The Newbury Boston ★★★★★

Boston's first Ritz-Carlton, reborn

The building at the corner of Arlington and Newbury Streets opened in 1927 as one of the first Ritz-Carltons in the country, with a seven-course dinner to mark the occasion, and for decades it was where Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and John F. Kennedy stayed when they were in town. It later traded as the Taj Boston before closing for a complete restoration and reopening as The Newbury under its own name. Jeffrey Beers International led the design, with Champalimaud on the guest rooms and Ken Fulk on the rooftop, and the curators Mike Carroll and Lynne Kortenhaus assembled an art collection that refers to Boston's history alongside contemporary work. The lobby, with its wainscoting and black-and-pearl herringbone floors, sets the tone.

Ninety suites, many with fireplaces

The 286 rooms include ninety suites, more than any other hotel in the city, and nearly half of those suites keep a working wood-burning fireplace, a rarity in an American city hotel. Champalimaud's rooms are dressed in grey and white with rich wood, brass and marble accents, Frette linens and Byredo bath products, and the park-view rooms look straight over the Public Garden. Suites add floor-to-ceiling windows and, in several cases, standalone tubs in marble bathrooms. Pets are welcome, in-room spa treatments can be arranged, and the fitness center runs Peloton bikes, Life Fitness and Freemotion equipment and TRX trainers.

Contessa on the roof, The Street Bar below

Contessa is Major Food Group's Italian restaurant on the roof, a 4,000-square-foot room by Ken Fulk with retractable glass walls and ceilings that open onto the Back Bay skyline, and it draws Bostonians as much as hotel guests. The Street Bar recreates the 1920s in dark wood and leather, with deviled eggs, beef tartare, oysters and lobster chowder alongside the cocktails. The Library, reserved for guests, has indigo walls, a roaring fireplace, complimentary refreshments and a collection of books curated with the Boston Public Library.

The Public Garden as a front yard

The hotel faces the Public Garden across Arlington Street, with the swan boats, the Make Way for Ducklings statues and Boston Common beyond, and Newbury Street's boutiques begin at the front door. Beacon Hill and the State House are about ten minutes' walk, the Theater District five, and the Arlington Green Line stop is at the corner. Seasonal bicycles are lent to guests for the Esplanade, a few minutes away along the river. Check-in is at 3 pm and check-out at noon, and valet parking is available.

Why we selected it

A landmark building, real fireplaces, a rooftop restaurant with a reputation and the Public Garden at the window: The Newbury is the address we recommend to couples and to travelers who want a grand hotel restored with taste rather than nostalgia, at the point where Back Bay meets the Common.