A castle near Boston???!!! (Sheraton Braintree (Braintree, USA))

Member Name: tartlette

Product:	Sheraton Braintree (Braintree, USA)
Date:	20/05/09 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comfortable, reliable

Disadvantages: None

My parents and I were meeting some friends who lived near Braintree and we needed somewhere nearby to stay. My parents had stayed in this hotel before and like it so it was an obvious choice for us.

LOCATION:

The hotel is located in Braintree which is a town just outside of Boston. It is located just off a main highway so is useful for connecting to other areas. You can't miss the hotel as it designed to look like a castle (or at least the USA version of a castle - faux medieval is not my favourite look!). It is directly opposite a large mall, which of course I made full use of! It's not that convenient for Boston and is really more of a business hotel than a tourist one. If you are travelling into the city it's about a 25 minute drive or the hotel does have a free shuttle which will take you to the 'T', the Boston transport system.

PRICES:

The hotel charges vary depending on how far in advance you book. We paid about $200 but my Dad only booked a couple of days before we went. If you book well in advance you can get a room for about $130. I don't think the price for us was too bad considering that there were three of us and we got breakfast. If you book in advance it can work out very reasonable to stay here.

EXPERIENCE:

We arrived in the afternoon and were checked in straight away. The reception staff were all extremely friendly and helpful. We headed up to our room which was on the top (6th) floor. We'd been given a room on the member's floor as Dad is a Club Member. This meant we got a free continental breakfast and free access to evening appetizers on our floor.

The room contained two double beds, a desk and TV. The bathroom was fairly standard, with a shower over a shallow bath (those baths are ridiculous - you can't bath in something that shallow!). There was another sink outside the bathroom with a vanity mirror. The wardrobe contained hangers and had an ironing board and iron in as well. The beds were really comfortable with plenty of pillows and covers and we all slept really well. There were tea and coffee facilities although they had not remembered to add more cups knowing that there were three of us sharing the room. The décor was very hotel like, quite plain and not very exciting!

Breakfast was served in a dining room downstairs. Our continental breakfast was included but we could have upgraded to cooked if we wished. However, the continental really was plenty. There were yoghurts, fresh fruit including pineapples, strawberries and blueberries, cereals, breads and pastries. To drink there were juices, tea or coffee. The breakfast was really good, the food all tasted very fresh and there was plenty of variety for us.

There was a club room on our floor which can only be accessed by the room keys for that floor. This was a good bonus! In the evening they serve appetizers here, although we were heading out for dinner so didn't have a chance to sample any of them. At other times you could go into the room for free drinks (tea, coffee and bottles of water) and snacks (crisps, sweets and cereal bars).

The hotel has a pool which looks really nice but I didn't have enough time to try it our unfortunately! There is an outside pool as well and a small fitness room, sauna and whirlpool. The hotel has wi -fi although you have to pay for it which annoys me greatly and downstairs there is a small gift shop. There is a TGI Friday's in the hotel and also a bar which serves cocktails and snacks, although we were heading out for dinner so didn't try these, it's nice to know they are available.

CONCLUSION:

I really liked this hotel. It was exactly what we needed. It's a Sheraton so, as most corporate hotels, it has little individual character but we were just looking for something convenient and reliable. The beds were really comfortable, the breakfast was good and the members' room was a great bonus. I would stay again if I was heading to the same area.

Summary: Recommended