$100–150

A quaint bed-and-breakfast on the back side of Beacon Hill, the John Jeffries House (14 Mugar Way, 617/367-1866, www.johnjeffrieshouse.com, $108–184) helps keep costs down further with kitchenettes in all of the rooms. Originally quarters for nurses at the nearby Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, the turn-of-the-century Victorian house has spartan but comfortable rooms.

Located in an addition built above a one-story chapel, La Cappella Suites (290 North St., 617/523-9020, www.lacappellasuites.com, $95–225) is the North End’s only bed-and-breakfast. For an affordable rate, you get a balcony with a view of downtown Boston and complimentary Wi-Fi. Bathrooms are shared, and breakfast consists of frozen waffles, but who cares when you have the pastries of Hanover Street just three blocks away?

$150–250

Ho Chi Minh was a bell hop and Malcolm X a busboy at the historic Omni Parker House (60 School St., 617/227-8600, www.omnihotels.com, $159–239); still, the 150-year-old hotel is anything but revolutionary. It opts instead for polished, old-fashioned refinement in rooms with upholstered couches and heirloom antiques. The hotel was recently refurbished to add high-speed Internet and other technological gadgetry to the rooms.

$250 and Up

Before the TV show, CSI: Boston stood for the Charles Street Inn (94 Charles St., 617/314-8900, www.charlesstreetinn.com, $250–550), a luxury bed-and-breakfast that is the ultimate honeymoon hotel. Nine sumptuous rooms overflow with Victorian-era antiques, each channeling the personality of a different 19th-century luminary. All rooms feature four-poster beds with high-thread-count sheets, original marble fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and other amenities.

The sleek design of boutique hotel Nine Zero (90 Tremont St., 617/772-5800, www.ninezero.com, $240–369) is as stylish and modern as its high-powered clientele. In-room features include high-speed Internet access, printer, and OnDemand games.

The stylish eye of the city’s newfound fashion and celebrity storm, the cool-but-laid-back Liberty Hotel (215 Charles St., 617/224-4004, www.libertyhotel.com, $290–760) is a magnet for fashion shows, local luminary’s hosting parties in the lobby, and A-listers looking to crash while filming movies in the city.

© Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall from Moon New England, 2nd Edition