Going to Bos in mid May next year & were shocked at the cost of accomodation in the city centre so am now looking at Quincy which appears to have reasonable transport links to the city for a non driver.
Can anyone offer their opinion on the area?
Looking at staying at the Best Western for 3 nights and catching our evening flight back from Logan to the UK on the 4th day.

Mid May is when all the college graduations are, so they are especially high during that time frame.

Specifics: What is your budget and how many are there of you ? Any other needs ? If you want to post your exact dates, might be able to offer something specific.

Assuming you are talking about the Adams Inn/Best Western, it does look like they offer a shuttle, but your talking really outside the city with possibilities of traffic in/out of city.

Cheers.

Tanya, you can always Priceline a hotel in Boston. We've had great success with Pricelining in Boston and every hotel we've had has been near the T.

seconded on the graduation ridiculousness. Expect problems with getting restaurant reservations as well.

What else are you hoping to do while in the region? For example, if you were interested in Rockport/Gloucester, you could stay up there and take the commuter rail into the city.

Planned arrival is the 15th May from Philadelphia & depart on the 18th May from Logan around 19:00.
Budget is up to $175 per night for 2 px. Ideally we'd like a place that either has laundry facilities or has a laundromat nearby & has good access to public transport.
Have not booked the train from Phl yet as we're deciding how many nights to spend in Philadelphia/Boston.
We plan to visit Salem as our top priority but can't see that taking more than a day.
Quincy looked reasonable due to the room rates & the town website looked attractive. Plus the Best Western has laundry facilities & I can accrue points.

Any tips would be appreciated.

What are your needs for hotel type ? Example: Hostelling International Boston - Chinatown has private 2 person rooms with double for about $130 per night.
http://bostonhostel.org/reservations/

There is also the Hotel Buckminster in Kenmore Sq that should be about $175 a night. It looks like they do not put out inventory this far in advance. I would recommend calling them and finding out when they release it. I have stayed here and it is nothing fancy, but the location is very good and clean. Everything is nearby including the T. http://bostonhotelbuckminster.com/

Here is what I would do:
1) Book a fully cancellable rate somewhere (best western)
2) In the spring 2013 look into airbnb.com and priceline for better more central lodging.

You may not be able to get a hotel on priceline until very late in the game because of the graduations and hotels holding them back but $175 should get it done at some point. You will have plenty of time to research zones/prices, etc.

Good luck.

If you want to visit Salem, then Quincy is about as far away as you can get.

Assuming you can't get Boston lodging (and you really really should try to, if more than half your touring is going to be in the city), then for Salem you should look for hotels in Peabody, Danvers, or Swampscott, as these are towns that are more likely to have Budget rooms for rent.

If you do end up in Quincy, I found the tour of the Adams National Historical Park quite worthwhile. The Red Line journey back into central Boston takes a while, though, so I join all the others in suggesting you keep looking for a room in a more convenient location.

Just looked at the hotel you recommended and during the week they're quoting a rate of $179 but on the Friday night it rises to $299!
May think about this hotel during the week but go somewhere cheaper for the Friday night.

I would avoid Quincy!

It is not a very good area.

The amount of money you'll spend on taxis, train, etc and the convenience factor will make it worth while to stay in the city.

I wouldn't automatically discount Quincy because it is T-accessible and pretty close to Boston, but I would not stay at that hotel. It seems to attract the wrong element. If you want to stay on the outskirts I would check the Hyatt Place in Braintree, Holiday Inn, Braintree or the Marriott in Quincy. I would think both have free shuttles to the T. Avoid the lower tier motels. Another option might be Boston B&Bs such as the John Jeffries Inn in Beacon Hill or the Kendall Hotel in Cambridge.

I agree that you should check Priceline and also Travelzoo. As it gets closer you may find some good hotel deals. P.S. Avoid Best Western Roundhouse Suites and the Hampton Suites in Boston. Dicey area.