The Four Seasons from the Public Garden. Photo: C. Lincoln

In December my husband and I took a holiday trip back East to see my family.  In the middle of the visit, we squeezed in a little work, and spent a night as guests of the perfectly lovely Four Seasons Hotel.

The hotel provided us with a spacious Executive Suite with a Garden View, and further welcomed us with a bottle of champagne plus a small assortment of grown up candy.

We enjoyed the champagne and candy! Photo: C. Lincoln

I know. Tough “job” but someone has to do it. And believe me, it was our pleasure.

The view of the Public Garden from our room. Photo: C. Lincoln

The “garden view” to which they refer includes the historic Public Garden and Boston Common, which is pretty magical if you grew up reading Make Way for Ducklings and visiting the Swan Boats.

The room is brimming with the luxury you expect from a Four Seasons property. Amazing cotton linens, down pillows, a thick terry robe and slippers. The bathroom is comfortably large, and I loved — loved — having a separate dressing room and vanity area with good lighting so I could put on makeup.

Yes, those are Four Seasons logo slippers. Photo: C. Lincoln

Also a hit: L’Occitane amenities, a variety of computer cords neatly stashed in the desk drawer and very good wifi, although I was surprised to be charged for it — had I been a paying guest, it would have irritated me to shell out $700+ for my beautiful suite, and then get charged another $10 to check my email.

That night we went to a party for my dad’s 70th birthday at a nearby restaurant. Then we went back to the room to drink the bottle of champagne and see how many people you can comfortably fit in the sitting area of the suite (answer: at least 8).

The bedroom & sitting room are separated by french doors. Photo: C. Lincoln

My uncles then helped with this review by exploring the mini-bar (which FYI was not included in the comp’d room from the hotel, nor was parking.)

The Mini Bar and Recipe Menu

So yeah, the mini-bar. The next morning my husband and I woke up, and had a moment of “Oh no, what kind of rock and roll madness was all of that Crown Royal and Dewars drinking at 2 a.m.?!”

But then we looked at the menu, and were relieved to find very reasonable prices (nuts: $8, liquor: $9/mini-bottle, so it was like a bar cocktail) for our little room party.

Directions in case you forget how to mix a vodka cranberry. Photo: C. Lincoln

We were also impressed to see that the hotel provides recipes for mixing some favorite local cocktails. A fun idea that I’m secretly glad that my uncles didn’t see. They don’t need any encouragement!

The Rooms and Services

Once we made it past our morning-after moment of near-regret-then-relief, we were given a tour of the property by the very gracious Laura Ward. She showed us the full range of rooms from the Moderate room (which is still totally swank) to the “Are we in the movies?” grandeur of the Presidential Suite.  The rooms have all be updated recently and are comfortable if somewhat formal.

Classy mini-bar! Photo: C. Lincoln

The nicest rooms and suites featured giant picture windows looking out at the Public Garden, which was like having a living landscape in the room!

There is a small, but comprehensive and clean, gym and spa, with a pool that boast that view — do you see the theme of this review yet? — so you can do reps and laps while enjoying the cityscape below.

It’s Okay to Bring the Kids

Like I said, it’s sort of a formal setting, but it is a kid- and family-friendly place to stay while you’re in town to visit the Aquarium. Laura even told us about a special program where kids can visit the pastry chef in the kitchen, make cookies, and then have their very own creations delivered to the room for a milk and cookie turn down service.

The Verdict

You expect a certain level of luxury and perfection from Four Seasons, and the Boston property delivers on their reputation. If it wouldn’t crush my family (oh, and if we could afford it!) my husband and I would gladly stay there every time we were in town.

In fact, I have one friend who will only stay there when she travels to Boston for business, and another who is local, but always schedules an annual post-holiday party stay with her husband.

It’s a classic luxury hotel. Everything about the setting — from the location to the warmly formal staff, to the slightly grand furnishings — makes it feel like a special event when you stay there. Especially after I heard about the cookie thing, I kept imagining that if Eloise lived in a hotel in Boston, it would be at the Four Seasons, across the street from the Swan Boats and the statue of George Washington on a horse.

The famous statue of George Washington in the Public Garden. Photo: C. Lincoln