Family Travel: Where to Stay in Boston & Cambridge - 2

Hyatt Regency Cambridge

One of the best views of Boston from a hotel is found at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge. The hotel sits on the Charles River, and while it’s not on a subway line, there is a complimentary shuttle that takes you to select sites in Cambridge. Just outside the doors, you can walk or bike along the pedestrian path on Memorial Drive.

The hotel has adult and kid-size bikes for rental (with locks and helmets). A 75-foot-long indoor pool with a retractable roof is another plus. It would be silly to stay here without booking a river-view room, so make sure to ask. Even the standard rooms are a good size, at 400 square feet, so families can move around. Make sure to inquire about packages, which change seasonally.

Hyatt Regency Cambridge, 575 Memorial Drive, tel. 617-492-1234. Package rates start at $129. www.cambridge.hyatt.com

 

• Enjoy a beautiful view of Boston from the Royal Sonesta across the Charles River in Cambridge.

Courtesy of the Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Royal Sonesta

The Royal Sonesta, with its close proximity to the Museum of Science, has more than that to lure in families, including an atrium-style pool. Its “Family Fun Package” includes VIP tickets to the Museum of Science (within easy walking distance), and cookies and milk at bedtime. Free wireless Internet is offered, and there’s a 24-hour health club, should you have time to work out. The hotel sits on the Charles River, and shoppers should like the fact that it’s across the street from the CambridgeSide Galleria mall.

The hotel has an interesting collection of almost 100 pieces of original contemporary art. You can pick up a guide from the front desk to take a self-guided tour. This is certainly an easy way to give your kids a dose of culture! The hotel also offers shuttle service to Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall, Copley Square and Kendall Square.

Royal Sonesta, 40 Edwin Land Blvd., tel. 617-806-4200. Package rates start at $199, www.sonesta.com.

 

• Take a spin around the Charles Hotel’s very own ice rink.

Courtesy of the Charles Hotel

Charles Hotel

Right in famous Harvard Square sits the Charles Hotel, a luxurious property that nonetheless still caters to families as well as visiting professors and dignitaries. The “Kid’s Quest” package, available until the end of 2009, includes a personalized “Kid’s Kit” with activity books, small toys and a Frankie Goes to Fenway book. Kids also get special bath products, free breakfast (when parents order as well) at Henrietta’s Table or with room service, and milk and cookies. Board games are available to borrow. An extra room can be added at a 25 percent discount. This family hotel has several dining venues, but the best pick for families is the excellent Henrietta’s Table, always a boisterous and popular spot, which specializes in using local products.

In the winter, the hotel has an outdoor ice rink ($5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under) which is a treat for kids. As you wander through Harvard Square, don’t miss the fun Curious George & Friends bookstore.

Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., tel. 617-765-4515. Package rates start at $289. charleshotel1.reachlocal.net.