This is probably a silly question in regard to Boston but..

....just in case....our 18 year old college freshman boy/girl twins still love to travel with us but with 2 kids in college, we really need to travel frugally.

Does anyone know of inexpensive, but safe and clean lodging for a family of four in Boston? Or in the surrounding area? Is there any such thing as a ';family hostel? Other ideas would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!!!

Cheri, Andy, Mike and Meg

This is probably a silly question in regard to Boston but..

Check this out....

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60745-d114141-鈥?/a>

This is probably a silly question in regard to Boston but..

Hi,

It would be helpful if you could define ';frugally.'; While Bos05 had a great tip with the link to the hostel, there may be some other lodging options that could fit into your budget. There are a couple of nice hotels in Boston that are known for offering lower rates than Jury%26#39;s, Hotel Commonwealth, Langham, et. al. Check out the MidTown Hotel and the John Jeffries House. Even the Omni Parker House has been known to offer some unbelievable deals. And don%26#39;t be afraid to try priceline.com and the other travel websites (expedia.com, orbitz.com, travelocity.com) Good luck.

Hi,

If you want really inexpensive lodgings, and don%26#39;t mind basic, but clean and safe, I%26#39;d suggest the Motel 6 in Braintree, MA. It%26#39;s a suburb about 12 miles south of Boston. It%26#39;s not in the middle of the action, and you do lose that excitement of staying in the downtown area.

HOWEVER, there are two great things going for this motel. One, it%26#39;s directly across the street from the Braintree Red Line T station, which means you have very easy access to the entire area without a car (they offer free parking too, if you are renting a car).

Secondly, they have rooms for as low as $69/night, if you book ahead through their website. (http://www.motel6.com)

It%26#39;s a Motel 6, so rooms are basic, but it%26#39;s clean, air-conditioned, private baths, Cable TV in the rooms...and after all, how much time do you need to spend in the room anyhow?

Good cleam hotel is the Comfort Inn in Dorcester if you want to save money. Pretty close to the city and offers free shuttle to the MBTA. Also a bowling place next to hotel so great for teenagers

鈥xplorenewengland.com/hotels-view-374986-co鈥?/a>

Just to throw my 2 cents in here... I also travel with a college kid in tow, and I think you%26#39;re making a mistake not staying in the city. Your kids are old enough to take in some of the sites themselves, and sitting in a dumpy motel in a suburb off the highway will not be fun for any of you, your kids will feel they%26#39;re missing out on the action, and they%26#39;ll be right. Also, the time you lose shlepping back and forth into the city should be taken into account. What about hostels? If you%26#39;re not able to get a family room, then maybe stay in the dorms? I don%26#39;t know where there are hostels, except in the Brighton section of Boston. You%26#39;d have to walk down Brighton Ave. to Commonwealth Ave. to get on the T (it%26#39;s the Green line out there) but it%26#39;s not far from Boston U., so there%26#39;s action.

My 2cents: I%26#39;d rather stay at the Comfort Inn in Dorchester (or the little hotel in North Quincy, whatever it is, right on the Neponset River) than at the Motel 6 in Braintree. There%26#39;s a Doubletree in Dorchester that%26#39;s nice. The ones near South Bay I%26#39;d skip, but I don%26#39;t think they%26#39;re that cheap. Braintree and Quincy are nice but further out. The Motel 6 in Braintree, however, is the dregs.... try the Sheraton or Holiday Inn in Braintree instead.

About the comment about suburban hotels... if you%26#39;re on a budget staying in a big city, your options are limited. I%26#39;ve never stayed in a hostel....how rough is it?

Another option is the dreaded Priceline route. I say dreaded because they%26#39;re not flexible at all and once you%26#39;ve bought something, it%26#39;s yours, no changes, no exceptions but you might get a nicer place cheap and... you%26#39;d be crammed in but in a nice space. You might be able to bid on a more centrally located place. Hotwire is another thought. See what you can get both in the city and/or in Braintree or Quincy.

Yeah, what about Hotwire? People on the Boston forum, Intercontinental Hotel thread, they%26#39;re talking about booking the 4.5 * hotel for under $200/night! If you%26#39;re willing to put in the time, you may be able to get a good deal on hotel rooms. And TY, CocoSandy, for seconding the thumbs down on Motel 6 in Braintree. It%26#39;s good for people who are travelling to an unfamiliar area to get as much info as possible, -ve as well as +ve. :)

Hi,

So with the two kids, I%26#39;ll assume that the OP will need two or even three rooms...it%26#39;s doubtful they want to all share a room.

So, if they could get the InterContenental for ';under $200/night';, let%26#39;s say $175/night for arguement%26#39;s sake. So we are talking about the Motel 6 at $69/night, vs. $175/night. That%26#39;s $106/night per room, so $212 per night. Let%26#39;s say they are staying 3 nights. Now, we are talking an extra $636, just to stay downtown!

Frugal? I don%26#39;t think so. The OP asked for frugal. Frugal doesn%26#39;t come with lots of luxury attached. Is it more fun to stay downtown? Sure it is. But, every vacation is a series of choices, based on your time, interests, and especially, budget constraints.

Is the Motel 6 luxurious? Far, far from it. But, when I travel, I need a comfortable bed and a shower, and I%26#39;m not in the room much anyway. Some people would never be caught dead in a Motel 6, and others would never want to throw away $600 on a hotel when they can use that money for other purposes...such as textbooks or tuition bills.

I stand by my original suggestion, based on the original request.

Hey, one can cut corners however you prefer. My assumption was they would all stay in the same room to save $$. To me, it%26#39;s the teens in the mix that makes the difference. Just traveling with other adults or young kids, I agree, the bare basics and outside the city can be fine.