Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill is a good location in the city near the Charles River. Beacon Hill is an historic neighborhood of Boston in the center of the Shawmut Peninsula of the city. The Massachusetts State House is at the top of Beacon Hill (1795 – Architect Charles Bulfinch). The state government is often referred to as ‘Beacon Hill’ in local news.
Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill is at the bottom of the North Slope of Beacon Hill. It is about a 15 to 20 minute uphill walk to the State House and Boston Common from the hotel.
The fascinating aspects about this square mile of Boston are the Federal-style row houses on the slope and this area of the North Slope was the African American neighborhood in the decades prior to the Civil War. The houses are beautiful. The streets require a watchful eye for obstructions and uneven brick and cobble sidewalks.
When I walked back to the Wyndham hotel from Boston Common on a warm July summer Saturday night around 10pm, the number of doors open at houses on Beacon Hill streets kind of surprised me. If your perception of Boston is a scary big city, all I can say is I don’t see many homes leave their front doors wide open on a Saturday night in downtown San Francisco.
Arrival
I came from the InterContinental Boston on the Boston Waterfront on the south side of the city’s peninsula. The T station at Charles/MGH is about a five minute walk to the hotel. MGH stands for Massachusetts General Hospital. The hotel is surrounded by hospitals with a Whole Foods Market conveniently located behind the hotel.
Reception told me I was assigned a high floor room with a view, but it was not ready at 1pm. The front desk staffer took my cell phone number and I checked my luggage. The hotel bar was packed with drinkers at 1pm on a Saturday.
I had a call within 45 minutes that the room was ready, but I was already touring the Museum of African American History. The museum is small and unfortunately, no photos allowed. The primary reason I wanted photos to remember all the historical books displayed about first hand accounts of slavery and escaping slavery in the 19th century.
Museum of African American History has a $5 admission charge. Admission includes a guided tour by a National Parks Service ranger of the African Meeting House. This is one of the pivotal places where the abolitionist movement gathered to discuss ways to end slavery in the USA and protect runaway slaves. The wood planks on the floor are the same planks Frederick Douglass and many other notable African-Americans walked upon.
The National Park Service offers free guided tours for the Black Heritage Trail in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill
My hotel room was on a high floor with the preferred view looking out to the Charles River.
The bathroom was comfortable with a tub/shower.
The hotel features an outdoor pool, fitness center, business center and laundry room.
One thing that stood out to me during my hotel stay at Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill was the friendliness of the staff. The people I encountered at the hotel and interactions I observed between staff and guests caught my attention for the positive attitudes.
Another notable aspect of the location is the variety of restaurants right around the hotel with Mexican, Asian, pizza and more. After two weeks in Europe, I enjoyed eating burritos two days in a row from Anna’s Taqueria. Those were my takeaway meals for the Outside the Box music festival happening in Boston Common.
My first Wyndham Rewards 15,000 points Go Free Stay
Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill is 15,000 points for a free night with Wyndham Rewards. This is the same price for all Wyndham Hotels. This one night stay on a Saturday night in Boston peak tourist season was the best deal I found.
Published room rate was $299 during my stay and $342.20 after tax. My 15,000 points had a redemption value of $22.81 per 1,000 points. My Wyndham Rewards points were purchased in 2013 for $6.00 per 1,000 points making this a $90 room night.
