Boston

Am going to Boston in November - three mature shopping ladies and one shopping 12 year old. I have been looking up hotels in the city. I got a great deal financially for the Best Western in South end. Does anyone know anything about it or the area it is in. The deal does sound too good to be true and in my experience that usually means it is! Any other suggestions for suitable hotel. I want to attend a concert an the Symphony Hall and another in MIT. The museum of Fine Art and the JFK library are also on the itinerary (As well as a little bit of shopping). How are the hotels located at the airport as regards access to the city. I'm sure this is going back over previously trodden ground for some people but this is the best site I have coime across for useful, practical advice.

We went in December of last year and stayed in the . It only cost us $100 a night and it was a dead posh gaff. It's close to the Symphony Hall and the Museums as well as MIT. You can get a trolley bus which you can hop on/off as you like. Also close to the [broken link removed] (observation deck). There's also a Jury's hotel in Boston but that's nearer Boston Common/downtown.

Check out the keypost on too.

I am also heading over there later this year.

I believe this place is for the serious shopper.

www.premiumoutlets.com/ou....asp?id=10

Apparently it is easily commutable from Boston. From people I've spoken to, who have been there, the prices have to be seen to be believed. Join the VIP club online ans they will send you an email about additional special offers with vouchers that you print off yourself. Apparently you are not suppost to use the vouchers in conjunction with any other offer but from what I have heard, if you produce the vouchers, the staff don't care and give you tha additional discount.


This site has a forum where people advise you about Boston and what you can do..





Another site I have found is

www.fodors.com/forums/thr....jsp?fid=1



Murt

I agree on the Wrentham outlets. In the middle of nowhere though but we met with friends in Boston who brought us out there. It's also popular with New Yorkers too. Probably best to do those first as you'll only kick yourself if you already do your shopping and leave Wrentham till the end of your stay.

There's always [broken link removed] where you can pick up a bargain or several hundred. Like Arnotts bargain basement except there are three floors.

Here is a link showing you how to get there by public transport

www.premiumoutlets.com/ou...?id=10#bus

Maybe if you really want push the boat out you could go by Limousine


Murt

dougal, the Hilton sounds good but when I checked their website the prices i come up with are colossal. Where did you pick up the $100 a night price. I am in no rush to book. Is it more likely that I wil get a good price close to when I want to go. Did you book online or did you telephone the hotel. Thanks for the link as well. Very useful.

I don't know why their prices have doubled all of a sudden. Maybe we were the fortunate victims or a glitch. Or they didn't fancy having the likes of us riff-raff back again

Use TripAdvisor to assess places before booking. And keep in mind that although prices might be more expensive in central Boston when compared to places further out, you'll probably spend more than the difference on commuting in some cases.

I booked online in September for a weekend stay in mid-December.

Having started the post I better let you know how I got on. I took the advice about renting an apartment and ended up at 113 Beacon Street for $910 for 5 nights. Plenty of space for the four of us. It had a bedroom with a double bed, a sofa bed in the living room and an upstairs loft with a double bed mattress on the floor. There was a small but very well equipped kitchen and a living room with a dining area. The apt. was spacious and very convenient to everywhere we wanted to go. There was no need to use the underground at all. We were all very happy with the accommodation and would definitely reccommend it to a group such as ours. The only potential for a problem could be the loft space but at those prices it certainly didn't bother any of our party (even the person up there). We used the Boston Bed and Breakfast agency to make the booking and they have a no. of apts. available.
It was close to a lovely shop(De Luca's market on Charles St.) where we could go to get our breakfast provisions each day - a real treat as this type of shop doesn't seem to exist here any more. We took in a couple of shows (Joseph in the Colonial theatre (half price tickets in Bostix, and a concert by the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland in Symphony Hall - unfortunately Bostix don't do Symphony Hall so they were full price but well worth it). We took the City Trolley tour which also included a boat ride on the Bay or a visit to the aquarium. The weather was fantastic last week when we were there and we enjoyed the tour but if doing it again I think I would go for the Duck Tour instead. ( a bit like the viking splash in Dublin). On Saturday we took the Gray Line trip to Wrentham. That was well worth it but a tip for others going - a taxi for four people will cost $78 one way. For 4 people to go on the bus it costs €36 each return. Do your sums and see if the extra would be worth it to get there early before the crowds and on the day of your choosing. We had acquired a fifth shopper by Saturday and because state laws in Ma. don't allow more than 4 passengers in a taxi we went by bus. You can call and book a taxi - I know cause I tried. It was great but that type of shopping is not to everyones liking. Bargains are definitely there to be had.
Boston Common was magnificient last week. The autumn colours had to be seen to be believed and the frenzied activity of the squirrels was lovely for us to watch at close proximity.

I was also in Boston over the summer. We visited Premium Outlets in Wrenthan several times until we found Vanity Fair.

The deal here is that you pay 1/2 the lowest ticket price displayed, so you have prices that have been reduced several times in the original shop and are then sent here. It wouldn't have the same selection as Wrentham but there were mega bargains to be had, (and that from someone who has an admitted aversion to spending money). Between the weak dollar and getting quality clothing for 1/2 price the little Murts or the older Murts won't want for anything for a couple of years.

On the second visit Mrs Murt refused to go to the checkout as she had pigged out so much on a the previous visit two day earlier, and the same checkout operators were there.

[broken link removed]

The place is about 50 miles outside Boston but well worth a visit.



Murt