Chic Back Bay Apt Incl. Hot Breakfast, Laptop + Phone!

• Best Neighborhood in Boston

  Best Neighborhood in Boston

  • Guest Jeanne Leeman A.
  • Date of stay 05/01/13
  • Review Submitted 05/17/13
  248 Marlborough St. in the Back Bay was an ideal location. It's a nineteenth century dream. In early spring, everything was in bloom. Two blocks from the esplanade along the Charles River. A few blocks from the Copley Square subway stop. Near DeLuca's Market and Trader Joe's. We walked to the Freedom Trail, Beacon Hill, Faneuil Hall, Fenway Park, the Museum of Fine Arts. Took commuter rail to Concord and Salem. Didn't need a car. Lots of great restaurants, lots of great shopping. The studio was spacious with a fully stocked kitchen and a nice bay window on the first floor. Flat screen, wi-fi, animal print pillows, lots of candles, tub and shower, landline, near the public garden and Boston Common. Nothing to complain about. Absolutely nothing. 25 dollar taxi ride from Logan Airport. Other than that , use the "T" (the subway). Would do it again in a heartbeat.

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• perfect location

  perfect location

  • Guest angela g.
  • Date of stay 04/12/13
  • Review Submitted 04/19/13
  We absolutely loved the location! Close to the St. Charles river, the boston marathon, back bay, etc....everything you would want! Great living space, small bathroom, ALL the conveniences of home (shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, towels, hair drier, coffee maker, juice, water, everything)! Upstairs neighbor was only a bit loud one evening, otherwise, no issues.

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• Snowy views from a cozy couch

  Snowy views from a cozy couch

  • Guest michelle j.
  • Date of stay 03/15/13
  • Review Submitted 03/29/13
  Our hostess was very accommodating. We were able to check in early and check out late in accordance with our flight schedules which was a huge relief. The place is cute and comfortable... very comfortable bed. It is an old building and an old space, but we love the character that age lends to a space. It was cold and snowy when we visited Boston yet the little apartment was never chilly. It was so warm in fact, we didn't even use the fluffy down comforter she has on the bed. She has a few throw blankets which were nice to use while we watched the snow from the couch through the huge bay windows. We played cards and sipped cocoa till the worst of it passed. It has a few little quirks ... but we felt as if we were visiting a friends home. It was clean and she leaves ample comforts of home for any travelers needs. The laptop is a nice touch. The best part about the apartment is the location. It is in the best location for tourists. We were able to see all of the sights with little effort. The T is merely blocks away. The neighborhood felt safe and was very quiet. I would love to go back another time.

  Owner response: Thanks so much for your review Michelle! It was a pleasure hosting you.

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• Perfect Studio in beautiful Back Bay

  Perfect Studio in beautiful Back Bay

  • Guest Nanci B.
  • Date of stay 10/07/12
  • Review Submitted 10/18/12
  This lovely studio is located on tree-lined Marlborough Street in the heart of the Back Bay in a historic old brownstone building, allowing you to live the good life in Boston. It was immaculate, very roomy for a studio, and extremely well equipped. Kim could not have been easier to work with and was a perfect hostess, albeit from afar! She even stocks the kitchen with breakfast goodies for your convenience. I would highly recommend Kim's apartment, and would definitely stay there again.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

• Great Location

  Great Location

  • Guest Claire L.
  • Date of stay 09/26/12
  • Review Submitted 10/07/12
  We had never been to Boston before and were unsure about which area to stay in. Fortunately for us we chose this great apartment in Back Bay. It is within easy walking distance to most visitor attractions in Boston (an earlier review stated that it was a short train ride into town, but in actual fact by the time you walk the 5 minutes to the nearest 'T' station, it is only another 10 min stroll to the Downtown area). Fenway park is about the same distance in the opposte direction! There are lots of bars, restaurants and shops in the close vicinity. The apartment itself is well equipped and perfect for a short break. We didn't even have to buy staples like milk/tea/coffee/butter etc, as they were all in the well stocked kitchen. Kim was most helpful in all stages of our booking, and even when we were actually in Boston she was only a phone call or an email away if we had a question. I would have no hesitation in recommending this property to anyone visiting Boston.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Fabulous

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Fabulous

  • Guest Jan Y.
  • Date of stay 06/23/12
  • Review Submitted 07/03/12
  The condo was fabulous. It was fully stocked with all the amenities you could want. It's in a very convenient location...4 blocks from subway, shopping and restaurants, but in a residential setting so very quite. It's also only 2 blocks from the esplanade which is a great park along the Charles River (great for running, walking or people watching). We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to stay again and would highly recommend it.

