Mary Prentiss Inn

Excellent value

The overall experience was first-rate: A beautiful house (1843) sufficiently renovated to provide modern conveniences, but not so much as to destroy the character of the place. Clean, quiet and comfortable! Only nits to pick: Location is on Mass Ave. midway between two T stops requiring a 5-block hike or bus ride to the train. Breakfast (included) could have been a bit warmer. Nonetheless, given Cambridge pricing for rooms, this is an excellent place to stay.

Awesome Experience

Would go again. Very nice. Breakfast and tea were both great!

Too hard to find

Pluses: Cookies and breakfast. Cat. Minuses: Not "IN" Harvard Square. Deplorable parking and directions.

Just lovely

Beautiful New England house with spacious rooms and furnishings that reflect the heritage of Cambridge and Boston. Hand made tiles in the bathroom especially delightful, and the grey cay curled in his basket at the top of the stairs, made it feel like home. Three blocks from grand-kids. Who could ask for anything more?

Great Spot

Loved the hotel, the food and the location. We were on a college tour and we couldn’t have selected anything more ideal.

Traveler's tip on dining

Great neighborhood restaurants, including a Petsi’s in walking distance.

Convenient

Very convenient if you have a student at the nearby universities

Comfortable, convienient place to stay

This 20 room B&B is a warm, inviting place. The afternoon tea is a nice touch, with a fireplace in the common room and the resident cat. Parking is very tight, so call them ahead to reserve.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Buy a Charlie card for the T. The subway stop is 4 blocks away.

Enjoyable stay

My son and I stayed here one night while visiting local colleges. After a long day it was nice to come back to a clean, comfortable room. The breakfast was delicious and the atmosphere, cozy. We enjoyed the decor of the Inn as well. The staff was a mix of friendly and non-personable. Public transportation was within a doable walk and close to Boston. I would stay there again if I needed a place to stay near Boston.

Wonderful old inn

This inn is in terrific condition - the building is about 150 years old, and very well appointed. It is located in Cambridge about four blocks from a red line metro stop. It is not for travellers who need to be in downtown Boston for their entire trip. The rates are excellent, especially when one considers how expensive Boston hotels are. Full breakfast is included and can be eaten on a very large quiet terrace filled with plants and flowers.

great place to stay

very good experience

Lovely Style

A small but clean house with a beatuiful garden~ Lovely style, suitable to the one who travels alone~

Traveler's tip

8-10 minutes walking from subway station

Charming B&B in good location

This place is conveniently located within walking distance of Harvard Square, the Harvard Square "T" station, and the Porter Square "T" station. We were able to park our car (a little tricky, but managable) and take the "T" to destinations in Boston.

Traveler's tip on dining

There are lots of places to dine in and around Harvard Square.

relaxed Inn just off a busy street

We arrived about 7:30 am following a red-eye coast-to coast flight. We were greeted with a wonderful breakfast, and we in our room napping by 10:30. (I did warn them the day before that we would welcome breakfast on arrival). The breakfasts were excellent and the tea and home baked cookies in the afternoon just hit the spot. We found a top-notch Chinese restaurant a block away(Changsho)and assorted other eateries and shopping. The staff was very gracious. I would definitely return to this charming oasis in Cambridge!

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Mary Prentiss Inn has free parking in a town where parking is expensive.

A good night’s rest

An excellent stay with a comfortable bed, clean room. Breakfast was excellent. We plan on returning to enjoy the warm weather and tea on the flower covered patio!

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Mary Prentiss Inn was in walking distance of Harvard and many shops and attractions. An excellent bed and breakfast choice.

Great place to stay

This is an extremely great place to stay when visiting either Cambridge or Boston. The room is absolutely pretty. The staffs are nice and helpful. They serve customized breakfast and nice afternoon tea. Moreover, it’s pretty close to shopping center and T-station; so we can easily take the subway to Boston. We will definitely stay here again for our next visit.

Traveler's tip on dining

There’s a nice Thai restaurant called Tamarind House.

Good value

Well located, just five minutes from major subway station to connect to Harvard Square and downtown Boston and airport. Has parking, too. Nice complimentary breakfast. Pleasant staff.

Cozy with character

The Inn was clean and comfortable. It’s located very close to Harvard and not many blocks from a T stop. It has lots of old house character without the old house smell. This is a wonderful way to preserve a piece of old Cambridge.

Great B&B

Great location! Convenient to Porter Square "T" and a short walk to Harvard Square. Comfortable/quaint rooms. Great breakfast in the morning! A definite FIND!!

Traveler's tip on local attractions

No stay in Cambridge is complete without a dinner at Oleana . . . an absolute MUST!!

Wonderful

I had a wonderful stay. The staff was very friendly and accommodating! The room was so cozy and clean. Breakfast, tea time, and parking are wonderful bonuses! Great location!

Traveler's tip

Close to the subway

Great atmosphere, location + parking

This hotel is great for visiting Cambrdige, either by train (5-10 minute walk from subway connecting directing to Amtrak) or by car, as free parking in covered parking under the mid-19th century home/hotel is provided. Room vary, nearly all are great - some with fireplace, some in duplex, some in cottage.

Much better than expected

I chose the Mary Prentiss to be near to the Harvard campus for one night. I didn’t have high expectations but the price was right and the location seemed good. I guess I expected the overdone mustiness of many b & b’s. In fact the room was bright, cheerful and extremely fresh feeling. The bed had a very comfortable mattress and lovely linens. The bathroom was clean and the toiletries provided were boutique hotel quality. Breakfast was tasty and more than adequate. They also served afternoon tea. My only regret was that although they did have parking it was only available from check in to check-out which since we didn’t want to drive on Saturday meant we had to pay for parking in an expensive Cambridge lot.

Good location, tired facility

The propoerty has a great location for visits to the Harvard campus. esp. the Law School and Grad School of Arts & Sciences. But I expected a bettr room and better service at these prices. The furnishings and linens are worn out, and the lack of carpeting spells woe for ground floor guests. Breakfast was mediocre and served in cramped quarters.

Charming and relaxing

Decor was beautiful. Afternoon tea featured home baked goods, lemonade and assortment of teas- delicious! Breakfast was fantastic. Outdoor patio area was delightful and relaxing.

Nice & Quaint

The hotel was in a decent location, about a 10 minute walk to Harvard Square. Not much more going on around the hotel, but a 5 minute walk to the T. The only thing I didnt like about our room was the shower...we were on the 3rd floor and got the back of the house, with the slant, so we had to KNEEL to shower! It was definitely a pain. Other than that, great time. Must walk to Rosie’s bakery to check out the coffee, and must walk to Harvard Square.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Harvard Square...10 minute walk. Take the T to Boston Common or Fenway. MUST get coffee at Rosie’s bakery! And the pizza at Harvard House of Pizza is amazing (1 block down).

Cute, but service needs some serious polish

When we checked in, the hotel had no running water. No one told us at check-in even though the problem was known, so we ended up in our room trying to take a shower thinking we must be idiots not knowing how to work the nozzle. No one was reachable at reception (only 1 person works at reception) b/c of incoming calls so waited another 10 minutes downstairs to have the issue explained with no apology; no recognition that this was a major inconvenience; no offer to update us when fixed; no information about WHEN it would be fixed. Pretty much not helpful. The problem ended up being resolved quickly but overall they were apathetic and unavailable. On the pluses, the rooms are pretty although ours had some attractive curtains which did not fully cover or in any way prevent sun from coming in during the morning and we found it impossible to sleep. Breakfast is good. Location is convenient. Parking is free. Price is reasonable, but they could definitely improve in service and fix the issue with the windows in some rooms.