<p>My son and I will visiting BC and Tufts next month. I am looking for some specific recommendations regarding moderately priced (<$150/night, if possible) motels within 15-20 minutes of either or both schools. I’m not very comfortable driving in the Boston area (too many rotaries and six-legged intersections!) so I want to avoid congested areas like downtown Boston and stick to the suburbs if I can.</p>
<p>My family stays at either the Sheraton Newton or the Best Western on Comm Ave when they visit. The Best Western is right by the Washington T stop and easy to get to BC or Tufts. We stayed at the Sheraton in Newton when we 1st visited and it was great.</p>
<p>There are a lot of hotels just off I-95 north of I-90 at the Tottenham Rd. exit in Waltham. It takes us about 15-20 min. to get to BC. We have rarely paid more than about $110-125 at the Courtyard Marriott there. You will also find a Holiday Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and several suites hotels. (We've stayed at the Summerfield Suites, as well). There are some restaurants nearby, and we usually go in by way of Comm Ave. (30) to get to BC. We've also stayed at the Marriott Newton (on Comm Ave just inside 95) when they have had some discounted rates. The Best Western on Comm Ave near Cumming Rd. is very convenient, and we have friends who have stayed there, though we never have. They have parking in the back (a fee is charged for that--no parking fees in Waltham.)</p>
<p>Natick has a hampton inn and courtyard. The Natick hampton inn is right across from the Natick Collection if you want to get some good shopping done as well :)</p>
<p>Thank you all for your suggestions; I really appreciate how CCers are so willing to share their knowledge with others.</p>
<p>Oops! I meant to say the Totten Pond Rd. exit in post #3 above!</p>
<p>the marriott courtyard in Brookline is nice but you'll have to check the price, it varies. Lots of restaurants around the corner from the Hotel, some are pricey however but good. Short T ride to the end of line then pick up the BC Shuttle. Real easy commute to BC. It is where i would stay if I visit the boston area, much cheaper than in town. I also hate driving in boston. You can take the T to tufts you have to change T's near Cambridge I believe, it will take you a while. Medford is a short but very crazy drive from the courtyard. I got lost on the way back.</p>
<p>We also stayed at the locale recommended by irishforever. 10 mins to Brandeis, 15mins to Tufts and BC, 20mins to BU on the Mass turnpike. Decent hotels, moderately priced. Downside is the absolute mind-numbing stretch of suburbia that surrounds the locale, but I fully agree with the old Motel 6 commercial that showed a black screen with a jingle, stating "this is what our room looks like when you sleep in it, just like those other expensive hotels"</p>
<p>We just stayed in Cambridge at the Marriott ( for visits to two colleges in Boston ) We left the car in the hotel lot for the whole weekend and took the T everywhere we went.
The Kendall stop was right outside of the hotel.
The best part was that we booked on Priceline and paid $ 87 and night.</p>
<p>The Marriott Courtyard in Brookline (mentioned by laxdad1953) offers a "BC Rate" when available - When checking rates, be sure to ask for it!</p>
<p>We've stayed at the Marriott in Newton several times for around $110. Stayued in the new Westin Waltham last March for under $100 but that was a special internet deal. Looks like the prices for both run on average $200+ but it might be worth checking your dates on a travel search engine like Kayak.com. Like lje62 we prefer leaving the car in the suburbs and relying on the T. The Riverside station for the Green Line is just a few minutes from the hotels I mentioned and there has been ample parking right there every time we've gone to Boston, which is fairly often.</p>