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• Great apartment in a great location

  Great apartment in a great location

  • Guest Ben C.
  • Date of stay 06/06/12
  • Review Submitted 06/17/12
  Really I cannot fault this place and Kim was great to deal with. The location in Back Bay is a short train ride to the middle of town and offers everything at your doorstep. Will definitely recommend this place. Thanks Kim.

  Owner response: Thanks for your review!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Best Place to Stay in the Back Bay

  Best Place to Stay in the Back Bay

  • Guest Magdalena S.
  • Date of stay 04/19/12
  • Review Submitted 04/24/12
  We had a great time staying here. Kim was very responsive to our emails and provided great instructions. Her description was accurate and everything was convenient in walking distance from the apartment. The home is well stocked with amenities to make it feel like home. I would recommend my friends and for anyone looking to travel for business to stay here and enjoy Boston.

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• Best Place to Stay in the Back Bay

  Best Place to Stay in the Back Bay

  • Guest Magdalena S.
  • Date of stay 04/19/12
  • Review Submitted 04/24/12
  We had a great time staying here. Kim was very responsive to our emails and provided great instructions. Her description was accurate and everything was convenient in walking distance from the apartment. The home is well stocked with amenities to make it feel like home. I would recommend my friends and for anyone looking to travel for business to stay here and enjoy Boston.

  Owner response: Thanks so much for your review.

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• Unique experience to live... as a Bostonian

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Unique experience to live... as a Bostonian

  • Guest Sinead N.
  • Date of stay 01/16/11
  • Review Submitted 10/13/11
  My first time to AIRBNB ... very positive experience. Kim's place is cozy, clean, and central. We (literally) walked everywhere from Marlborough Street. It was a unique experience to live for a brief while as a Bostonian in a great neighborhood. Kim was an incredible hostess. She really delivered in every way possible to making our stay as perfect as could be. She was promptly responsive to emails regarding use of appliances (even on her own holiday Thanksgiving weekend). She was totally flexible on delivery of keys and to our final departure time - which again made a big difference to us. The guidebooks were a welcome sight and very helpful! Basically Kim went out of her way - even to the point of placing Ghirardelli chocolates on our pillows (we're from Cal) ... how thoughtful was that?! Needless to say I highly recommend Kim's place on Marlborough Street. Enjoy!

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Fees:

• Tax Rate 6.25%

Cancellation policy:

