But there are so many places you could stay- Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Somerville, Cambridge, Brookline, South End. . so much is accessible by T.

[mbcdefg]

Get on the Kimpton Hotels mailing list. I got a really good deal at one of their Boston hotels a couple years ago.

[scm1011]

Apr 2, 2019 9:59:02 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

That's peak time in Boston! That might be why it's so expensive.

It's also leading into the Head of the Charles Regatta, which is probably the busiest weekend for hotels in Boston/Cambridge all year. Races start that Saturday, but since its an international event many rowers fly in midweek. 

[maltimom]

You could look for a hotel in Quincy and take the T into the city each day. Also, Canton, Sharon, and Mansfield all have hotels and connect to the commuter rail. It would be about 20-40 minutes into the city.

[Alps79]

Apr 2, 2019 14:39:33 GMT -5 maltimom said:

You could look for a hotel in Quincy and take the T into the city each day. Also, Canton, Sharon, and Mansfield all have hotels and connect to the commuter rail. It would be about 20-40 minutes into the city.

Walkability (is that a word? lol) is really important to me; we live in suburbia and can walk no where so I really like to take advantage when staying in larger cities. Walk and take public transit; two things we cannot do at home. 

[bugmeetsworld]

Check out Hotel Indigo in Newton. It's outside Boston, but directly next to a T station.

[WOUNDTIGHT]

Apr 2, 2019 14:39:33 GMT -5 maltimom said:

You could look for a hotel in Quincy and take the T into the city each day. Also, Canton, Sharon, and Mansfield all have hotels and connect to the commuter rail. It would be about 20-40 minutes into the city.

I would argue against anything on the commuter line. The schedules can be super inconvenient and it’s like $6-8 each way in and out of the city which would really add up!

[foodiemom]

Apr 2, 2019 18:39:13 GMT -5 WOUNDTIGHT said:

Apr 2, 2019 14:39:33 GMT -5 maltimom said:

You could look for a hotel in Quincy and take the T into the city each day. Also, Canton, Sharon, and Mansfield all have hotels and connect to the commuter rail. It would be about 20-40 minutes into the city.

I would argue against anything on the commuter line. The schedules can be super inconvenient and it’s like $6-8 each way in and out of the city which would really add up!

Agree, I would not consider any of these locations super convenient to downtown and fun for a vacation.

Have you looked at the Verb Hotel? We like it and rates have been reasonable when we were there. We also luck out and can get decent rates at Marriott Copley a lot. That one is great for the rooms, the pool for the kids, and for the fact that it is attached to a big mall when there is inclement weather. You may struggle that week with pricing I know, I would book something soon with a generous cancellation policy and keep shopping.

[laurack]

Look for the Copley house inn. Not that I’ve stayed there but I looked on booking.com and it said you could do a suite (1 queen and 1 sofa bed) for two adults two kids for 300 per night in October

[janegold]

Plug for South End as best neighborhood in the city - not a ton of hotels or tourist landmarks but super central, tons of restaurants, boutiques, and galleries, and amazing architecture/atmosphere. Check out the Revolution Hotel. It was just renovated and reopened a couple months ago; it looks really cool. It's kind of geared toward millenials and some of the rooms have funky setups (like bunk beds or detached bathrooms) but they are supposed to have comparably affordable rates. It's right on the border of South End and Back Bay.

Also in the South End, but a bit farther away from some of the touristy things in the Back Bay/downtown (and also a bit closer to some of the neighborhood's cooler things like art galleries and studios) is the new AC Marriott at Ink Block. Looks like they have rates for your nights starting in the $260s. It's actually a really great, central location, but you just need to have an idea of where you are going a bit more, because you are not as likely to stumble your way to some of the landmarks as you might be if you were to stay in Copley or near Quincy Market.

Boston in general is really expensive for hotels, almost all year round. Unlike other cities where there tends to at least be a range of highs and lows, Boston is usually highs and highers.

[laurack]

Also the “found hotel Boston common” has a queen room (two queen beds with a divider) for $350/night on Priceline for those dates. Great location!

Not sure if you are comfortable with all cramming into one room or not though lol. That’s what we do but my kids are younger and my mom isn’t with me.

