Marriott Rewards (including Ritz-Carlton) - Please recommend a property for visiting Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island...

For: A family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids), 5 nights on points.
Have: Rental mini-van.

We have no specific things/area to do/visit. Would like to stay at a central place where we could leisurely drive 1 to 2.5 hours one way to Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island... for sightseeing.

Thanks in advance for advice.

For: A family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids), 5 nights on points.
Have: Rental mini-van.

We have no specific things/area to do/visit. Would like to stay at a central place where we could leisurely drive 1 to 2.5 hours one way to Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island... for sightseeing.

Thanks in advance for advice.

If you plan on doing only day trips to RI and the Cape, I would suggest staying in Boston - more to do, lots of great historical sights, shopping, restaurants, etc. (PM me if you need any suggestions)

I would recommend the following hotels:

1) Marriott Long Wharf - Cat 8 - great location near the big sites, on the waterfront
2) Courtyard Boston Copley Square - Cat 6 - if you want to use less points and be in the heart of the city near the shopping (Newbury St), restaurants (Boylston, Newbury, and South End), this is a good spot. Very easy T access.
3) Boston Marriott Copley Place - if points are not an issue and you want a nicer hotel with the exact same benefits as #2.

For: A family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids), 5 nights on points.
Have: Rental mini-van.

We have no specific things/area to do/visit. Would like to stay at a central place where we could leisurely drive 1 to 2.5 hours one way to Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island... for sightseeing.

Thanks in advance for advice.

When are you coming and what hotel chain do you have points for?

What hotel chain do you have points for?

I'm going to assume Marriott since this is the Marriott forum after all.

Providence is also a very nice city and will save you a bundle on points (cat. 5). It is convenient to Newport (mansions) and closer to the Cape than Boston. I would recommend the Marriott there (free parking and a pool if you have kids) although I think the Renaissance is a much much nicer hotel (its gorgeous).

Copley Square Marriott is way overrated for points. Location is great, but I have seen some great LNF rates which would make the point use not so great.

Boston is gorgeous in the summer, so I don't think you can go wrong staying there. If you stay in Boston, Portland, ME is only 2 hours away, which is definitely a must see.

I think you're trying to see too much in a short time. Daytrips to the Cape are difficult to pull off in the summer due to traffic. You might do okay on a weekday, but I sure wouldn't try it on a weekend. Maybe you could consider staying in just two of those places, such as pick between whatever part of Rhode Island you're interested in and Boston for 2/3 nights, and Cape Cod for the rest. Personally, I'd choose Boston and Cape Cod.

If you need a Marriott, the only property I'm aware of on the Cape is the Courtyard in Hyannis. It's an okay place to stay, but it isn't in the most picturesque part of the Cape. I prefer staying further down in a town such as Chatham, Eastham or Wellfleet. Again, there will be traffic in the summer, particularly if you stay up in Hyannis, which may limit how much driving around you want to do once you settle in.

Thanks for all the above helpful suggestions.

I am trying to take the advantage of 5th night free point redemption. Hence five nights at the same hotel. Also want to economize/maximize the points. This is a two-week vacation ;)

First time in the area, so no specific destinations but would like to see Boston, Cape Cod, some of Rhode Island, Maine, if time permits.

We are in NYC now, and will be driving to Boston in a few days.

I have looked at properties (Courtyard, Fairfield, Springhill) at Boston Peabody, Boston Pedham, Tewksbury/Andover and Norwood/Canton (Residence Inn). Any ideas?

Sorry double posted.

If you simply want a centralized location to sleep, consider something like the Raynham MA Courtyard. Nothing special close by, but it is convenient to the highways... easy travel to the Cape, Boston, Plymouth, Newport, Providence, beaches in Westport... many reasonable restaurants close by. Cat 3, free parking.

Another consideration is the Marriott in Quincy MA... but Cat 5 and $9.00 a day to park.

Thanks for all the above helpful suggestions.

I am trying to take the advantage of 5th night free point redemption. Hence five nights at the same hotel. Also want to economize/maximize the points. This is a two-week vacation ;)

First time in the area, so no specific destinations but would like to see Boston, Cape Cod, some of Rhode Island, Maine, if time permits.

We are in NYC now, and will be driving to Boston in a few days.

I have looked at properties (Courtyard, Fairfield, Springhill) at Boston Peabody, Boston Pedham, Tewksbury/Andover and Norwood/Canton (Residence Inn). Any ideas?

