The Green Turtle B&B: Boston’s Unexpected ‘Floating’ Inn

In Charlestown, Massachusetts, just outside downtown Boston, floats a pleasantly unexpected bed & breakfast. Yes, I said “floats”. The Green Turtle B&B is actually a house boat – one of Boston’s few floating bed and breakfast inns.

You might expect to find such quaint accommodations among well known beach communities – coastal Florida, Hawaii, et. al. But in coastal New England, let alone downtown Boston, they are quite rare indeed.

The Skinny

In their words, the Green Turtle B&B is:

… a floating bed & breakfast as luxurious as it is unique. Set in historic Charlestown Navy Yard, this B & B offers an expansive view of the Boston Harbor skyline along with the comfort and amenities of a modern bed and breakfast.

In Detail

Location, Location, Location

The Green Turtle is ideally situated at the very end of Charlestown’s Shipyard Quarters Marina, offering a sweeping and unobstructed view of the Boston skyline and the surrounding harbor.

It’s a short hop – $8 to $10 by cab – from all that the city center has to offer. However it’s also just far enough from the Beantown hustle to ensure complete quiet at night. We returned from our weekend gallivanting around 11pm both nights to find it blissfully quiet. Relaxing on the outside deck, listening to the water gently lap against the docks, it’s hard to believe it’s so close to any city, let alone Boston.

What’s It Like Inside?

The layout is simple – one houseboat split evenly into two guestrooms. Each guestroom offers a queen bed, full bathroom and kitchenette.

It’s immediately clear that no expense was spared on the construction of the Green Turtle. It’s like sleeping in a welcoming, well-to-do friend’s well-appointed guest room.

The decor, fit and finish of both the exterior and interior are impeccable. I’ll put it this way: I’d be more than happy if my house looked so well crafted.

Amenities

Advertised amenities, which we verified, include:

• Queen size bed
• Private bathroom & shower en suite
• Refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker
• A/C and heat
• Wireless Internet access
• Flat screen TV with cable and DVD
• Two dock chairs per room
• Hair dryer
• Iron/board
• Clock radio with Ipod universal charger

The Proprietors

Mary and Jon welcomed us as soon as we arrived and were every bit as hospitable as we could’ve hoped. They could not have been nicer and made it abundantly clear that they were there for anything we needed (providing a direct line to their cell phone should we need it day or night). It was clear their priority was to ensure that they allowed us plenty of space to rest and relax.

Bottom Line

As a fairly particular and discerning fella, it’s rare that I find no fault with anything we review here at Vagabondish.com. I’m happy to say the Green Turtle falls into that category. In short, I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to (may god strike me down for saying so) “get away from it all” in the city of Boston. It’s everything it’s billed to be and more.

For more info, check out the Green Turtle B&B reviews on TripAdvisor.com.