Categories
Boston Destination Hotels Massachusetts USA

YOTEL Boston Review | Boston Seaport


The YOTEL Boston

 

I did my first solo trip and had my first visit to Boston for the first time last September and before going, I really had no idea where to stay. A few friends have told me that I’d be fine almost anywhere since the city is so walkable. Before settling on two hotels, I checked Airbnb but didn’t see anything in my budget that I liked or felt like I would be safe in. My first night there, I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve points to stay at the Club Quarters Hotel in the Financial District but while googling for the cheapest, nicest hotel I liked, I found the YOTEL Boston and loved the pictures! It definitely helped that it just opened this past Summer and if you know me, I love new and shiny things.

 



 
Before I get into the nitty gritty, I know there’s some of you who are too lazy to read so here’s the TL;DR verison:

 

PROS

  • Great location
  • Nice amenities – full sized shampoo & conditioner, heated towel rack, bluetooth connection to TV
  • Rooftop bar with a view
  • Friendly and helpful staff

 

CONS

  • Regular rooms are smaller than average
  • Can be pricey, but average priced for Boston Seaport

 

Located in the Seaport District, YOTEL Boston is a “micro hotel” and the second U.S. location of the London based chain – the first is in New York. The YOTEL logo is kind of cartoon-y to me and there’s definitely a purple color scheme throughout, but I loved the modern / futuristic look. When you first walk in, there’s a concierge desk, but you check-in using the kiosk to the left of the desk. Check-in is similar to check-in kiosks they have at airports – you just pull up the reservation, follow the screens and get your room key programmed.

 


Programming my key.

 

Even the elevators were an experience – I was legitimately amused that the elevators were playing elevator music! The room was relatively easy to find and I was really satisfied with the floor plan I picked. When I said it was a “micro hotel”, I meant the rooms are smaller compared to the average hotel. When I travel, I enjoy being comfortable but I also know I’m probably not going to spend most of my time there. I didn’t completely mind staying in a smaller room, but I was worried about it a little so I ended up booking the Premium Queen Accessible Room. Not gonna lie, it was kind of nice having all that room!

 

I loved the design and amenities in the room – there’s a rain shower, full sized shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the shower, a heated towel rack, bluetooth connection to the TV, an aux connection, a bottle opener built into the TV frame, plugs everywhere, and even a reclining bed! I think it had a reclining bed because it was the accessible room, but I can’t be completely sure. There isn’t a closet and the door to the bathroom has a clear sliding door – though there is a curtain, it doesn’t feel as private.

 


The backlit TV

 


This bed reclines!

 


Instead of a closet, there’s a little rack area equipped with an iron, ironing board, and a hair dryer.

 


The plugs are over the nightstand next to the bed, but they all connect to the TV.

 

 


The heated towel rack is to the left of me and you can see the full sized hand lotion and soap to the right.

 


The accessible shower.

 


Full sized everything!

 

There’s a bar with a kitchen in the lobby and on the roof. The rooftop bar is super cute because it has a view of the city – although I completely forgot to take a picture of it. šŸ™ I did, however, get this picture of the entrance to the rooftop area:

 

 

I did a lot of price comparisons before finally settling on YOTEL. Boston is pretty expensive in general, but for a brand new hotel in that location, it was pretty reasonable. I ended up booking the hotel through Orbitz and the weekend I stayed it averaged out to $187 a night, but I found a coupon that gave me 15% off so my total after taxes and fees came out to $349. Seriously, I google coupons before pulling the trigger on anything online! I don’t think I would’ve booked it if I didn’t have the coupon, but I’m so glad that I did.

 

Overall, I loved staying here and I would definitely stay here again and consider staying at another YOTEL. The amenities are great, it’s clean, walking distance from a lot of things, and all the staff I encountered were super nice and helpful.

 

YOTEL Boston

65 Seaport Blvd
Boston, MA 02210
www.yotel.com/en/hotels/yotel-boston
@yotel_boston

 

 



Categories
Destination Life

Aloha 2016

2016. Oh, what a year. 2016 marked my first full year in Texas and the longest I’ve gone without going home to my beloved Hawai’i nei. It’s been one helluva a year but I’m so ready for 2017.

