WHERE TO STAY

Boston Harbor Hotel

It s the perfect introduction to Boston: feeling the salty breeze and watching the skyline unfurl from aboard a water taxi from Logan to this luxury hotel. Settle into a spacious guest room replete with Frette linens and done up in nautical blues (some with soaking tubs, all with views) before heading out to explore the city. bhh.com '

The Charles Hotel

On the ground floor of this Harvard Square hideaway is chef Peter Davis's award-winning restaurant, Henrietta's Table, which has been luring foodies since 1995; a few floors up is the legendary jazz nightclub Regattabar. The guest rooms and suites are understated New England chic, and the service is Ivy League–worthy. charleshotel.com

The Hotel Veritas

If you had a decadently wealthy but utterly refined Italian uncle who also taught at Harvard for his own amusement, his house might look something like this 31-room Cambridge hotel, tucked into a tiny lot at the edge of Harvard Square. Rooms are compact but brilliantly designed; intimate rather than cramped. thehotelveritas.com

The Verb Hotel

Think Boston is more Brahmin than rock 'n' roll? The retro-leaning Verb Hotel begs to differ. Offering in-room record players and speakers with unlimited access to a well-stocked vinyl library, along with an array of music memorabilia in the lobby, this colorful crash pad is just steps from Fenway Park. theverbhotel.com