None of those will put you in a reasonable location to see all four of those places. I used to live near Canton. It is a reasonable commute to parts of RI and Boston, but a very long day trip to the more interesting part of the Cape. (We only tried that once, way in the off season.) It is not a good spot for a daytrip to Maine.

Peabody isn't a good location for a daytrip to Cape Cod or RI. Boston would be okay from there. Southern Maine--yes, possible. It would be a long day. It's not all that close to Boston, by the way, despite the name.

Andover is no better. It might be a little closer to Maine, but further from the rest.

I don't know what Boston Pedham is, and I've lived in MA for many years. Do you mean Dedham? If Dedham, then it's somewhat similar to Norwood in location. It is not in Boston.

You're going to be spending much of your days in traffic, on the highway.

One suggestion: Maine is beautiful, but MA also has Cape Ann, which unlike Cape Cod, has some rocky coast as well. That would be a much easier daytrip to pull off.

I'd recommend looking at the Marriott Providence, RI downtown. As mentioned it is a Cat 5 so you'll save points, and it is in a decent location for travel to sight see. Maybe 30 min from Newport RI which is a nice area to go walk around and see the mansions and coast, about an hour from Boston, and same to the cape. Plus if you stay around the hotel any, they do have a nice indoor/outdoor pool and patio area the kids might enjoy.

Some great restaurants in the Providence area as well.

As a tourist to this area many times and and a complete Scrooge when it comes to points use, have to agree with mareh....what you are trying to do may save you points, but will mean endless hours in traffic. if you are not from the NE, we cannot stress that enough...ENDLESS hours in traffic!

This is an instance where ordering the $1K in Marriott Certs using points may make more sense than using points themselves. Although not the best "value", it would free you up to stay where you want. OR book places like to CY Andover, which can often be found on the weekend for about $99, so point use isn't as a critical, and won't make a huge impact on your budget. Try to do Newport and Cape Cod during the week, then you can do BOS on the weekend..staying in the 'burbs. If you stay near metro access into the city, you won't have to pay parking downtown..very $$$$, and driving downtown can be a PITA.

I agree that you are trying to see a lot in a short period of time....but if that is your plan, then you definitely want to maximize feet on the ground VS butt in the car time.

Although I am not a huge fan of tours, there are trolley tours in both Boston and Newport that are decent, give you a lot of information in a short amount of time, and enough of an overview to help you decide what you want to go back to and visit in more depth.

ALSO - if you don't already have the mini-van, might want to consider the train out of NY...Amtrak does a decent job in the NE, will add to your adventure, and may not be any pricier than a van +gas+tolls.

It is a beautiful, beautiful area....enjoy!

I have a lot of experience staying in suburban areas around Boston, mostly north of the city. If you don't mind doing a bit of driving, by all means stay somewhere off one of the main highways - I have done Peabody-Plymouth as a day trip, and lived to tell the tale. If you want to do Cape Cod - Providence, I'd be looking south, say Foxboro/Franklin/Norwood, that sort of area. I have to say too that, in defense of Peabody, it's very convenient to the North Shore area - Salem, Marblehead, Gloucester et al - which is very pretty and worthy of some time. Stayed at the RI there, old-school but acceptable (and with a family, the extra room that a RI/TPS gives you is great, plus the major negative of those brands is gone, i.e. the lower points earn).

A lot of helpful information has been promptly posted here. A big :-:thank you:-: to each and everyone who has responded.

Considering: 1. a family of four with young kids 2. limited points 3. hotel availability 4. don't mind driving just a little bit (to save points) 5. all the pros and cons given above, I have narrowed down to:

a. Residensce Inn Boston/Norwood/Canton (free hot breakfasts ^ )
b. Courtyard Boston Natick
c. Courtyard Boston Billerica/Bedford

What say you?

(a. is my first choice.)

Have stayed in all 3. A is an excellent choice for you.

Thanks, sophiegirl. (a) it is.

Just returned from a 4-day business trip to Newport and stayed at the Marriott again. Have also stayed a number of times at the Providence Ren. Providence would be good if you want access to Boston. If you have children there is no question - stay in Newport. Everything is walkable and no problem getting to the Cape.

Perhaps you could fly into BOS, spend a day or two there, then head south.

I posted a trip report on the Newport Marriott here - it's a good place for families - there were a lot of them there this week. Be sure to consider its proximity to the waterfront as well as Cardines Field across the street, where you can watch summer league college baseball. A lot of kids the night I went and and the small field is right across the street.

Here's my review - the post from just a few minutes ago. Have a good trip:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marriott-rewards/925857-newport-r-i-marriott-any-new-reports.html#post18839700