Hotel Review: Boston Marriott Newton

If you are doing something in the suburbs of Boston, this is a very nice hotel to choose. It is easy on and off  I 90 - The Massachusetts Turnpike and offers all the amenities you would expect in a Marriott. 

I was here for a genealogy conference, it is also a conference hotel. Parking is free which is one of the real benefits of staying in the Boston burbs rather than in the city where nightly parking runs in excess of $40. 

I was sharing the room with my friend Kathy so we had a two queen bedded room and it was spacious. We had a small fridge and a coffee maker. We used the WiFi frequently and it was strong and never let us down. We also had a large screen TV with a good variety of channels. 

The beds had lots of pillows and were very comfortable. We ate breakfast and lunch at the conference which was their catering menu not what was served in their restaurant. We did eat in the bar one evening and they had the best virgin bloody mary that I have ever had in my life. I had the onion soup and it was very good, we were pleased with our snack.

We had to drive quite a distance to find another restaurant for dinner but it was worth the drive and we loved Comellas in Wellesley Hills. 

I was very pleased with the hotel and would love to be able to stay here again.  

A Holiday Visit to Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum, Lennox, MA.

I love to visit houses decorated for Christmas during the holidays. This year I chose Lennox, Massachusetts. I was looking for places that are an easy drive but also have interesting places to stay and good restaurants. I found the perfect combination with Ventfort Hall Mansion. I didn't end up staying in Lennox however, we chose Lee which is right next door.

The house that stands on these grounds today is not the original home which was built for New Yorkers Ogden and Elizabeth Haggerty in 1853. That original house, an Italianate villa, was moved across the street when Sarah Morgan (the sister of J.P.) and her husband George bought the property and decided to replace the house with the mansion that exists today. It was Elizabeth who named it Vent Fort which is French for strong wind. Sarah made it into the one-word name Ventfort it has today. 

During the Gilded Age, there were upwards of 70 summer cottages in Lennox. The arts and authors were what drew millionaires to the Berkshires, not much has changed on that front into the current day. The Boston firm of Rotch and Tilden was hired to create the magnificent Jacobean Revival mansion that you see today. It had 50 rooms, 17 bathrooms and all the latest amenities of the time period. It was originally set in 26 acres of which 17 are still surrounding the house. 

The family came for the summer of 1893 but Sarah died only 3 years later. She left the home to their three adult children with George having the right to use it. When George died in 1911, the children sold the content and rented the house out. George had been a very enthusiastic gardener and I imagine at some future date, they will try to restore some of his gardens. 

It went through several owners until finally being abandoned in 1991. A developer purchased the property and intended to raze the house and build a nursing home. The Ventfort Hall Association was formed in 1994 and soon thereafter Ventford was designated a National Historic Landmark. After purchasing the building, the business of restoration began.

What you see today, is a house in process of restoration. The house was in pretty rough shape when it was saved and it has taken an immense amount of work and money to bring it back. Photos are shown throughout the house of the progress that has been made. The house is lovely and you feel quite grateful that someone cared enough to save it. The most recent addition is an elevator. 

We, however, went up the gorgeous staircase and it is a beauty. All in all, the guided tour took about an hour and we loved every minute of it. The cost is not inexpensive but I was happy to feel as if I was in my small way, contributing to the preservation and restoration of this gem. I made sure to purchase a few things from the gift store as well. 

Keep in mind that this isn't just a beautiful house, it is a museum to show you what life was like in the Gilded Age and it does it very well. 

I highly recommend coming up and seeing this lovely and unique property. For more details check out their website. 

Aer Lingus: Just When You Think It Can't Get Worse It Can

After my last experience with Aer Lingus, I pretty much swore I would never use them again. They lost my luggage on a direct flight from Boston to Dublin and then took 3 days to get it to me. In the meantime they were uncommunicative and when they did tell me something it was a lie. I swore I was finished with them and then they offered rates from Hartford that were irresistible. For $458 I was suckered in again.

One thing I will say about Aer Lingus, they never disappoint when it comes to being a big disappointment. This time our flight was delayed but they refused to tell us for how long, their website was totally useless and after waiting 30 minutes on the phone, their staff was even less helpful.

When we arrived at the airport, the board said our flight was on time but when we checked our bag we were told to be at the gate at 8:30 p.m. Since our flight was scheduled for a 5:10 departure this seemed incomprehensible. The desk staff talked to me like I was a child with a total lack of understanding when I questioned them. We were never told what caused the delay. 

Once we boarded our very full flight we found out how very bad the actual condition of the plane was. I didn't get headphones and had to ask for them. I was given the wrong meal which is irrelevant since they are all disgusting and the bathroom stunk almost from the moment we took off.

