First of all, this review was written for the great Bryan Carey who is celebrating his 2,000th review here at Epinions and hosting his VERY FIRST write off, entitled The New Millennium Write-Off. Wow 2000 reviews, WHAT A FEAT! Many congratulations to him and a genuine thanks for years of dedicated service to this community. In honor of this being Bryan's first hosted write off for his 2,000th review, I figured what better write off for me to join as my very first one and a small way to mark my small milestone 50th review. I hope you all enjoy the contributions and I'm sure there are many many talented writers participating so please click on their reviews as well. Let's all raise a glass to Bryan, "Here's to 2000 more!"

The Preface
The rule for this write off basically was to write about anything that has something to do with the New Year frenzy of 1999/2000. It could be a product, a program, a book etc. (For the full details on the write off please click here.)

I didn't have a specific product in mind exactly. I thought about it and there was only one thing that really stuck out in my mind about that year. Now I know this may be a reach in terms of the rules of the write off but it is a good enough association for me. So the product, or in this case place, that I am choosing to write about that I will always associate with the year 2000 is the Four Points Sheraton in Burlington, Massachusetts, which is where my sister had her wedding reception. We stayed there in 2000 after the reception and it was my first memory of that year.

The Location
The hotel is set on Wheeler Road in Burlington, Massachusetts. A mostly corporate street, the hotel seemed to find a little niche to build their building and it makes a world of difference. Set back from the road by a long grassy/decorative front yard with plenty of flowers and shrubs, it has a gradual curved driveway that takes you under the elaborate alcove over the front doors. The landscape around it is filled with large trees, separating it from the surrounding businesses and giving it a very comfortable feel. For being on such a busy street, they certainly did a good job of secluding it and giving it a warmer feeling than most of the buildings on the street.

It's location to things to do is great. About 200 feet from Middlesex Turnpike (a main road that runs through the city) it is an away location for sleeping but close enough to all of the other businesses on the road. The Turnpike has lots of restaurants such as Chilis and Macaroni Grill, a Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and the very well kept Burlington Mall with a plethora of stores within to fit any consumers wants. The AMC movie theater is also right nearby. With all of these businesses within one and a half miles of the hotel it really gives the traveller something to do rather than sit in the hotel room on their free days. The hotel also has a bus service that will actually bring you to the mall and has designated times to pick up and drop off, which is great if you don't want to drive, want to send the kids to the mall and go somewhere yourself, or if you don't have a car available.

The Service
The waitstaff was wonderful. All very polite and social, they brought out our food in the reception hall, and to the room when we got room service, in a very timely manner and piping hot. The food that we got at the reception hall and in our rooms was excellent, very well made and delicious.

The front desk area is beautiful and has an elaborate desk which our wonderful manager worked at. He was very willing to compromise price for multiple rooms (as there were many of us staying there after the wedding) and helpful in showing us where anything was that we needed.

In the lobby there are various maps and brochures of Boston and the surrounding areas, letting you know where everything is and what there is to do if you have some time on your hands. And as I stated before, if you are a person that just likes to go explore, 200 feet away is a myriad of places for you to go shopping or eating.

The Rooms
The room that we had was decent. Two queen beds wide with nightstands, two dressers, and a lounge chair. The beds were nicely made with clean sheets, complete with our little mints, and a complimentary newspaper the next morning.. The floor was clean as well and the bathroom was SPOTLESS. I was very impressed when I went in and saw this, not even a bit of dirt on the floor or soap scum on the shower curtain. Kudos to the cleaning service at the hotel they certainly do an excellent job of keeping the rooms in great condition. You get all of the little tidbits as you do at any hotel such as the extra towels, bathrobe, and soap/shampoo for your shower. The bathroom also had a built in hairdryer which the ladies would appreciate.

Since we got our rooms in pairs there was a dividing door in our room to the next room. (each room had a lockable dividing door separating the two rooms) Which was great since we were all in each others rooms we both unlocked our sides and were able to travel room to room and socialize. I am not sure if all rooms had this feature as I was only going to rooms that we purchased in pairs.

The only down side to the rooms was they did seem a bit small and tight. Also the television we had in our room was a bit out dated. It worked just fine and had a remote and all but it looked to be about 15 years old with the older faux wood paneling on the sides. It was not a big deal as we hardly used it but it was just an observation I had made. The rooms also did not have Internet access, but I believe in the six years and renovations they have done since then, they have put them in the rooms but I am not positive. Back in 2000 it was not as much of an expected luxury as it is now, and we were not using it so it was not a big deal.

The Price
The price is something I am not very sure of. When we stayed there it was around $169 dollars a night for a room with two queen beds, which wasn't bad, but keep in mind that was six years ago and the hotel has done some renovations in certain parts since then. Also, I believe we also got somewhat of a discount because we had almost 30 rooms occupied with this wedding party, and had booked my sisters wedding reception in their hall so they may have a package deal that reduced the price for us. It shouldn't be too hard to go to the Sheraton's website and price their rooms to get their current rates because they change on a fairly regular basis.

The Hotel Facilities (gym, jacuzzi etc.)
The gym was very impressive. I expected something small with moderate equipment. Instead I found a very wide open and clean, modern equipped facility. The machines were easy to use and very clean. There was complimentary towels and a steam room in the men's locker room for after your work out. There were only two showers in the locker room but I am assuming they expect you to go back to your room and use your own.

The jacuzzi was just like any other in a hotel, pungent with a high chlorine content as was the decent sized pool. This is expected with so many people going in. It was very comfortable with many massaging jets for your back and legs. It seemed a bit small for such a large hotel however, it only appeared to hold maybe 10 people or so.

The hotel also has a in house cafe which was a small odds and ends type store. It makes it easy to grab something before you check out if you need some travel item, you don't have to worry about buying it at the airport. It also has a health spa/massage center which I did not use but I heard good reviews of. It was around $70 dollars for an hour long massage.

The hotel overall is very flashy but in a classy way. Flowers and large open windows around every corner, the lobby and reception hall were gorgeous. The overall state of the hotel was impeccable. The bathrooms outside of the rooms were also extremely clean and well decorated.

Final Thoughts
Definitely a good stay. The hotel was clean, well kept inside and out, the service was excellent and the food was surprisingly good. Based on it's location alone I would tell anyone to stay here. It has a tremendous amount to do within a mile or two and also it is in very close proximity to Boston (about 20-30 minutes away) which makes it great for sightseers. It is much cheaper than any hotel in Boston, yet it's close enough to be able to drive in and go sightseeing.


Feel free to leave a comment and feel free to take a look at my other travel reviews:

Boston, Massachusetts - The Fleet Center
Brooklyn, New York - Comfort Inn Brooklyn
Glen Rose, Texas - Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Manhattan, New York - Pennsylvania Hotel
Newport, Rhode Island - Newport Harbor Hotel & Marina
Washington D.C. - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
Weehawken, New Jersey - Sheraton Suites On The Hudson

© 2006 - ace3502

Recommended: Yes