Four Seasons Boston ★★★★★

Across the road from the oldest public garden in the country

The hotel stands at 200 Boylston Street, on the corner where Back Bay meets the Theater District, with the Boston Public Garden directly opposite and Boston Common continuing behind it. The Public Garden is the oldest botanical garden in the United States, and having twenty four acres of it as the outlook changes the character of a city stay: the front rooms face mature trees, the lagoon and the swan boats rather than traffic. Victorian brownstones line the streets on either side, which keeps the scale domestic despite the size of the house.

Rooms and suites sized for more than one night

There are just over two hundred and seventy rooms, and unusually for a city hotel more than sixty of them are executive suites, with a further set of larger luxury suites above. The garden facing rooms are the ones to ask for. Layouts are generous, with seating areas that work for a family or for a stay that mixes work and holiday, and the upper floors gain height over the treetops towards Beacon Hill.

A pool on the eighth floor facing the trees

The heated indoor pool sits on the eighth floor behind oversized windows that look out over the garden, so laps come with the same view as the front rooms. A whirlpool and a fitness room complete the floor. In a city where winter closes outdoor terraces for months, an indoor pool with daylight is a practical argument rather than a luxury.

Coffee in the morning, cocktails at the end of the day

Sottovento handles the morning, an all day cafe serving coffee from local roasters, and Coterie is the bar for the evening. The ground floor rooms open onto Boylston Street, which means they draw a Boston crowd as well as guests, and the kitchen covers room service for the hours when nothing outside is open.

Beacon Hill, the Common and the Freedom Trail on foot

Crossing the road puts you in the Public Garden; ten minutes through it reaches Beacon Hill, Charles Street and the State House. The Freedom Trail begins on the Common, so the historic route starts at the door. Newbury Street and its boutiques run parallel a few blocks north, the Theater District is immediately south, and Arlington station on the Green Line is at the corner. Logan Airport is a short drive through the tunnel.

Why this address is in our Boston selection

It covers the requirement that the harbour hotels cannot: a garden facing address in the historic centre, a pool and spa floor for the cold months, suites that suit families, and a location where the sightseeing starts on foot rather than in a taxi. Travellers looking for a small design house will find this too large. Those who want space, a view of the garden and everything within walking distance will find it exactly right.