October 18, 2024
Reader Success Story – Boston to Maine with Grandparents
Pam
Points and miles helped Laura take a multi-generational trip to the Northeast with her grandparents during the July 4th week. Here is her reader success story – Boston to Maine with grandparents.
Flights and Hotels in Boston
We started with our flights on Southwest® for the six of us. After earning the Southwest® Companion Pass, one of my kids could fly for free, and the flights to Boston were booked with a combination of points and cash.
When we arrived in Boston, we headed to our Marriott Courtyard Boston Copley Square hotel. We earned 5 Free Night Certificates with the Marriott Bonvoy elevated offer last summer and used 4 of these certificates topped off with 3,000 points each to stay in 2 rooms for two nights. It was easy to get to the hotel from the airport using the Logan Express bus, Back Bay line, to the Prudential Center stop, only about a 5-minute walk to the hotel from there with our luggage. When taken from the airport into the city, the Logan Express is free.
The Courtyard Boston Copley Square was very clean, and the staff was pleasant and accommodating. The hotel was close to the Prudential Center, where we had dinner both nights after sightseeing all day. This location was a relatively easy home base for exploring the city by foot. It was a longer walk to some historic sights, so after exploring all day, we took a Lyft back to the hotel, and it was a quick ride.
Guest room – picture courtesy of Marriott.
Activities in Boston
We enjoyed being in Boston on the 4th of July—a very patriotic experience! Following a city procession/parade, we had the opportunity to hear the Declaration of Independence read from its original location. Boston is also famous for its 4th of July evening Boston Pops concert and fireworks.
We purchased the Go City Boston Pass, which helped us see a lot for one lower price. It included a historic harbor cruise, a Freedom Trail walking tour, a Boston trolley tour, Paul Revere’s house, the Lego Discovery Center (a short Lyft ride over the bridge), the JFK Library, and Plymouth Patuxet—a living history museum of the first Plymouth settlement (the last two sights were visited once we had our rental car).
A couple of other highlights in Boston not included in the pass were the Boston Tea Party Museum and afternoon tea at the Silver Dove, followed by a stop at the nearby Omni Parker House hotel, where we picked up Boston cream pie from the gift shop, it was invented at this hotel, and many presidents have stayed here. One of my kids especially enjoyed seeing the Make Way for Ducklings statue in the Public Garden park. I would recommend reading the book before visiting with kids, and we also read a biography on Paul Revere out loud together before the trip, which helped us become more familiar with revolutionary history.
Heading to Maine
After two nights in the heart of Boston, we picked up our rental car and spent one night in the Woburn area outside of Boston at the Residence Inn Boston Woburn using the Delta Stays $100 credit through the Delta Gold card. We booked a two-bedroom suite for the six of us, and after the $100 statement credit, it was less than $100 for this spacious hotel room.
On our way to Maine, we made several stops in Vermont, including a small maple syrup farm, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, a Cabot cheese store, and the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory tour (you can reserve tickets ahead of time online).
Apple cider donuts made at Cold Hollow Cider Mill.
We arrived in Maine and stayed at the Bar Harbor Motel after Megan’s recommendation from her trip last year on the TMS blog. It was a great family resort that we paid cash for. We stayed in the two-bedroom suite, which was a little cozy in the back room we shared with our kids, but it was okay for three days.
They gave us an additional cot for free, which one child found very comfortable. There were many thoughtful touches throughout the stay, including movie nights, s’mores in the evening, and a scavenger hunt. One kind desk clerk gave each of my kids a small stuffed animal. The time in Bar Harbor was filled with visits to Acadia National Park and exploring the cute downtown shops.
Cobblestone bridge in Acadia National Park built in 1917.
Acadia, view from Cadillac Mountain .
On our last day, we drove down to Portland, Maine, stopping at LL Bean headquarters in Freeport to stretch our legs (they are open 24 hours a day!) before flying back home on Southwest. We booked all the flights home on points, including one child free on the companion pass.
Reflecting on the trip, we are incredibly thankful for our kids’ special memories with their grandparents. Points stretched our budget much further to have these incredible experiences together.
Bottom Line
Thanks so much, Laura, for your reader success story – Boston to Maine with grandparents! Family trips are our favorite way to use points and miles, too!
Related Posts
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. American Express is a Travel Mom Squad advertiser, but we always show the best public offer even when we don’t earn a commission. Terms Apply.
Leave a Reply
Advertiser Disclosure: Travel Mom Squad has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Travel Mom Squad and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel Mom Squad has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
be the first to comment
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.