I have really pondered what to write here. We had such a hard time finding a relatively nice & inexpensive place to stay in the Boston area. We found Blue's and, I would stay again. It's close to the Porter T station, Harvard Square, and many great restaurants. However, there was something off that everyone I was traveling with couldn't quite put our finger on. Here's the closest I can come to explaining it.

Usually at b & b's, the innkeeper has so many insights on places to go, things to see, etc. Blue was out of town when we arrived and a very sweet undergrad from Harvard was helping out. She made us a good breakfast, but didn't really know much about the area, like good restaurants, how to get places. Blue arrived later, but even then we just didn't make a connection.

As advertised and explained on Blue's website, we shared a bathroom with the other room on the 3rd floor. It worked well for us since we traveled with another couple. However, I'm not sure I would want to share a bathroom with strangers.

At the end of the day, I suppose a sign of a good place is whether you'd return, and, we would.

I was also staying at this very same B&B with the above reviewer (CVictor from Spain, and I'm from Singapore). We were situated in opposite rooms, come from almost exactly opposite sides of the world, have never met before this, staying for different periods (mine was 3 weeks, longer than his!) - but our feelings of Blue's B&B are the same.

Blue's establishment has received glowing endorsements from most guests who’ve stayed here, with the exception of one person further below which wrote such a scathing review it might have worried others. I wasn’t particular too concerned myself about that critical review though. I think it’s all about expectations and what you want to get out of the experience of living in someone else’s home.

Unlike several other Bed & Breakfast places possibly, staying at Blue’s means you are staying with an incumbent family. There are several issues immediately in view of this. The most important one being that you’re not staying in a compartmentalized accommodation which starts and ends at your doorstep. Here, everything you do has an effect on the larger residential unit. That I’d be living with others under one roof was quickly apparent from the introductions and briefings I received on my first night of arrival. There were house rules to follow – e.g. no smoking, home security – other procedures, e.g. breakfast timings, laundry – and advice pertaining to communal living – e.g. respect for other guests – and respect for the antique furniture.

Breakfast timings are routinely between 7 to 8 AM, and guests generally write on a little chalkboard the timings they would like for breakfast. Again, in hotel accommodation, breakfast at the restaurant goes for hours and you can start anytime during their breakfast window as you please. At Blue’s, breakfast is prepared specifically for you and at the time you’ve requested. That means you need to exercise some discipline and not disrespect the system by coming too early, or worse, much later than the time you’ve indicated.

In Boston, I've really look forward to trying out different American cuisine each morning, and I availed myself to Blue’s cooking and bakery skills. I had quiches, pies, pancakes, eggs done in different ways, toast – whatever comes from her kitchen, I eat and enjoy!

Unlike hotel accommodations too, there’s no daily housekeeping. Your room is what you make of it. The bed linen is impeccably clean, the bed very comfy, and there are sufficient pillows for those of us who like sleeping buried in that sort of thing.

The guestrooms are cleaned by housekeeping services once a week, and they will replace the variety of towels each time. They are more than sufficient unless you’re a sweaty camel – of which you’d want to supplement with your own then. The other amenities are all there too: including cable TV with more channels than I need and high-speed wireless Internet access.

In a nice touch too; the bathroom is equipped with soap, shampoo and conditioner dispensers too – not that I need them though as I brought my own from home. In summer so far, there’s a very mild breeze that provides a small bit of air circulation through the windows in the room, but the ambient temperature of about 15 to 28°C means pleasant days and cool nights in summer so far. The rooms are equipped with air-conditioning too.

The inn is also located in what seems to be a neighborhood resided by middle-income families. Mornings when I head to work are very quiet, with persons heading to work or school and the odd jogger on the street. The neighborhood bustles with more activity when I return after work, with the kids coming out to play. The neighborhood seems very safe, and while the house itself is within walking distance to the train stop (about 8 minutes walk away), it’s still far enough from the main roads that you won’t be hearing vehicular traffic.

And best of is Blue’s hospitality. Her appreciation and sensitivity towards different cultures comes through, and I think it’s on account of the fact that she’s traveled widely. Conversations over breakfast are always engaging, made the better over delicious breakfasts.

The coziness of the rooms and host hospitality has really given me a taste of what it’s like living in a typical American home. I don’t think Blue’s is going to suit everyone: specifically those who’d like to party on holiday or visitations, rule-breakers, or those who want to be waited upon and pampered at every turn. But for everyone else who’d like a stay at a quiet neighborhood and experience the best of American home hospitality, this place is it.:)

I will miss this place when I leave in a week.

I´ve been to several places for leisure and work purposes, in the last 20 years, in three continents. I´ve been in luxury five star resorts, business hotels, motels, but never in a B&B. When I had to participate in a Harvard simposium, I gave Blue´s a try and it worked perfectly for me. I guess it´s a matter of common sense: you´re going to stay in someone´s house for a few days, like a relative or a friend, it´s not the Sheraton. If you want to go to Sheraton, go for it, but if you want to have a very good real-American experience, go to Blue´s. Blue, John and Katie offered me a lot of hospitality, good food, a geat room, cozy, clean, nothing to complain (and I know how to be very pick sometimes). As a bonus you can do some running on the beautiful neighborhood, in the morning, pretending that you are one of the locals... Metro, stores and good restaurants just a 10-min. walk, and Harvard at 15 min. walk (not the business school, add 15 minutes more for this). It was value for money, very fun (a good conversation in the morning with the owners) and I only have thank them for having had me there. I went away with the sensation that we´re friends now.

Lots of positives about this place: all the essentials are offered (wifi, cable tv, a really exceptional breakfast, hosts who take seriously the idea of b&b hospitality). The room where I stayed was large, quiet, and tree-shaded, and the bed was comfortable. It's a challenge to find lodging at this price in this location. The immediate neighborhood is quiet, affluent, and residential, a change of pace from the tourist and student-centered feeling of Harvard Square. If you have a car, a visitor pass for a public onstreet parking space is available.

But as you can see from other reviews, this place will not suit everyone. It is a b&b, not an inn, and you most definitely know that you are occupying a room in someone's private home. There are no locks on the guest room doors and the bathroom is shared, and while the owner is confident of her guests' ethics, you might not feel as comfortable. The stairway to the third floor where the guest rooms are located is charming, narrow, steep. The location feels close to public transportation and Harvard Square for Cambridge residents who are used to hiking around a city that offers very little public parking, but it might not feel so handy for you, especially in New England snow or rain. And staying here is like entering another world, the Harvard-centric universe of North Cambridge. There is an absentminded professor feel to the place. You may enjoy this kind of atmosphere, and then again you may not.