Hotels with Extras in Massachusetts

When you stay at the Old Sturbridge Inn & Reeder Family Lodges, you are staying almost smack dab in the middle of history. The inn is in the Oliver Wight House, built circa 1789, featuring queen-size, four-poster canopy beds. Seeking something a little more modern for the family? The Reeder Family Lodges offer 29 spacious modern units. But check out what’s next door: Old Sturbridge Village has re-created what life was like in the 19th century, with more than 40 antique buildings including a smithy, cider and saw mills and a school. There are covered wooden bridges, several gardens and a tavern, too. Or explore the area, with its adventure parks, zoo and multiple museums.

A reverence for history, an appreciation for the arts: Those two passions are evident throughout XV Beacon, a luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. The handsome hotel is in a landmark Beaux Arts Building, distinguished by a grand marble staircase, mahogany paneling and original caged-glass elevator. The eclectic art collection features everything from an ancient Roman mosaic in the restaurant’s Wine Cellar to works by famous portraitist Gilbert Stuart and contemporary abstract painter Maggi Brown. The artfully decorated rooms, some with four-poster and canopy beds, reflect the appreciation for the arts and history with their curated art and decor. No surprise: the exquisite hotel is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

Here’s a getaway plan for the family: Check into the Doubletree Boston North Shore and bring your bathing suits, because this conveniently located hotel, 19 miles from downtown Boston and 10 minutes from Salem, has one of New England’s largest indoor water parks. The CoCo Key Water Park has it all, from giant twisty tubes and slides to wading pools with water spouts for the littlest tykes (complete with movies showing on a big sail screen) to water-filled jungle gyms. Adults can swim on over to an outdoor spa with giant whirlpools or enjoy a tropical beverage at the Wet Rooster Bar. Comfy rooms, modern amenities, great location and a water park: What more could you ask for in a hotel?