Best bets for a place to stay in Boston

updated 8:38 p.m. ET Sept. 6, 2006

Best Historic Hotel: The Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Ave. (tel. 800/257-7544), 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), is just far enough from the Financial District to ensure 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), 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 maintain eye contact.

Best for Families: The Doubletree Guest Suites, 400 Soldiers Field Rd. (tel. 800/222-TREE), offers 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.

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Best for Travelers with Disabilities: The Royal Sonesta Hotel, 5 Cambridge Pkwy., Cambridge (tel. 800/SONESTA), 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), adjoin standard units.

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), which overlooks the Boston Marathon finish line.

Best Pool: The Sheraton Boston Hotel, 39 Dalton St. (tel. 800/325-3535), 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").

For a complete listing of Frommer's-reviewed accommodations, visit our online hotels index.

Frommer’s is America’s bestselling travel guide series. Visit Frommers.com to find great deals, get information on over 3,500 destinations, and book your trip. © 2006 Wiley Publishing, Inc. Republication or redistribution of Frommer's content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Wiley.

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