The best times to see Boston are in the summer and during the early fall.

Quick Tips:

Boston may be an expensive city to stay in or even eat in, but you can have the best travel day possible just by letting your feet show you the city. Some of the best sights are free and outdoors.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is also a bus system within Boston, and taxi cabs are plentiful.

We did have a car as we were driving to the Cape from here, but it sat in the hotel garage the entire time we were in Boston.

Also, at the moment (2005), a project called "The Big Dig" is going on. This is a project to add tunnels to the city, so the city is a mess, with a lot of surface streets being dug up.

We arrived in Boston on the all-nighter. It was 8am when we arrived at the hotel, and there was no way I expected our room to be available. The room was ready, but when the desk clerk saw we were a family of four, she upgraded us to a suite at no additional charge.

We loved our room. It was a two-room suite, with plenty of space. The furniture was all very traditional. However, what we all loved most was the view. Our room looked across the harbor to Boston's Logan Airport. We could watch jets land and take off all day. In front of us was the harbor, with lots of water traffic. We even got to see Old Ironside one day from our room. Below us were parked yachts and even a tall ship from Denmark. I could have just sat at the window and watched the harbor all day long.

The hotel focuses on details. The turndown service also included the laying out of your robes and the placement of slippers on the side of your bed. However the biggest treat came the moment we returned from sightseeing. There was a knock on our door and there room service was, delivering freshly baked cookies and cold milk for the kids. It was not requested, and it was a treat that came at the exact perfect moment. The Boston Harbor seems to understand the perfect moment.

The hotel has a great location. It's walkable to The Freedom Trail and is one of the few hotels right on the water. Rowes Wharf is popular in the morning, as this is where most of the commuter ferries empty office workers off for a day at the office.

We loved our stay here. The rates are not cheap, but we felt it was worth every penny. The service level here was above and beyond what was expected. There is a feel of elegance everywhere, with fresh flowers and fresh baskets of apples in all the halls. I am already looking forward to another visit--they won me over.

Jim and Dan asked us to meet at the restaurant in the Colonnade Hotel. Their French bistro restaurant is called Brasserie Jo's and is located on street level.

The moment you enter the door, you have a sense of fun. It's active and a bit hectic, with lots of movement. This is not a stiff or stuffy bistro. When you enter, you notice the bar. It's packed full with an after-work crowd stopping by for a cocktail. Most hotel restaurants are made of hotel guests, but not here, as they have a loyal and regular local crowd.

We had a great table. I was please and impressed by the menu. They had all my favorite French dishes. I had a flank steak with garlic butter and it was wonderful. The kids enjoyed steak and frites.

Our waiter was charming and took good care of our table. He was great with the kids, but respectfully treated them like young adults and offered them the same service the adults received.

We had been pre-warned to save room for dessert. I was happy for the warning, as I would not have wanted to miss partaking in the chocolate-mousse ritual here. The mousse is brought out in a large porcelain dish. There is lots of teasing that the huge dish of mousse is your entire dessert. However, you finally get your two big scoops, chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings, and cream. I don't know what I liked better, the presentation or the actual dessert? Okay, stupid question, as the mousse lasted about a minute on my plate.

This was a fun night. It's a relaxed bistro with great service, fine food, and a sense of fun. It was no wonder this is such a hit with the locals. If I lived in Boston, I would be a regular too.