Several good restaurants are within walking distance, including the Center Street Cafe, which has a wide-ranging vegetarian menu that draws diners from across Boston. Meanwhile, Jamaica Pond, a bright nature spot, is at the end of the street. After a night at Fifteen Beacon, Boston's newest luxury hotel, I vowed that I would return, but not alone. The canopy bed was too cozy and inviting for one person. Then there was the bedside panel, which allowed me to dim the lights, stoke the fireplace and bring on Ella Fitzgerald's melodious voice on CD without so much as rolling over.
Every room has a large separate sitting area suitable as a meeting space.
Not that I had much reason to leave the hotel. The Federalist, the in-house restaurant, is about as fine a place to dine as anywhere in the city. This bright and airy hotel across the Charles River in Cambridge poses a nearly perfect contrast to the coziness of Fifteen Beacon. The lobby and other public spaces have a contemporary feel. What distinguishes this hotel are the high-tech features.