We decided to come to Salem on a whim in August so finding something available the 3rd weekend in…read moreOctober actually in Salem was like winning the lottery for us. The price was decent and the reviews were great. My fiance called multiple times to confirm certain details but those calls were never returned. We arrived a few hours prior to check-in (one of his calls had been about early arrival luggage storage). Flora's daughter greeted us and helped us store our luggage so we could get some food and walk around Salem. They did not have an available bathroom for use aside from the porta potty in the driveway, which we were told is the norm for Salem anyway. That was the one and only time I had to use a porta potty, thankfully, and it was clean. Once our room was ready, we were given a code to open the key lockbox and told we were on the 3rd floor. We entered the house and took the narrow high stairs all the way up to find 2 rooms... neither of which are numbered. We chose correctly the first time and started to get settled. The ceilings are super low (we are very tall humans), a queen sized bed with 1 side table, a sofa with a side table, a dresser with a TV, a dinette for 2, an ottoman, a non-working fireplace, and a very large bathroom. The bed was comfy enough and we eventually figured out how to turn the heat on. The water pressure in the shower was fantastic and the temp was perfect. The first day we arrived it rained like crazy nonstop. We were completely soaked through. They do not offer use of their clothes dryer so we were relegated to using a small house fan to dry our clothes out. The next morning we couldn't figure out exactly what we were supposed to do for breakfast because the book in the room has conflicting info - either show up during these hours for hot food or text. The first morning there was the most delicious frittata I have E V E R had. There is also a selection of all kinds of other quick breakfast items. Our last morning we went down during the set hours, but there was no breakfast so we text asking for hot breakfast. Flora ran to the kitchen to scramble eggs and cook sausage (we weren't given an option - she just cooked). The eggs were great but the sausage was still frozen so that was a bummer. She seemed put out by having to make us breakfast, which I thought was the whole premise of a bed and breakfast. And for what they charge, I definitely expected a bit more hospitality. The location of Northey Street House is wonderful. It's a quick walk to Salem Common and everything you need or want to do in town. If I had to do it again, though, I'd pick somewhere else that feels a little more homey. Otherwise we could have just stayed in a hotel with more creature comforts.

We stayed two days with the folks at Northey Street House. At first, we weren't sure what we had…read moregotten ourselves into, given we were assigned a room in the attic space which required us to carry our bags up at very narrow staircase to the third floor. By the time I lugged my wife's gigantic bag to our room I thought I had just gotten off the Stairmaster! Our room was adequate-- queen sized bed, sofa, small table with two chairs, and a nice sized bathroom with a shower. The mini-split style AC keep our room nice and chilled for a solid night sleep. The following morning, we enjoyed a home cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs and three egg omelet with tons of healthy spinach! Conversation with other guests around the table, that had place settings for six, was enjoyable. Access to restaurants and tourist attractions were within 12-15-minute walk.

Beautiful Historic Inn! Interesting architecture and very well maintained. Very friendly and…read morehelpful staff! I would highly recommend Hotel Marblehead for a short stay vs a long stay. We were here for a week. The rooms are very small, remember this is a historic inn, not a modern hotel! We had a King Suite, which is basically two small rooms adjoined. The bedroom and bathroom are very small. The closest is very small. For a short stay, no problem, but for a longer stay fitting in suitcases (with very little room to hang clothes) was difficult. Small bathroom so most of those items we stored in the bedroom. The bed was very comfy and we both slept very well! Room was very clean and up to date. It is an older Inn and there are only stairs, no elevator. We had a room up on the third floor. Walking up and down, not a problem but getting our luggage up and down, that was a workout! The living area had a table for two and a couch. The couch was extremely uncomfortable to sit on. Guessing it is a sleeper sofa (not sure why you would want to have more people in this small space), the cushions would sink and the bar went right into the backs on your legs. It was comfortable to lay down on, just not sit on! My husband took a few naps on it! The Kitchenette was only stocked with mugs and supplies, for the coffee machine (just like downstairs in the breakfast room). No wine glasses. No plates. No utensils. When we stay a week we are often taking out a few meals back to our room or enjoying sone wine with cheeses/crackers. Made it more difficult but we worked around. The continental breakfast was very good but repeated itself, again a short stay it is perfect. A longer stay like ours we went out most mornings for breakfast. It's a short drive (not walk) to town with some fun shopping and lots of places to eat. We enjoying eating and shopping around Marblehead. In nice weather, I believe they have bikes, so definitely a short ride on a bike! There is a nice common area for eating breakfast and also would be a nice place to relax and read a book. There are also a nice outside area, however, we were there during rain. Unfortunately, no alcohol is allowed in the common areas. It would have been nice to enjoy a glass of wine on our own or when our friends came up to join us (long drive for them). All in all it was a great stay and I based selecting Hotel Marblehead on the many positive reviews. I sure most of those were short stays and during our stay, only one other couple was there more than a few nights.

