HOTEL Anchoring the oceanfront Rowes Wharf, this heavyweight hotel is the host venue for the Boston Wine & Food Festival, a three-month event that kicks off every year in January. It’s also home to one of the city’s finest seafood restaurants, Rowes Wharf Sea Grille, which serves a memorable lobster fried rice. The bright, recently renovated rooms have blue tones and maritime art that pay tribute to the setting; the ones marked with even numbers have a guaranteed sea view. There’s an enormous pool beneath reception, hotel boat trips out to the harbour islands and live music on a floating barge every evening. Add the fact that the Children’s Museum and Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum are within easy walking distance, and you have a true all-rounder. ROOMS: From £485. bostonharborhotel.com