I’m definitely a social media addict (typical millennial) and I love these dumb top 9 photos from your past year. (You can get yours here.) Obviously, my top 9 is reflective of my favorite things – travel, family, food, & fitness.

The highlights of every year are always my travel adventures – or when people travel to see me! Traveling was to a minimum in the beginning of the year since I was still getting settled into Dallas, but the itch to wander never leaves me and after NM, it was all downhill (or uphill) from there. This year I:

  • Had my entire family visit me in Dallas (May 2016)
  • Went to a wedding in Albequerque, New Mexico (June 2016)
  • Celebrated my sister’s engagement in Phoenix, Arizona (August 2016)
  • Visited with my BFFs in Portland, Oregon (August 2016)
  • Had my first Eurotrip to Kythira, Athens, & Santorini, Greece (September 2016) 
  • Worked and played at Dreamforce in San Francisco, California (September 2016)
  • Rode a wine trolley in Monterey, California (October 2016)
  • Met my dad and sister in Las Vegas, Nevada (November 2016)
  • Spent Christmas with a friend’s family in Austin, Texas (December 2016) 

I love my little adventures and I’m so grateful that I even have the means to do so many YOLO weekend trips and some extended trips.

I’ve met so many new people and kept in touch with lifelong friends. I even let go of some toxic relationships.

I was disenchanted by society but my faith in humanity was restored. (Still getting over how strongly Christians defend Trump’s misogynistic statements.)

I found a new hobby that I’m actually pretty decent at and started the Pineapple Shack X.O.

I had highs and lows in my faith  and questioned what I believe, but overall strengthened my relationship with the Lord.

I gained new confidence in my career and got that “new city, fresh start” I’ve been longing for the past few years.

In 2015, I told myself I’d be out of Arizona in 2016. Little did I know, I’d take the leap and end up in Texas. Overall, moving to a new city where I didn’t really know anyone was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s scary and nerve wracking but a complete adventure and I don’t regret it all.

2016, you were so horrible and great at the same time. As I say every year, Cheers to 2017! May this year be so better than the last.

Categories
Destination USA

The YOLO Trip: Santa Fe, NM

In an attempt to chronicle my traveling excursions, I’m going to retroactively post about past trips. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I like to scroll through my IG feed to remember what I did, where I went – sometimes even what I wore (insert monkey covering mouth emoji here). It’s crazy to me how far (literally and figuratively) I’ve come and my little #xyzexcursions are a constant reminder to myself that, “Damn Roxy. Life is good.”

I’m infamous for what I like to call The YOLO Trip – one day a friend hits you up or you’re having a random conversation with someone and they’re like “We should go here or do this!” Most people have these conversations and never do it – I on the other hand get so excited that I turn around and book a flight ASAP or road trip the next weekend. The most last minute trips I’ve planned have been to random places, like Knoxville, Tennessee or in the case of this post, Santa Fe, New Mexico. To be completely honest, a lot of the spontaneity comes from my lack of being able to deal emotionally so I will “run away” to refresh myself and frankly it works for me.

An old high school friend of mine had always joked about me being a plus one to one of the many weddings he’s been invited to. The opportunity finally presented itself – he had a wedding for one of his college friends in Santa Fe, New Mexico last June. I stalked the prices online for a few days literally right before the wedding and worked out scheduling things before I finally pulled the trigger saidĀ eff it, YOLO!Ā 

imageoutside of St. Francis Basilica (don’t mind the tourist ladies!)

A good chunk of the wedding guests stayed at theĀ LaFonda HotelĀ (insert Napoleon Dynamite joke here), a cute little hotel in the middle of downtown Santa Fe.Ā As much as I love the “YOLO Trip,” I’m honestly really bad at taking pictures. I wish I got at least a few pictures from the little walking around we did, but you can just look at how awesome this church is. Downtown Santa Fe had me reminiscing about Tucson a little with its brown adobe buildings.

image
inside of the church
image

The ceremony itself was at St Francis Basicilica, a huge gorgeous Catholic Church, with the reception at the LaFonda. I’ll spare the boring details of the wedding, but let’s just say the day was full of stiff coffees, spirit animals and some bomb ass cookies. šŸ˜‰