Boston’s Best Lodging 2012
Best Posh Retreat For Scholars Hotel Veritas, Cambridge If you had a decadently wealthy but utterly refined Italian uncle who also taught at Harvard for his own amusement, his house might look something like this 31-room hotel, shoehorned into a tiny lot at the edge of Harvard Square. Rooms are compact but brilliantly designed: intimate […]
Best Posh Retreat For Scholars
Hotel Veritas, Cambridge
If you had a decadently wealthy but utterly refined Italian uncle who also taught at Harvard for his own amusement, his house might look something like this 31-room hotel, shoehorned into a tiny lot at the edge of Harvard Square. Rooms are compact but brilliantly designed: intimate rather than cramped. Rates: from $289.
1 Remington St. 617-520-5000; thehotelveritas.com
Best Waterfront Lodging
Fairmont Battery Wharf, Boston
This corner of Boston Harbor has the best views of the water, and Battery Wharf perches at the edge of the North End–a quick stroll to the TD Garden for Celtics and Bruins action and a reasonable walk to Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Rates: from $359. 3 Battery Wharf. 617-994-1000; fairmont.com/batterywharf
BEST THEATER-DISTRICT DIGS
Courtyard Boston Downtown/Tremont, Boston
This grande dame of the Theater District has the bones of Deco design from its 1925 construction, but recent renovations have brought the 315 rooms up to contemporary standards in both style and comfort. It’s the perfect location if you’re planning to catch performances in the nearby theaters, yet a close walk to the Freedom Trail. Rates: from $199. 275 Tremont St. 617-426-1400; marriott.com/bosdm
BEST HOME ON THE WATER
Sleepafloat,Charlestown
It’s the ultimate way to experience Boston as a port city. SleepAfloat houseboats accommodate from two to six people in berths near the U.S.S. Constitution. Main beds are usually in spacious rooms; additional beds may be belowdecks with low ceilings. Rates: from $225. Charlestown Marinas. 617-855-5092; sleepafloat.com
BEST SECRET BOSTON HOTEL
Boston Common Hotel & Conference Center,Boston
Originally designed as the University Club and then converted to lodging for insurance agents attending training sessions, the former John Hancock Hotel relies largely on word-of-mouth recommendations from people who attend conferences here. Low-key and affordable, it’s also comfortable, modern, and situated in the heart of the Back Bay. Rates: from $139. 40 Trinity Place. 617-933-7700; bostoncommonhotel.com
