PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Adjacent to Copley Place and the Prudential Center, the independently owned Colonnade is a luxurious spot of European-style calm in the Back Bay's retail frenzy. The attentive, gracious staff caters to an international clientele of businesspeople, sightseers, shoppers, and families. An $18-million renovation completed in 2008 made the 11-story concrete-and-glass hotel even more desirable -- the large guest rooms, decorated in muted earth tones, have pillow-top beds, marble-clad bathrooms, and sleek residential-style furnishings (a round table with two chairs on casters replaces the desk). Light floods through floor-to-ceiling windows, which open on the bustling Prudential Center or the South End's urban patchwork. The seasonal "rooftop resort" and swimming pool are a welcome change of pace in warm weather. Suites have dining rooms and sitting areas; my favorite is the Conductor's Suite (a nod to nearby Symphony Hall), which holds a baby grand piano.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Boston 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»