Thank you for your interest in our vacation rental! It is $248 per night plus 6.25% MA sales tax. This rate includes hot daily brunch (you supply the chef) :), unlimited use of laptop with wifi, flatscreen TV with extensive selection of cable channels, landline phone for unlimited calls within the US and Canada (answering machine also provided) and welcome cocktail(s)! To make a reservation, a 50% deposit is required. The balance is due a minimum of 30 days before your arrival date. The following payment methods are accepted: Credit Card (through the HomeAway site), Paypal and Check. There is a 10% discount for payments by check made directly to owner (not through HA site). Please see details below. Reservations are confirmed when the deposit is received. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Regards, Kim Aharon kim.aharon@hotmail.com (619) 417-6465 ----------------------------- HOUSE MANUAL: Thank you for your reservation! The address of the apartment is 248 Marlborough Street, Apartment #2 (it’s between Exeter and Fairfield streets in the heart of Boston’s historic “Back Bay” district). Feel free to contact me directly at kim.aharon@hotmail.com or on my cell phone at (619) 417-6465 (call or text) should you have any questions before, during or after your visit. If you don't have time to read the section below in detail, please note the following important key points: - if you'd like me to mail you the keys to a US address in advance, please send me your mailing address (you should receive the keys 1-2 weeks prior to your stay) - the front lobby door can be a little tricky to open - be sure to pull the key out about 1mm as you turn to the left (that will make it easier to open) - the bathroom light is behind the wardrobe - if anyone in the building asks who you are, please just say you are a friend of mine or that you are the cat sitter :) (much appreciated) - there is central heat in the apartment which is controlled by the building. There is also a space heater. Feel free to use it. Please note the power is prone to go out if the space heater is on in addition to a lot of lights/blow dryer, etc. No worries if it does go out though as you can just flip the breaker switch in the basement. It's in the closet in front of Apt #10 (#2 is written on the breaker box - just flipped the one switch that is facing the wrong direction). - don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions DETAILS: CHECK IN/OUT: If another guest is checking in the same day you are checking out, your check out time would be 11am and their check in time would be 1pm (and vica versa) (to allow time for the cleaning staff to clean the apartment). If there is not another guest checking in/out the same day as you (which more than likely), check in/out times are flexible. In that event, please let me know approx. what time you would like to check in/check out so I can plan accordingly. KEYS: - A set of keys for the apartment will be mailed out to you approx. 1-2 weeks prior to your stay. Please let me know in advance what address to send them to. - The round key is for the lobby door (you might need to jiggle it a little and pull it out a bit to get it to turn). The other key is for the apartment (first apartment on the right). - When you check out, you can just leave the keys on the kitchen counter. (PLEASE LOCK THE DOOR WHEN YOU CHECK OUT - I HAVE EXTRA SETS OF KEYS) NEIGHBORS: ***IMPORTANT*** - I rarely run into my neighbors, so you likely won't even see anyone in the building. If you do, and should they ask who you are (highly unlikely... but just in case), if you could just say that you are a FRIEND OF MINE, that would be very, very much appreciated! :) DIRECTIONS FROM AIRPORT BY "T": (only $2/person) (or you can take a taxi for approx. $25-30) - Take Blue Line inbound (towards Bowdoin) to Government Center Station - Change trains and take the Green Line (any letter train) to Copley Station - Then walk down Dartmouth towards the Charles River. Make a left on Marlborough St. and walk for about 5min. Apartment will be on your left. (cross streets are alphabetical - i.e. Dartmouth, then Exeter, then Fairfield - you'll be staying between Exeter and Fairfield). FOOD: Feel free to help yourself to everything on/in the kitchen islands as well as any BREAKFAST items in the fridge (bread, bagels, english muffins, orange juice, eggs, cream cheese, etc.) Also feel free to use the condiments, spices, sauces, etc. There's a fondue pot on the small kitchen island which you are welcome to use as well as a chocolate fountain! :) LAPTOP/WIFI: You are welcome to use the laptop provided. There is no password (just hit 'enter'). If you prefer to use your own laptop, the WiFi password is 248Marlborough. (it's the Medialink network) PARKING: You are better to leave your car at home as parking in Boston is a giant pain (especially if you don't have a Resident parking sticker - and unfortunately guest parking permits are not issued for the Back Bay or I would leave one for you to use). You will be walking/T distance from just about anywhere you will want to go in Boston. If you have already decided to bring a car however, you can park on the following nearby streets at night (after 6pm or 8pm - depending on the street): - Berkeley - Clarendon - Mass Ave. - Newbury St. - Boylston St. You can also park on the above streets during the day (but you will have to keep feeding the meter). Be sure to pay close attention to the time, as you will likely get a parking ticket even if you are just 5min late. Make sure to read the parking signs carefully as they can be very confusing in Boston. A lot of the metered parking in the Back Bay is for residents-only (with resident stickers on their cars) after 6pm. There are also parking garages at the Boston Commons (reasonable $ but about a 20min walk away) and the Prudential Tower (only 5min away but $$$). Here is a link to some of the parking