St. Patrick's Day in Boston (New Bedford, Quincy: apartment, good hotels, neighborhood)

[Becca8377]

Hi all!!

Some friends and I are trying to plan on spending a few days for St. Patty's in Boston. My dad and stepmom live in Roslindale, and most of the times I go to Boston I normally just stay with them and take the T into town. For this trip, however, we're talking about staying in a hotel in the city to make things easier.

What are some good (and CHEAP) hotels to stay at for St. Patty's Day? Ideally we'd like to be close to South Boston so that we can check out the parade and also as many Irish pubs as possible . I would say there will be anywhere from 4 to 15 of us - it's just in the planning stages so I don't know for sure yet.

Thanks!!

[Cliff Clavin]

For a South Boston visit, any of the hotels in the Seaport (The Westin, The Renaissance, Seaport Hotel) would be an easy walk down D St to Broadway, but I'm not sure I would call them "cheap".

Also keep in mind the parade is always on a Sunday and not necessarily on St Patrick's Day. I think it's the 20th next year.

[Becca8377]

Thanks - unfortunately those are more expensive than we want to pay. I guess I would say that cheap and in a decent location is better than expensive and RIGHT in downtown or southie. I tried looking at Google and didn't find any cheap hotels located right in those areas, so we may have to take the T after all. I saw a Best Western nearby and also my sister has stayed at the Hampton Inn when she goes to Fenway.

Right now we're looking at going Weds 3/16 to Mon 3/21 so that we can be there for St. Patty's Day and the parade.

[lrfox]

You said you have a relative nearby, right? I would consider waiting until the last minute and using priceline or hotwire for a hotel. Have you ever used those services before? They sell unbooked hotel rooms at below advertised prices (often 1/2 the price that the hotel's website will list) and the deal gets better the closer you get to the nights you will be staying. The catch is that they don't give you a hotel name until after you pay. You will know the rate, star rating, and the neighborhood (i.e. Faneuil Hall area, Back Bay, Copley Square, Beacon Hill, etc). In Boston this is great because just about anything in a central neighborhood will be fine in terms of safety, walkability and access to the bars.

I checked kayak.com (another great resource) and it seems that most hotels are still pretty pricey for that weekend. I don't know what "cheap" is to you, but most are going for over $130/night until you get further out of town (further than Roslindale). Hotwire's rates are still high, but they should drop as you get closer to St. Patty's Day.

I'd suggest planning on staying with your father and trying to book a hotel via hotwire or priceline in the week just before the nights you want to stay (I find priceline and hotwire to have the best rates 2 or 3 days before you want to travel). That way if you still can't find a good rate, you'll have a place to crash. It's going to be a busy weekend and the hotels know this. Boston is known for St. Patty's Day. It may be hard to get a good rate that weekend.

Just a heads up. I think St. Patty's Day in Boston is something that everyone should experience. It's nuts. A good deal of fun, and even more sloppiness. However, I have done it twice now and generally head out of town that night (Providence, New Bedford or even Newport RI) as Boston is a little too crazy on St. Patty's. You'll spend an hour in line at a regular 'ol pub and pay $18 for pitchers of beer that may or may not run out well before last call. All the while, you'll have no room to even move in the bar. It's certainly a site to see, but I hate having to wait 45+ minutes to get into places I usually just walk in and out of. Again, the craziness outside is entertaining (especially around Faneuil Hall... generally most neighborhood joints are a little more subdued but still louder than average), enjoy it. But don't expect to have your pick of any bar in the city. It'll most likely be the place with the shortest line. Also, bring some "beverages" on the train or pregame in the hotel as it may be a while before you get a drink at the bar.

[enpan13]

its spelled "Paddy's"

Paddy = Patrick
Patty = Patricia

[Becca8377]

Originally Posted by lrfox

You said you have a relative nearby, right? I would consider waiting until the last minute and using priceline or hotwire for a hotel. Have you ever used those services before? They sell unbooked hotel rooms at below advertised prices (often 1/2 the price that the hotel's website will list) and the deal gets better the closer you get to the nights you will be staying. The catch is that they don't give you a hotel name until after you pay. You will know the rate, star rating, and the neighborhood (i.e. Faneuil Hall area, Back Bay, Copley Square, Beacon Hill, etc). In Boston this is great because just about anything in a central neighborhood will be fine in terms of safety, walkability and access to the bars.

I checked kayak.com (another great resource) and it seems that most hotels are still pretty pricey for that weekend. I don't know what "cheap" is to you, but most are going for over $130/night until you get further out of town (further than Roslindale). Hotwire's rates are still high, but they should drop as you get closer to St. Patty's Day.

I'd suggest planning on staying with your father and trying to book a hotel via hotwire or priceline in the week just before the nights you want to stay (I find priceline and hotwire to have the best rates 2 or 3 days before you want to travel). That way if you still can't find a good rate, you'll have a place to crash. It's going to be a busy weekend and the hotels know this. Boston is known for St. Patty's Day. It may be hard to get a good rate that weekend.

Just a heads up. I think St. Patty's Day in Boston is something that everyone should experience. It's nuts. A good deal of fun, and even more sloppiness. However, I have done it twice now and generally head out of town that night (Providence, New Bedford or even Newport RI) as Boston is a little too crazy on St. Patty's. You'll spend an hour in line at a regular 'ol pub and pay $18 for pitchers of beer that may or may not run out well before last call. All the while, you'll have no room to even move in the bar. It's certainly a site to see, but I hate having to wait 45+ minutes to get into places I usually just walk in and out of. Again, the craziness outside is entertaining (especially around Faneuil Hall... generally most neighborhood joints are a little more subdued but still louder than average), enjoy it. But don't expect to have your pick of any bar in the city. It'll most likely be the place with the shortest line. Also, bring some "beverages" on the train or pregame in the hotel as it may be a while before you get a drink at the bar.

Thanks for the input! Unfortunately, I cannot rely on my Dad/Stepmom to stay in their place - they live in a small apartment that there's no way it would accommodate all of the people that are planning on coming. It's looking more like we'll have to find a place not directly in the city and just take the T into town. As long as we can find a hotel within walking distance of a T line, that would work. My Dad's place isn't even on the T line, it's about a 5-10min drive anyway (we want to cut down on driving as much as possible since no one will want to be the DD lol)

I've been to big events before - not THIS big, but big enough that I know we'll definitely have to do some pregaming - not to mention it's cheaper than the bars anyway

Thanks again for your insight! If you know of any good hotels on a T line, let me know

[Cliff Clavin]

Look into Quincy. I'm not sure what they have for hotels down there, but I'm sure it would be cheaper than staying in the city. And it would be only a few stops on the Red line to Brodaway (begining of the parade route) and Andrew Sq (end of the parade route) as well as downtown.