We stayed at A Cambridge House in July. Our room was dripping with atmosphere, but was so small we could hardly move. There were no drawers to put things, only a tiny wardrobe. The bathroom was pathetic. The drawers stuck and wouldn't open. It was dark and dreary. The breakfasts were adequate but all in all not a great experience.

I was very much looking forward to staying at A Cambridge House but unfortunately the establishment mysteriously lost my reservation. The reservation was made three months prior to my proposed arrival date on one of the busiest weekends in Boston (The Head of the Charles Regatta, the Red Sox World Series games, and parents' day at many of the local universities). The establishment had even provided me with a confirmation number at the time of booking. Fortunately I decided to phone and re-confirm the reservation two days prior to our arrival. The desk clerk who answered was very apologetic and blamed the incident on the fact that the establishment had just had a "computer upgrade done this summer". When asked she provided me with the telephone number of her "manager", said she would try to find me a spot somewhere else, and that she would phone me back ASAP. The telephone number she provided me with was not in service. After waiting about an hour I phoned her back, she sounded surprised to hear from me, and had not found any alternate hotel. After some discussion, several long distance calls (by the way their 800 number is not in service), and a "call from her manager" I was put in their other B&B (A Friendly Inn) which just happened to have vacant rooms.

A pessimist might view this the following way: A Cambridge House is well-known and popular. It is easier to sell rooms there at inflated prices if demand warrants and then displace confirmed clients (who reserved at lower rates) to vacant B&Bs that are not as well known knowing that these clients will probably be willing to accept anything. An optimist might view this the following way: thank God I checked before showing up!

My advice: go if you want to, the place looks great on its website, BUT have a "plan B" ready just in case your room reservation mysteriously evaporates.

I will never make a reservation there again.

We stayed here for 2 nights in early March on our "Looking for Colleges" tour. My friend and I each had a room with our teenage daughters in the the Carriage House. Both rooms were lovely - loved the fireplace after a cold day in the city. Breakfast was fabulous - good strong coffee (always a must for me), rice pudding, eggs cooked to order, etc. The best thing about this place was the staff. Both Amy & Chris were extremely helpful with regards to suggesting restaurants, giving directions, etc. Our teens were able to order pizza from a local place and sit in the "parlor" while my friend and I hit the town. It was also in a very safe, walkable part of town, with easy access to Boston. If my daughter ends up going to school in this area, I will definitely stay here again.

My boyfriend and I needed a place to stay for one night as we passed through Boston on New Year's Eve. After a lot of research online and what I consider is also a great stroke of luck, I was able to find us a room available at A Cambridge House for around $150, which I thought was a good deal considering it was a holiday and most other B&B's were booked solid, and most also wanted at least a two night minimum for bookings. This place gave us everything we had hoped for. Here's the lowdown:DECOR: Stunning, romantic, ornate decor, very special for people who don't do this sort of thing very often. It was very cold in Boson that night but both the place in general and our room in particular were warm and cozy. Very plush. As pretty as its website promises. Some hotels have misleading photos online, but this B&B really is as quaint in person as their photos.ROOM: Our room was still really beautiful. The four poster canopy bed was a treat, the sheets and comforter and pillows were the most comfortable of any hotel I've ever stayed in. The little settee was charming, and there was a working fireplace in the room, which was very nice. (The fireplace was romantic, but small, and more for the idea than for the romance as there wasn't room to sit on the floor near the fireplace; you could just sit on the end of the bed bear the fireplace... it's hard to explain.)The only down side of the room is that it's pretty small. Mostly the room is the bed. There's a settee, a TV and a closet, but that's all - very close quarters. But - if you find their web site through google, you can check out photos of the rooms scattered through their (poorly indexed/designed) web site. If you check all the photos, you can get a good sense of the different rooms, color schemes, etc. Since I booked this place only a few days before New Year's Eve, the room we wanted was not available, and we got one that was a little more girly than we generally prefer (lots of pastel pinks and oranges). That said, it was still beautiful,d treats at certain times, though we missed the hors d'ourvers because we were out. The breakfast was delicious. Best french toast I've had in a long time. Fresh fruit, cereals, omlettes, whatever you like made to order (within reason, or course). Slow in terms of preparation, but to look at it positively, when you're at a place like this, it's nice to slow down and not rush. (Of course, you have to go out for lunch and dinner, since it's a B&B, not a hotel.)VALUE:We booked last minute on a major holiday and were still able to get a good deal. Perhaps that is because Cambridge and Boston aren't hugely popular as winter tourist destinations, but I thought it was worth our money and more. A room at an impersonal, stodgy hotel would be more, and give you less. Misc:Not far from the T/subway, friendly staff, pretty quiet (though the walls are thin and if you happen to have noisy neighbors, it could get uncomfortable). A very nice place for the money, though I am not sure how I would feel if we paid $280 in high season - I guess we'll find out if we go back for my birthday in August!Enjoy!