The Charles Hotel
Though it’s marvelous year round, the Charles, like a true Yankee hotel, is best appreciated in winter. That’s when you can fully take in the cozy atmosphere and the shortbread and chamomile tea that they give you at turndown. The presence of a lap pool is unexpected, but beware of the strict timetable — especially for kids. There’s also a library with over 500 books, and room service will pick up any titles you’re after at Wordsworth, the local bookstore.
The Charles does come at an Ivy League price, but nowhere else will make you feel so completely part of your bookish, slightly precious locale. They’ll even hook you up with an alum to give you a tour of the university. But for the true Cambridge experience, you have to brunch at Henrietta’s, where Nobel winners from Harvard and MIT gossip over granola and waffles. (David Mamet loves the place so much he wrote a book about it.) Guaranteed, it will be some of the most stimulating conversation on the East Coast before ten o’clock AM. Oh, and the food’s not so bad either.
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