Package or DIY in New England?

My boyfriend and I are looking at visiting the New England area next Spring (2008), We were wondering if it was better to do a fly-drive-type package, i.e. through Virgin, or something similar, or if it is better to book everything ourselves? Does anybody have any recommendations about package fly-drives, in terms of decent itinieries, accommodation and also price?

Thanks!

Package or DIY in New England?

Sorry, I also meant to mention, can anyone recommend the must sees of the area?

Thanks!

Package or DIY in New England?

It would help to know what exactly you%26#39;re interested in seeing and how much time you plan to spend here.

Here in the States, you can get all sorts of deals through Hotwire.com and Priceline.com (though these services offer no refunds, so you have to be sure you know what you want.. Expedia and Travelocity also have good deals and kayak.com gives you a sense of airfares. I%26#39;m not sure what you can arrange from the UK. There are lots of people on these forums who are from England. You might try reposting in the Boston forum.

Spring is a nice time to visit. You could spend a week in Boston and then rent a car and visit other areas (the White Mountains of NH, Vermont, the Berkshires, the Maine Coast, Cape Cod, the mansions of Newport RI, historic Fall River and New Bedford...) You might try reading up on these areas in the Trip Advisor forums and see what appeals to you.

You can see a lot in and around Boston itself: Cambridge, Lexington and Concord, Plimouth Plantation, Rockport...

One thing: you don%26#39;t want a car in Boston. It%26#39;s unnecessary and an expense.

We did a tour last year and booked everything on the net. We had 4 days in Boston, drove down to Cape Cod via Plymouth, stayed in Chatham for 4 days, drove over to Newport in Rhode Island for a couple of days and then went up to Vermont for 2 days. If you book it yourself you can pick the accommodation to suit yourself, be it hotels or inns. Driving is easy, but you don%26#39;t need a car in Boston. Accommodation is about $150 - $200 per night for a good quality inn. Hotels are about the same, if it gets good reviews on tripadvisor then it is generally very good when you arrive. Car hire is about $50 per day including all insurance and petrol is dirt cheap.

All, thanks very much for your responses... I shall take every single comment on board!