On the way home, I kept getting hit in the head with drops of water, the seat in from of me was broken and in my face,  Irene's overhead light kept blinking, Pete's seat cushion was not attached and the bathrooms still stank. The food was equally as disgusting as the previous flight, the Kerrygold butter was the highlight.  When I told the stewardess about the drops of water she offered me a tissue!! Really!!

I know they say you get what you pay for but this is really not acceptable. The only positive I have to say is that the entertainment system if you can get your headphones to work without having to hold the plug in, is excellent and has a great variety of options. And my luggage arrived on time in both directions. 

Bed and Breakfast review: Chambery Inn Lee, MA

The Chambery Inn is a unique place to stay in Lee. The former Old St Mary's School has been converted into a beautiful bed and breakfast. We had one of the schoolhouse suites which was huge. Our room, 202 L'Aubusson, had 13-foot ceilings, and a king-sized canopy bed which seemed dwarfed given the size of the room!! I loved this room since the second floor is the entrance floor and we didn't have to climb any stairs, always a good thing. I also loved the hot apple cider that was available in the lobby.

The inn has 10 rooms in five categories, the majority of the rooms are schoolhouse suites or deluxe schoolhouse suites.  One room has two queen beds, the rest have either queen or king except the room that is called the smallest room in the Berkshires.

We loved sitting in front of the gas fireplace and watching Tv and eating breakfast. The breakfast is delivered in a basket to your door. You pick what you prefer and put the card out on the doorknob before 8 p.m. It is delivered at the time you prefer.

The bed had lots of pillows and was very comfortable. A soft throw was available if you just want to lay on the bed and not get under the covers. In the closet, are two robes if you want to just get comfortable. I loved the fact that there were two suitcase racks as well, most couples do come with two!!

A huge rolltop desk as located on one wall and it had a game box so if you want to play checkers or chess, it is there for you. On the desk, by the bed, there is a charger for your electronics. Wifi was fast and worked great and the TV is a smart TV.  A small fridge and coffee pot are on the wall with the blackboard.

My only disappointment was that the details for our room stated that we would have a Keurig coffee maker and so I brought some of my own pods and we didn't have a Keurig and I had to be satisfied with Folgers Coffee made in a small pot. It was a small thing really and when I mentioned it to the owners they told me that next time, it won't be an issue. I loved the fact that they really care.

The bathroom had a single jetted tub and shower. Plenty of pressure and nice shampoo. The bathroom was even decorated for Christmas.

Our room was located on the back of the building, we heard a train at one point, the tracks are very close, I suspect the front of the house would be quieter. We could hear the people above us walking in their room and I would guess the people below us could hear us. It was not an issue, it is an old building and the floors creak.

The location is perfect, we were able to walk out to dinner at Chez Nous and there are several other options all within just a few blocks.

We loved this Inn, it is charming and has great amenities. I highly recommend it and we will definitely be returning.

Belgium: Maagdenhuis Museum Antwerp

Down the street from the Mayer Van den Bergh Museum, the Maagdenhuis Museum is small but is a poignant testimony to the fate of orphaned and abandoned children in Antwerp.

Founded in 1552, the Maagdenhuis girls orphanage remained open until 1882, when the children were moved to a more modern facility. It originally was built near a refuge for women who were in need of help or who were homeless.

Today, the original building houses an interesting collection of art and applied arts. These pieces of artwork were donated by wealthy patrons over the years and when the girls were moved to the new facility, the gifts remained in the old building and are now displayed to the public.

We came here to see the Van Dyke and the Rubens paintings that the Maagdenhuis owns. This might in and of itself be enough to make the museum worthy of a visit, but what would make me want to come back are the many souvenirs and mementos of the children who passed through the doors of this building when it was the Maagdenhuis.

This is a small museum; you get to visit several rooms that have the paintings and some beautiful furniture. What you don’t get to see are the rooms where the children would have been housed. That is a shame since that would have been interesting. You can’t really get a feel for what you are shown what their lives would have been like and what happened to them when they grew up.

The chapel has been converted into a museum to house the mementos of the actual orphanage. One case has 203 foundling tokens. These are often playing cards or religious images that have been given a jagged-cut edge. One half was kept by the mother and the other half was left with the baby. This way the mother could come back and if they cards fit together, they could identify their child. How many were able to come back we will never know, but at least 203 didn’t. Other cases show the typical uniforms worn by the foundlings. Amid all these very emotional souvenirs, a beautiful case of faience seems almost out of place. It was lovely none the less.

Entrance to the Maagdenhuis Museum was 3.00 Euros when we visited. I had a very mixed reaction to this museum. First, you see the obvious wealth of those who ran the home and then you see how very Spartan the lives of the foundlings were. A sad contrast indeed but very true to life as it was.