You’re right though, not a lot downtown/back bay for Airbnb but staying in Cambridge or Brookline would also be perfectly fine if you’d prefer to get 2-3 bedrooms for the price of one hotel room near the common

[Alps79]

Bumping this because I need to get it booked. Dynamics of the trip have changed. Still me and my two daughters. My mom is having knee replacement surgery and cannot come However I think my BFF and her 11 YO daughter are going to join us. We should be okay squeezing 5 in a room. It will be tight but hopefully we won't be in the room all that much except to sleep. I think Bay Bay/Copley Square is where we want to be... but it's $$$$

WDYT of this location? It's a Courtyard Marriott and would only be 140K points for 5 nights.

275 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

OR

Residence Inn Boston Cambridge
120 Broadway Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142

This is cheap cheap and janegold, rec'd South End. It would only be 100K points for 5 nights.

Residence Inn Boston Downtown/South End
2001 Washington Street Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119

Finally- I'm sure any of these would be really great but would take a ton of my points and would for sure mean we can't add on 3 night in NYC like I'm tentitively planning. They would be 200K points.

Courtyard Boston Copley Square
88 Exeter Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116

The Westin Copley Place, Boston
10 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Boston Marriott Copley Place
110 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Thanks for your input!

[spinnaker5]

The Tremont Street location is much, much more centrally-located than the one in Roxbury.

[shopgirl07]

Go with Tremont St. Don’t stay in Roxbury.

If you want to splurge, any of those Copley hotels are super centrally located.

[onetruething]

Jul 20, 2019 10:40:10 GMT -5 Alps79 said:

Bumping this because I need to get it booked. Dynamics of the trip have changed. Still me and my two daughters. My mom is having knee replacement surgery and cannot come However I think my BFF and her 11 YO daughter are going to join us. We should be okay squeezing 5 in a room. It will be tight but hopefully we won't be in the room all that much except to sleep. I think Bay Bay/Copley Square is where we want to be... but it's $$$$

WDYT of this location? It's a Courtyard Marriott and would only be 140K points for 5 nights.

275 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

OR

Residence Inn Boston Cambridge
120 Broadway Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142

This is cheap cheap and janegold , rec'd South End. It would only be 100K points for 5 nights.

Residence Inn Boston Downtown/South End
2001 Washington Street Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119

Finally- I'm sure any of these would be really great but would take a ton of my points and would for sure mean we can't add on 3 night in NYC like I'm tentitively planning. They would be 200K points.

Courtyard Boston Copley Square
88 Exeter Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116

The Westin Copley Place, Boston
10 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Boston Marriott Copley Place
110 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Thanks for your input!

DO NOT book that Residence Inn.  There is a LOT of drug use in the immediate vicinity and everything that goes along with it. I don't know anything about the Cambridge location just because I don't go to Cambridge much.

[Alps79]

onetruething, Thanks!!! I should have known something was up as it's VERY cheap. Leaning toward Tremont Street bc it would allow us to easily go to NYC for ~3 nights. The other hotels would really take a chunk of my points.

BUT- if we decided to splurge on a Copley hotel, is there one that's a lot better? Randomly the Courtyard gets the best reviews and is also a Category 6 hotel.

[shopgirl07]

Jul 20, 2019 11:55:32 GMT -5 Alps79 said:

onetruething , Thanks!!! I should have known something was up as it's VERY cheap. Leaning toward Tremont Street bc it would allow us to easily go to NYC for ~3 nights. The other hotels would really take a chunk of my points.

BUT- if we decided to splurge on a Copley hotel, is there one that's a lot better? Randomly the Courtyard gets the best reviews and is also a Category 6 hotel.

It really doesn’t matter which Copley hotel you go with, as they’re all the same location. The Westin and the Marriott are even connected. I would go with a Marriott or Westin over a Courtyard just in general.

[scm1011]

Jul 20, 2019 11:45:24 GMT -5 onetruething said:

Jul 20, 2019 10:40:10 GMT -5 Alps79 said:

Bumping this because I need to get it booked. Dynamics of the trip have changed. Still me and my two daughters. My mom is having knee replacement surgery and cannot come However I think my BFF and her 11 YO daughter are going to join us. We should be okay squeezing 5 in a room. It will be tight but hopefully we won't be in the room all that much except to sleep. I think Bay Bay/Copley Square is where we want to be... but it's $$$$

WDYT of this location? It's a Courtyard Marriott and would only be 140K points for 5 nights.

