Oh, Boston… how I love you.
Last weekend Drew and I took our very first trip to the beautiful city, and it did not disappoint. The entire city was filled with so much charm, history, fall foliage magic, and simply beauty everywhere. We have both decided that it is one of our favorite cities to visit so far, and we can’t wait to go back! I am slowly falling in love with bits of New England at a time, especially at the time of year.
where to stay
We stayed at Boston Harbor Hotel – and it was truly one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever stayed in. As the name implies, the hotel is located right downtown on the Boston Harbor and the location is spectacular.
Boston Harbor Hotel made us feel right at home with the sweetest welcome and the most beautiful treats to celebrate our first time to visit the city. We woke up to the most beautiful view of the city each morning and enjoyed coffee in our living space before heading out for the day. Our junior suite room was so lovely. Some of my favorite details were the vintage Boston photographs in the living space, the spacious vanity area to put on my makeup each morning, and the classic, bright vibes from the interior design of the room. I was definitely taking notes because our room was so cozy and had so much charm – I’m thinking it’s time to make some updates to our bedroom at home after being inspired by our room in the hotel!
The common spaces throughout the hotel were also a dream. The minute you walked into the hotel you experienced the luxury of the property, no matter where you were. Below you can see how stunning some of the spaces were. Even the elevators in the lobby were luxurious with marble detailing, gorgeous light fixtures, and artwork. Every time we walked in and were greeted by the kindest doormen (who I was most sad to say goodbye to on the last day) it felt like we were walking right into a movie. We truly felt like royalty throughout our entire stay!
Of course I have to point out how peaceful and serene the harbor views are from the hotel patio. When you walk out the back doors of the hotel lobby you are greeted by docked boats and a beautiful view of the harbor. There are chairs and seating areas to sit outside along the marina to relax, and enjoy sunset (or sunrise) as the boats come in. Also, right outside of the hotel there is the 60-foot stone archway complete with the American flag hanging and it was one of my favorite spots in all of the city perfectly encapsulating the rich history and patriotism of Boston.
Overall, our stay at Boston Harbor Hotel definitely made our first time in Boston extra special. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stay anywhere else when visiting in the future! We can’t wait to go back!
where to eat
dinner
Our friends at Boston Harbor Hotel were so helpful in providing wonderful recommendations for us as it was our first visit to the city. Both of our dinner spots were recommended by hotel staff and I have to say, they did not steer us wrong! Our first night there we ate at Mariel, an upscale cuban restaurant. The restaurant itself was absolutely stunning and the best way I can describe it is – swanky. The entire vibe was just so much fun, the service was great, and of course the food and drinks were delicious! We enjoyed the chicken tots, fufu gnocchi, yuca cheese puffs, and all three were unlike anything we’ve ever had before and all so tasty. Also, I highly recommend the espresso martini to finish the meal – 10/10! One final note about Mariel… if you are visiting the city, make sure to make a reservation here early as it is a popular spot and reservations fill up quickly!
For dinner the second night we had a reservation at a popular Italian restaurant in the North End, another recommendation by our fabulous hotel and so many others who said “eat Italian food in the North End!” The restaurant we went to was Bricco and y’all… not to be dramatic, but it was the BEST Italian food I think I’ve ever had in my life. It was amazing. I’m still dreaming about the Agnollotti al Plin (definitely had to Google that) and Gnocchetti Sorrentina (my personal FAV). We also started the meal off with a Prosciutto appetizer paired with the house made bread and it was also perfection *chefs kiss.* We ate here Sunday evening and as we were walking out after our meal the restaurant was still packed – even at 10 PM, which I think speaks to just great it really is! Definitely make a reservation on Open Table ahead of time… and GO, you won’t be disappointed! When we return to Boston, this restaurant will be at the top of our list to go back to!
lunch
Sunday during lunch time we were walking through Beacon Hill (my favorite area, more on that below under explore) and randomly stopped at this little Italian restaurant for a bite to eat for lunch. We knew we had a reservation for Italian food already that evening, but we decided we would go ahead and eat here for lunch and just grab a salad and a little pizza to share to hold us over until our late reservation that evening. It turns out, we loved this spot. It was busy so we sat at the bar, met the nicest couple who are Boston natives, had the worlds best bartender/server to talk with about sports and New England beer. The food was really good too! We ended up loving Toscano and are so glad we stumbled across it as we were walking through the city!
