June 5, 2008
Venue: Best Western New Englander Hotel
One Rainin Rd., Woburn, MA 01801
Phone: 1-781-935-8160 Fax: 781-932-9623
www.bestwestern.com/newenglander
For making reservations for our classes, it is best to speak to the sales manager. When you call, the answering network will give you various options; choose the first option (press 1), for sales. That will connect you to Alisha Viola, who is the new sales manager, who will be managing our bookings for us. She is in during the daytime, around 9am to 5pm, US EST time, weekdays.
The Best Western New Englander is a much newer and more modern hotel than the Lord Wakefield, as a comparison, as well as has more amenities, described below.
Hotel Rates & Rooms:
For classes for 2009, the price is $77 for the VortexHealing group, whether there are 1 or 2 people in a room. Please keep in mind that as a group we can only reserve a limited number of rooms at a time. When we use up those rooms, more rooms will be added for our group, BUT if you wait to the last minute to book, the hotel could already be full, because people other than students book rooms there as well.
Rooms all have a phone, TV, microwave, refrigerator, coffee/tea maker, iron & ironing board, and a hairdryer. Some rooms have a king bed and some have 2 double beds. Local and 800 calls are free. The rooms also have free high-speed internet access through an Ethernet cable that is provided in the room, and there is free wireless in the lobby.
With the room comes a deluxe continental breakfast, which includes waffles, bagels, muffins, toast, yogurt, fruit, juice and boiled eggs.
The hotel has a fitness room and an indoor, heated swimming pool.
The hotel also has a free shuttle that will operate within 3 miles of the hotel. It will take you to Woburn Mall, Target and to the Woburn movie theatre. But the shuttle only runs from 8am-8pm, so if you go to a movie at night you’ll need to take a taxi back, which should be inexpensive.
There is a decent handful of restaurants within a short walk of the hotel.
Should the New Englander be full, there is a Comfort Inn nearby, within walking distance. You’d be much better off at the venue though, as the rooms should be nicer, with more amenities for probably the same price, and with a much better breakfast. We didn’t set up any special group rates with the Comfort Inn as we expect almost everyone will be at the New Englander. The number at the Comfort Inn is 1-781-933-5363, and it is located at 14 Hill St, in Woburn.
Travel:
By Air: Fly into Boston Logan Airport. Then either take a taxi to the hotel (about $60 +tip) to the hotel), or follow the public transportation option described in detail below, which is not too difficult.
If you are going to rent a car, you also have the option of flying into
Pease Int’l Airport in Portsmouth New Hampshire (50 miles away), or MHT in
Manchester, New Hampshire (45 miles away). Southwest Airlines flies into MHT,
and uses ATA airlines to fly into Logan Airport.
Taxi: Taxis
are the easiest way from airport to hotel. For trips to Woburn, they will
charge by meter rather than a fixed rate. The cost should be somewhere about
$45-$60, depending on traffic, not including tolls & fees (~$2.25 airport
fee & $5.25 tolls). Calling a taxi service for a pickup there will not be
any cheaper and there may an extra $3 charge that the airport charges them for
doing a pickup there. The more luggage you have, or the longer your flight
getting to Boston, the more attractive the taxi option will be. (Note:
although very few cab drivers will ‘take you for a ride’, such drivers do
exist. If you feel that you have been overcharged, it is recommended that you ask the taxi driver for a receipt showing the
driver's name, the taxi company, the amount paid, and the medallion number. And
then call his taxi company and/or the Massport Ground Transportation Unit
Manager at 1-617-561-1659.)
For the return trip, you would need to call a local car service. As of this writing, Woburn Cab (1-781-933-5000) charges $55// Checker Cab (1- 781-937-6000) charges $56// and Wakefield Taxi (1-781-245-1111) charges $53. There are no tolls going back to the airport.
Public Transportation: For this option, you will take an MBTA subway train (also called the T), a regular commuter train, and then call the hotel for its free shuttle to come and get you. You take the Blue Line subway train at airport going into Boston (coming back to the airport you’d take the Blue Line toward Wonderland). You get off at either South Station or North Station. From there, you pick up a commuter train to Anderson Train Station in Woburn. From Anderson you would call the hotel for its shuttle.
Be aware that commuter trains are not well designed to accommodate luggage, but most train-cars do have a small area for that. In addition, they run frequently in the morning and later afternoon, when they are also most crowded, but not so often at other times. Returning to the airport is easier because you can time your departure according the commuter train’s schedule, and since they have trains going to both North and South Stations, you have more trains to choose from.
By Car: The hotel is just off Interstate 93, a little south of Interstate 95. Coming from the airport, you find your way to Interstate 93N (probably via Rte 1A North) and get off at exit 36, Montvale Ave, toward Stoneham/Woburn. Turn left and then it is just .2 mile down the road.
If you are coming from the North, going south on I-93, you would turn right as you get off at exit 36.
For general Boston Logan airport information, go to: http://www.massport.com/Logan/default.aspx