Back Bay and South End

Under $100

The minimalist style sense of the YWCA Berkeley Residences (40 Berkeley St., 617/375-2524, www.ywcaboston.org/berkeley [1], single $65, double $80, triple $99) makes this hostel seem cool rather than spartan. Friendly staff and ideal location combine to create the best budget option in the city. (Men are welcome as well as women.)

A short walk from Newbury Street, the 463 Beacon Street Guest House (463 Beacon St., 617/536-1302, www.463beacon.com [2], $79–169) offers a range of rooms in a restored Back Bay [3] brownstone. While small, the rooms are cheerily decorated with an eye toward period detail. The house also has furnished apartments for longer stays.

$100–150

You can’t find closer accommodations to Newbury Street shopping than the Newbury Guest House (261 Newbury St., 617/670-6000, www.newburyguesthouse.com [4], $120–219), which offers simple rooms with white bedspreads and pastel walls, as well as a full breakfast with trademark freshly baked muffins.

$150–250

The South End [5] has many charming bed-and-breakfasts in its historic district. One of the best, the Herbst Haus (Appleton St., 617/266-0235, www.herbsthaus.com [6], $150–225) is located in an 1870s townhouse with two simple but comfortable suites, a parlor with a marble fireplace, and a friendly hostess.

$250 and Up

You might be forgiven if you think for a moment you are in Paris during a stay at the Eliot Hotel (370 Commonwealth Ave., 617/267-1607, www.eliothotel.com [7], $195–335). Everything here is made to conjure up the Continent, including marble bathrooms, French doors in the rooms, plush linens, and a refined, multilingual staff. Even its location on the Commonwealth Mall seems a nod to the Champs Elysées.

When it comes to the Jewel of Newbury (254 Newbury St., 617/536-5523, www.jewelboston.com [8], $175–295), the name says it all. One-of-a-kind suites blend a personal collection of North African, Indian, and Western antiques to create a sophisticated guesthouse right out of the world of Phineas Fogg. The art deco bar area is a jewel within a jewel.