Perfect boutique hotel in Marblehead. Bed was super comfortable and the shower was great! Debbie…read moreat the desk was delightful and took care of any of our needs. Breakfast every morning with yogurt, fruit, granola, muffins and breads. Coffee and Tea. Located in a cool town and close to Salem and Boston

What a great start to my first trip to Boston! I wanted something special, not a generic hotel…read moreroom. I fell in love with this place as soon as I saw the listing. I lucked out with a room availability and spent the next month eagerly anticipating my stay. Why? The neighborhood looked great and the room decor looked even better. From the moment my Lyft pulled up in front of the distinctive purple house I knew I'd picked the right spot. The owner is on site to check you in, answer any questions you have about where to go, and if you ask her about the area ghosts maybe she'll let you borrow the local psychic's book too. While I didn't sense any spirits myself while I walked around Charlestown, I still enoyed reading it. I loved the neighborhood. When you're in Charlestown you're in Boston but you're not IN Boston. You're a short ride or nice walk to the heart of the Italian restaurant filled North End. You can happily begin a trek down the Freedom Trail heading towards downtown and be there in less than an hour after seeing numerous historical sites. The first two Freedom Trail locations, Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution, are a short scenic stroll from the Moroccan. Along the nearby streets you'll find charming shops, tasty restaurants, and so many cute houses lining the way. It's very walkable and has a quiet neighborhood vibe that I loved much more than staying in the much noisier downtown area. And there's a convience store (777 Convenience) super close by for any beverages or snacks you'd like to stock in the fridge. As for the Moroccan itself, listed on Google and Booking as Moroccan Boutique Guest House, the rooms are all unique. The King Suite I booked is the entire 3rd floor. While I don't love a lot of stairs after a long day of walking, there's something charming about those old creaky stairs that led to my own little oasis. The house was built in 1799 if I rememeber correctly, which means you get all the hardwood floors and ceiling beams that some call wonky and others call charming. The fireplaces aren't for fire which was fine by me. The living room area had a tv, some books and magazines to read, a very comfortable couch for lounging, and kitchen with all the supplies if you wanted to buy groceries to be your own chef. Elizabeth does leave you some bowl packs of Cheerios and a small container of milk in addition to a large bottle of water. There's also a printed list of restaurant recs included with her welcome info that I loved. I already had a bunch of places bookmarked for my trip, but I assume the less Yelpy find that list incredibly helpful. The bathroom was my favorite of the trip. Spacious shower, nice tolietries, a decorative sink, and comfy bathrobes were a nice touch. The bedroom was exactly like the pictures! The bed, a giant marshmallow with soft sheets and purple drapes, king sized of course, was a dream. It was the most comfortable bed of the 4 of the trip. We missed it every time we met a new bed that was pretty meh by comparison to its softness. From the location to the furniture to decorative touches, we loved everything about this place. If you're heading to Boston check the availability. If you're lucky, there may be a room for you. The next time I head to Boston I hope my luck holds.

Highly recommend for it's location, in the heart of the Charlestown neighborhood and very close to…read moreBunker Hill monument. Even though our room had abundance of space, charm, and amenities.....it must be noted that the property is over 200 years old and has the quirky qualities associated with the ancient architecture. Please be aware that the floor is crooked and creaky, the TV's are from the 1990s, very small and grainy resolution. But we did not travel 3000 miles to Boston to watch television! And if you are 6'3" or taller, the low ceiling height on doorways is going to be a problem! I'm 6'1" and barely cleared them.... The service is exactly as one would expect at this price, and they exceeded our expectations. Everything you could possibly want is provided, including all of the fixings for a gourmet Continental breakfast.

We loved our stay at the Marblehead Summer House! We chose it based on a friends recommendation and…read morewe are glad we did. The location is at the heart of the historic district and easily walkable. The owner and staff are warm, welcoming, and accommodating. This feels more like a bed and breakfast with charming rooms and homestyle touches but fast Wi-Fi, easy access, and large TV. We enjoyed it so much, we've already booked our stay for next year.

Stumbled upon the Marblehead Summer House while my friends and I were scrambling to find last…read moreminute accommodations for our "Halloween in Salem" weekend. Although everything in Salem was booked we discovered the town of Marblehead and within it an old house available for the weekend. The location is truly amazing, the roads are small and windy and every home dates back to the 1700-1800's. Our room in the house came equipped with 3 beds, a full kitchen, and a bathroom with a stand alone tub. John, the manager/owner was amazing - so pleasant and helpful and extremely knowledgeable about the house as well as the town's history. The home is walking distance to the water and great restaurants. I highly recommend!

