Best Hotel Bets
Best Historic Hotel: The Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Ave. (tel. 800/257-7544; www.fairmont.com/copleyplaza), opened in 1912 on the original site of the Museum of Fine Arts. Designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (also the architect of the Plaza in New York), it has entertained presidents and celebrities since the day its magnificent gilded lobby opened.
Best for Business Travelers: The Boston Harbor Hotel, Rowes Wharf (tel. 800/752-7077; www.bhh.com), is just far enough from the Financial District (across the street) to buy you some peace at the end of a busy day. And its rooms are so well outfitted that you may not have to go out at all.
Best for a Romantic Getaway: The intimate atmosphere and elegant furnishings make a suite at the Eliot Hotel, 370 Commonwealth Ave. (tel. 800/44-ELIOT; www.eliothotel.com), a great spot for a rendezvous. If you and your beloved need some time apart, close the French doors -- you can be in separate rooms yet still maintain eye contact.
Best for Families: The Doubletree Guest Suites, 400 Soldiers Field Rd. (tel. 800/222-TREE; www.doubletree.com), offer two rooms for the price of one, with two TVs and a refrigerator, and a nice pool. The location, straddling Boston and Cambridge, is especially good if you're driving from the west -- you leave the turnpike before downtown traffic shatters the peace in the back of the minivan.
Best for Travelers with Disabilities: The Royal Sonesta Hotel, 5 Cambridge Pkwy., Cambridge (tel. 800/SONESTA; www.sonesta.com/boston), trains its staff in disability awareness and offers 18 rooms (some of which adjoin standard units) equipped for the hearing, ambulatory, and vision impaired. A wheelchair ramp for use in conference rooms is available. Across the river, 48 fully accessible rooms at The Westin Copley Place Boston, 10 Huntington Ave. (tel. 800/WESTIN-1; www.westin.com/copleyplace), adjoin standard units.
Best Value: The Newbury Guest House, 261 Newbury St. (tel. 800/437-7668; www.newburyguesthouse.com), would be a good deal even if it weren't ideally located in the heart of the Back Bay. Room prices even include continental breakfast.
Best Value for Motorists: Room rates at The MidTown Hotel, 220 Huntington Ave. (tel. 800/343-1177; www.midtownhotel.com), include parking for one car -- a savings of as much as $35 per day -- in a handy location.
Best Lobby for Pretending That You're Rich: The Edwardian wonderland that is the street level of The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel (see the earlier entry "Best Historic Hotel"), is the perfect place for indulging your upper-crust fantasies.
Best for Serious Runners: Brush up on your visualization techniques before checking into the Charlesmark Hotel, 655 Boylston St. (tel. 617/247-1212; www.thecharlesmark.com), which overlooks the Boston Marathon finish line.
Best Service: Hands down, the Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St. (tel. 800/819-5053; www.fourseasons.com). The chain's standards are sky-high, and the friendly and efficient staff here meets and exceeds them.
Best Pool: The Sheraton Boston Hotel, 39 Dalton St. (tel. 800/325-3535; www.sheraton.com/boston), has a great indoor-outdoor pool with a retractable dome.
Best Views: Several hotels offer impressive views of their immediate surroundings, but for a picture-postcard panorama of Boston and Cambridge, head to the upper floors of The Westin Copley Place Boston (see the earlier entry "Best for Travelers with Disabilities").
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