275 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

OR

Residence Inn Boston Cambridge
120 Broadway Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142

This is cheap cheap and janegold , rec'd South End. It would only be 100K points for 5 nights.

Residence Inn Boston Downtown/South End
2001 Washington Street Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119

Finally- I'm sure any of these would be really great but would take a ton of my points and would for sure mean we can't add on 3 night in NYC like I'm tentitively planning. They would be 200K points.

Courtyard Boston Copley Square
88 Exeter Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116

The Westin Copley Place, Boston
10 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Boston Marriott Copley Place
110 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Thanks for your input!

DO NOT book that Residence Inn.  There is a LOT of drug use in the immediate vicinity and everything that goes along with it. I don't know anything about the Cambridge location just because I don't go to Cambridge much.

Agreed, putting South End in the title of that hotel is very misleading, as it’s not the South End. It’s very close to all the methadone clinics.

The Residence Inn in Cambridge is a good location. Kendall Sq is one stop from Boston. You can be downtown in less than 10 minutes, and Kendall has some great restaurants.

[janegold]

Yeah, that RI is not the South End. It’s not far from it, but it’s not in a great area and is much less centrally located than the Tremont St one.

In terms of location, I think it’s a toss up between the Copley ones and the Tremont one - though the immediate area surrounding the Copley hotels is nicer, the Tremont one is just a stones throw from plenty of things, and only a few blocks from both South End or Back Bay. So I would just choose based on the hotels themselves.
I think the Westin is nicer than the Marriott, FWIW.

The Sheraton is also connected to the same building plaza as the Copley and the Marriott and is quite nice (my wedding reception was there, actually) - and it has a rooftop pool. If it’s fewer points that the Westin or Marriott, I would choose that.

[MixedBerryJam]

Jul 20, 2019 11:45:24 GMT -5 onetruething said:

Jul 20, 2019 10:40:10 GMT -5 Alps79 said:

Bumping this because I need to get it booked. Dynamics of the trip have changed. Still me and my two daughters. My mom is having knee replacement surgery and cannot come However I think my BFF and her 11 YO daughter are going to join us. We should be okay squeezing 5 in a room. It will be tight but hopefully we won't be in the room all that much except to sleep. I think Bay Bay/Copley Square is where we want to be... but it's $$$$

WDYT of this location? It's a Courtyard Marriott and would only be 140K points for 5 nights.

275 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

OR

Residence Inn Boston Cambridge
120 Broadway Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142

This is cheap cheap and janegold , rec'd South End. It would only be 100K points for 5 nights.

Residence Inn Boston Downtown/South End
2001 Washington Street Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119

Finally- I'm sure any of these would be really great but would take a ton of my points and would for sure mean we can't add on 3 night in NYC like I'm tentitively planning. They would be 200K points.

Courtyard Boston Copley Square
88 Exeter Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116

The Westin Copley Place, Boston
10 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Boston Marriott Copley Place
110 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Thanks for your input!

DO NOT book that Residence Inn.  There is a LOT of drug use in the immediate vicinity and everything that goes along with it. I don't know anything about the Cambridge location just because I don't go to Cambridge much.

I was going to make a similar comment about the Cambrdge one. Not necessarily drug use specifically but I help out of town patients find hotel rooms and while the hotel offers a generous discount I've gotten some very negative reviews from patients. OP IDK how fast you accumulate points but if it were me I'd stay in Copley and start saving for NYC another time. Super convenient to evvvvverything!

[tiki]

I've stayed in the Cambridge Residence Inn for work (and now I live here for added perspective). The free breakfast is very typical hotel buffet food - a good deal for traveling with kids unless someone is vegetarian. I would not worry about safety in that location, and it is very close to the T for getting in/out of Boston. The rooms are much larger than average for Boston but there isn't a grocery store nearby, so if you wanted to use the kitchenette you'd need to plan a trip to get food. Many of the places to eat in the immediate area cater to the business lunch crowd, but it would still be a fine home base for your trip.