My bf and I stayed here in March. I found the website online and was convinced it would be…read morewonderful because of the gorgeous pictures of the place and the stellar reviews I found all over the internet. When we got there, we found the owner and his girlfriend cooking dinner. They were very nice and welcoming. I knew to expect the owners living quarters to be really close to the guest rooms because of some of the reviews I read but since the room we were in had a private entrance we weren't worried, we figured we could come and go and have the privacy we were looking for with no problem. We told Ted that we were late sleepers and not to worry about providing breakfast for us (the website says breakfast is served between 8:30-9:30). We would much rather sleep in and then grab brunch somewhere and we didn't want to hold him up from whatever he may have had planned for the day. He seemed somewhat resistant to the idea of not providing sustenance for us so after a little discussion, J and I told him "okay, how about 10:30?" He said he would leave certain items out for us. The house and our room really were gorgeous! Ted is an architect and he has done a really great job on the house and grounds. We stayed in the pond room which had cathedral ceilings, a two person jacuzzi, a gas fireplace, double glass doors, lighted double sinks that automatically turned on when you walked into the room, a whole wall of windows, decks, and heated floors. We were really happy with the room. It was very clean and decorated with a subtle nautical theme. From the moment we got there, we kind of felt like we had to whisper in our room. Probably because there wasn't any other guests there that weekend and the owner was having dinner 20 ft from our door. I know they probably couldn't have heard us but it did make me feel more uncomfortable than I thought it would. In the morning, we were woken up bright and early by the sun coming through the large, high windows in our room. No wonder breakfast is so early, how can anyone sleep through that? However, I do have to say that if I wasn't a cranky morning person, this would be a really enjoyable way to wake up, sun and beautiful blue sky and trees to look at while lying in bed. We pulled ourselves together and quietly went to the kitchen for breakfast. Ted said he would leave things out for us so we assumed we'd be alone. He immediately came around the corner when we got to the kitchen so it felt like he may have been waiting for us. He served us cantaloupe slices with yogurt, granola and berries and a tomato and basil quiche, which was all very good. What wasn't good was that he talked to us from the kitchen the whole time we were eating, so we had to keep turning around in our chairs to respond to him. It was uncomfortable and awkward (if he had sat down with us, it wouldn't have been as bad). During our weird breakfast conversation, it comes up that J is a software engineer and next thing you know, Ted is asking for help with a website he is working on. I have no problem with J helping someone out, but DUDE we're on vacation and we are paying you good money, don't ask for business help while we are trying to relax. It just wasn't appropriate. I said "Maybe when we are on our way out on Sunday he can help you for a bit". After that, we pretty much chose to use our private entrance to the room when we came and went from the house. We didn't feel like discussing in great detail every time we came back from somewhere, what we had done and where we had gone. I think Ted meant well, he had a lot of advice and suggestions for things to do and he was a really nice guy but it just didn't mesh with our style. For the most part, we like to be left alone when we go away and Ted didn't seem to pick up on the signals we gave him. I think this B&B would be really great for an older couple, for some reason I feel like older people are more open to this type of attention. On Sunday when we packed up, J was heading out to take some things to the car and Ted followed him outside for help on his website. He spent more than an hour working on something with him, while I sat in our room waiting. We probably won't go back. Gorgeous place, beautiful backyard and pond, and nice trails that lead to a running path and the harbor. I really liked the physical surroundings but didn't really feel relaxed because Ted was overly available and obviously in closer earshot than we would have liked. A week later, Ted called and asked BF to go on trip advisor and write a positive review of our stay!! No wonder I found so many good reviews online. 5 stars for aesthetics and 1 star for invasiveness! It wasn't horrible but it was not our style. **Updating this review in March '09: Ted called J a month or so ago and said he found this review and apologized and offered us a free night at the B&B. Not sure if we'll take him up on it but nice that he tried to make amends.**

Two weekends ago my friend and I spent a lovely weekend in Marblehead at the Fox Pond Bed and…read moreBreakfast. This gem is nestled in a quiet neighborhood bordering a 37 acre sanctuary with trails that lead down to Salem Harbor. I looked at a number of B & Bs before finding this obvious and rare jewel of a home. Ted and Sophie, our hosts, were flexible as we arrived early and left a bit late since the off season is easier on everyone. This home has been meticulously redone, as have the beautiful grounds. Indeed, this property is featured in a number of architectural, gardening, and home magazines. The obvious care and attention to detail is very very unique. Our host, Ted, and his lovely dog, Sophie, made us feel right at home. Ted has an easy way about him that makes one feel like family the second you walk through the door. As is common with Bed and Breakfasts, you are a part of the family while in residence - that's the charm. The breakfasts were lovely and we invited Ted to join us as we learned about the house, its history, and received numerous tips about local attractions, restaurants, shops, and some of the local North Shore news. All in all our stay was wonderful. Ted opened his home to us and helped make our stay a memorable and relaxing time. I most enthusiastically recommend the Fox Pond B&B; we'll be back!