Another lunch spot we visited was a popular one recommended by several friends and also in short walking distance to our hotel – The Barking Crab! Super cute little place. We knew we had to have seafood at least one meal while in Boston and on the Harbor, and it was good! We decided to share the naked lobster roll, lobster mac and cheese and clam chowder and all were really tasty. I’m still a little indecisive on what my final verdict is for a lobster roll. It was good, but not life changing, you know? I’m thinking I should have tried a true lobster roll instead of the naked one, but that’s just another good reason for why we need to go back really soon! Overall we liked the food, but it wasn’t our favorite meal while in the city.
breakfast
We stopped for Breakfast at Tatte Bakery on Sunday morning because I had seen so many people post about it when visiting Boston. They have a ton of locations all over the city and area, we went to the Emerson location. The line was wrapped around the entire building, lots of other people must have had the same idea! We shared a chocolate croissant and a couple of other pastries just as a small snack before a day full of basically eating our body weight in Italian food. It was really tasty, the coffee was good and it was super cute! If you’re near one, it’s a great place to grab a quick bit, a sweet treat and a cup of coffee for the walk around the city!
Other recommendations from our wonderful friends at Boston Harbor Hotel included:
Tradesman Coffee Shop – coffee and pastries
Rowes Wharf Sea Grill – seafood (right beside Boston Harbor Hotel!)
Neptune Oyster – seafood
Row 34 – seafood
James Hook Lobster – for classic New England foods – lobster rolls and clam chowder
where to explore
Staying downtown on the Harbor, we were in a great spot to walk to many locations we had on our to-do list throughout the weekend. We did Uber some as it was raining Monday and after lots of walking, some Ubers were definitely necessary on our feet! However we did walk a TON! I think Sunday we finished the day with just over 26,000 steps! Here are some of my favorite things we did, visited and placed we explored…
Beacon Hill was by far one of my most favorite areas of Boston. When I imagined what I thought Boston may be like, Beacon Hill is what came to mind, and it did not disappoint. This is an area of Boston with absolutely stunning townhomes and shops and it’s just adorable, especially during the fall. I loved just walking up and down the streets looking at all of the adorable fall and Halloween stoops decorated for the season, and taking in the beauty of it. We also made our way to the famous Acorn street that you have probably seen photographed in Boston! I loved sipping on a coffee walking in the cool fall weather and just taking in Boston in Beacon Hill! This is also the area we stopped for lunch on Sunday and ate at Toscana, and they have lots of cute shops to go in as well! Some favorite spots in this area are Acorn Street, Rouvalis Flower Shop and Charles Street.
Boston Commons and Boston Public Gardens – another beautiful area to see Boston! We found some stunning foliage within Boston Commons and the weather was so nice the first two days we were in town so we enjoyed just walking around the parks, hearing some live music, watching dogs chase squirrels and admiring the beautiful trees! This area is also close to a lot of historical markers and Drew loved visiting the historical locations in town like the site of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s Grave, several monuments along the Freedom Trail, and more!
Fenway Park – we walked from Harvard back to Fenway Park and it was a HIKE. By the time we got to Fenway it was almost 5 PM and we had been walking for about an hour straight and were exhausted (this was the day we went 26,000 steps lol)! We got to see the park, but decided not to do the hour long tour within the ballpark. Next time we visit, we’d love to go to an actual game! The history of Fenway park is so cool, and we have now officially deemed ourselves to be Red Sox fans!
The North End – to see Old North Church, additional historical sites and to eat the BEST Italian food in Boston!
Boston Public Library – the architecture is absolutely stunning.
Boston Esplanade Trails on the Charles River – great to see fall foliage and beautiful river views!
Brattle Book Shop
Visit Harvard
Next time we visit we have it on our list to take a boat tour to see Boston from that lens, especially since we stayed on the Harbor and saw how beautiful the views were from our hotel looking out! We would also love to go to an actual game at Fenway Park and maybe go see the Bruins play as well! I am sure there are millions of other fun and exciting things to do, but this is what we were able to fit into a short 3 day visit!
Tan Sweater // White Turtleneck // Denim
We absolutely loved our time in Boston, and can’t wait to go back soon! If you’ve been and have a favorite spot I’d love to know about it!
xx,
Madison