lot options: http://boston.centralparking.com/Boston-Back-Bay-Parking.html?gclid=CPu319Go-a4CFYNo4AodOXrf0A (NOTE: The lot at 800 Boylston St. would be the closest - approx. a 0.3 mile/5min walk from the apartment). TV: The easiest way to turn on the TV is not to use the remote, but to press the button on the right side of the TV itself (there is a sticker with 'on/off' written on it that points to where this button is). Just wait a couple of seconds and the picture will appear. If you have any issues with the cable (unlikely if you turn the TV on as outlined above):), make sure the "Input" is set to "HDMI1" (Input button is also on the right side of the TV - keep pushing it to scroll throw the options), that the cable is turned on and both cable and TV are set to Channel 3. A blue light should appear on the front of both the TV and the cable box (indicating they are both 'on'). Music channels are 501-546. HD channels are in the 800's. The Channel Guide is available by pressing the 'Guide' button on the remote. You can also watch free TV on demand on the laptop. Simple go to http://projectfree.tv/ and select the shows you would like to watch. DVD PLAYER: TO use the DVD player, you will need to change the INPUT setting. On the right side of the TV or on the remote, click the INPUT button and keep clicking it until you get to "DVD". Then turn the DVD player on. To return the TV to regular cable, press the INPUT button again until you get to "TV". Make sure the cable box channel is set to channel 3. Feel free to unwrap the new movies. They are there to be watched. :) PHONE: A cordless landline is available for your use. You may make unlimited calls (at any time of the day) within the US and Canada free of charge (excluding 411). You are welcome to receive incoming calls as well (there is an answering machine on the phone). The phone # is (857) 350-4580. INTERNET: There is no password for the internet. If you are bringing your own laptop, simply plug the internet cable into your laptop. You may need to reboot your laptop after plugging in the cable (if you don't immediately a connection immediately). There is no wifi (was too slow in the apt). POWER: This is an old building and the power can go out in the apartment sometimes if there are a lot of items on (e.g. heater, multiple lights, blow dryer, toaster oven, etc.) If the circuit gets flipped, not to worry, the breaker is in the basement. Just go down the stairs, turn right, go around the corner and on the left wall you will see a row of what looks like closets (in front of Apt 10). Go to the 3rd one, open it, then open the breaker box with #2 written on it and flip the 'tripped' switch. That should do the trick. And just use one less item. :) GYM: If you're like me and can't go more than a couple of days without a workout, there are 2 Boston Sports Clubs nearby in the Back Bay which you can currently get a 30 day trial for $30 (so basically you can pay $30 and work out as often as you want for the duration of your stay). Here is the website where you can purchase and print out a pass if interested: https://www.mysportsclubs.com/trial_membership/default.htm (the Newbury St. location is closer but is a very small gym) DIRECTIONS TO TRADER JOE'S: Step out of apartment and go left. Walk 3 blocks. Turn right at Boylston St. and walk approx. 1.5 blocks. You will see Trader Joe's on your right. (899 Boylston St. - just passed Gloucester St.) Its open 8am-10pm. (Way cheaper than Deluca's.) DIRECTIONS TO SHAW'S: Step out of apartment and go left. Walk 3 blocks to Bolyston. See Lord & Taylor? Its right behind. DIRECTIONS TO WHOLE FOODS: There are two whole foods nearby (both are further than Trader Joe’s or Shaw’s, but worth the hike if you like natural/organic foods). One is located at 181 Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill (a stunning walk away through the Back Bay Commons and Beacon Hill). You can walk East up Marlborough St., through the Public Gardens, make a left on Charles St. (the historic shopping street of Beacon Hill) and then a right on Cambridge St. The Whole Foods will be on the left, next to Mass General Hospital. (approx. a 1.5 mile walk) The other nearby Whole Foods is at 15 Westland Ave. Go the opposite direction on Marlborough St. (towards Fenway), then make a left on Mass Ave. and a right on Westland Ave. (the Whole Foods is tucked away from Mass Ave.). This Whole Foods is slightly closer than above – approx. 1 mile away, however the one on Cambridge St. offers a much more scenic walk and is a bigger Whole Foods with better selection. DIRECTIONS TO CVS: Step out of apartment and go left. Turn left on Fairfield St. Walk two blocks. (Its at the corner of Fairfield St. and Newbury St.). MISC: - Feel free to light the candles, but please exercise caution. (there is a fire extinguisher to the left of the fireplace, behind the wicker basket) - If the blow dryer does not turn on, just press the top button on the wall socket to reboot it, and then it will. - After your stay, you can either leave the sheets on the bed, or strip the bed and put them in the wicker laundry hamper (to the left of the fireplace). - You can just leave the garbage/recycling in the apartment and I'll take care of it. - The bathroom light is behind the wardrobe. SUGGESTIONS: Feel free to email suggestions to me after your stay. If something wasn't quite to your satisfaction and/or you thought of something that could be improved, please let me know! CONTACT INFO: Once again, if you need to reach me at all (before, during or after your stay), my email is kim.aharon@hotmail.com and my cell is 619-417-6465. The fastest way to reach me during your stay would be to send a text to my cell phone. Thanks for choosing to stay at "the room". :) I hope you have a wonderful time in Boston and enjoy your stay. Please make yourself at home. Safe travels. Kim

100% refund if canceled at least 60 days before arrival date.