For the average price of a Boston hotel room you get a great room with wet bar & outdoor space on…read morethe water! Jon is a Concierge Level host. Upon arrival, he assisted with my luggage, gave me an orientation and then proceeded to share with me valuable tips on attractions, restaurants and transportation. Jon was always available by phone/text. There are two equal sized units in the Green Turtle houseboat. The rooms are similar size to a quality hotel. Comfortable bed, two chairs, side table, hutch as a closet, wet bar with microwave, small refrig w/frz & coffee maker, The Bathroom & shower with seat is great. The houseboat was exceptionally clean with all components in good working order. Amenities provided was impressive: Peets Coffee, teas, creamer, yogurt, juices, water and breakfast pastries. Jon offered to refill anything I might need. Wifi worked great, wall mounted TV with Roku, thermostatically controlled AC unit and base board manually controlled heat. Green Turtle location is AMAZING, berthed on the last dock in the Charleston Marina with sweeping views in every direction. The Marina is within walking distance to ferries, shuttles and services. The Marina houses many high-end yachts. It should be noted, the houseboat is anchored on a two-sided dock. When the other side of the dock is occupied, it impedes the panoramic view. Regardless, the view at in every direction was lovely and I enjoyed seeing the neighbor yacht up close. I highly recommend the Green Turtle!

The Green Turtle did not tell you in advance that there is a huge yacht that resides in front of…read morethe houseboat which can look into the houseboat unless you have the shades down. There are also a few issues other than the obstructed view. The pocket door going into the bathroom which sticks constantly and you can't close the door without a lot of noise. The bathroom shower handle to turn on the water is also broken and you need a lot of strength to turn it on. If we had known the view would have been obstructed we would have not rented this houseboat.

Archer hotel is the only hotel we will stay when visiting our family in the Boston area. It is…read moregorgeous, immaculate and in the best area all while being close enough to Boston. The staff are always very pleasant and go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need. The bar area is beautiful and the bartenders make the best drinks. Plenty of restaurants all within walking distance and several more to choose from in the mall located 2 minutes down the street. The rooms are huge with 2 king sized beds that are sooo comfortable to sleep on. I booked our room this time using the Mother's Day promo and received a bottle of champagne at check in that was presented to me in a cute gift bag. Small things like that leave lasting memories.

Where do I start? The location was perfect -- close to so many great food spots! The restaurant and…read morebar décor was beautiful, and the food was just as impressive. Every staff member we met was kind, helpful, and welcoming. Our room had so many thoughtful touches -- a Nespresso maker, complimentary slippers, and other small details that made our stay feel special. It was our first time staying at an Archer property, and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, there aren't any Archer hotels down south, but I can't wait for the next opportunity to stay at another one!

The Beech Tree Inn is 10 stars. My parents stayed here when they came to visit and received A+…read moretreatment the entire time. It's easy to get to (right near Coolidge Corner), and easy to check in (even if you're after hours). They have breakfast for you every morning, and you can either eat in your room or eat at the big dining table downstairs. Downstairs is a great opportunity to chat with the other people that are staying at the BTI. I would recommend trying to get a room with your own bathroom to prevent the awkward walking through the halls in a towel moments with strangers. My favorite part about BTI was the freshly baked cookies and snacks they had every afternoon. It was like coming back to a home with all the great smells of food cooking and people happy to see you. The staff here was wonderful - so friendly, helpful and accommodating. They didn't mind that I hung out with my parents at the Inn and even ate some of their food. Another plus is the VHS library they have. They have tons of movies you can watch for free, and they have tons of guidebooks for those visiting and unfamiliar with Boston. Tell all your friends and family to stay at the Beech Tree Inn.

I stayed here in March, 2011 for four nights while attending a meeting at the Harvard Medical…read moreSchool, about a 15 minute walk away. It was significantly cheaper than the Best Western by the medical school, and much, much nicer. What could be better? It is very nicely decorated and clean. The breakfast was an excellent continental breakfast that included home-baked sweets and plenty of healthy options. When returning in the evening, I often had tea and a freshly baked cookie or brownie. It's close to Coolidge Corner, which has plenty of places to eat out. It's near the T. The wifi was free and fast. I was delighted to stay at the Beech Tree Inn, and highly recommend it.