Hotel Veritas

Because of its location in Cambridge, Hotel Veritas tends to attract older couples and university guests visiting on business or leisure. The lobby sets a relaxing mood, with a warm fireplace, soothing blue decor, oversized chairs and antique-finished furniture; the free welcome drinks enhance the mature vibe.

The hotel is small (just 31 rooms), but service is personal, and the feel is refined without being stiff. Features are few, on account of the hotel's limited size, but Hotel Veritas does have a lovely lobby cocktail lounge and free access to the neighboring fitness center. The hominess of the hotel extends to the rooms, which are outfitted in warm, sophisticated decor and feel as if they could belong in a traditional New England mansion.

Hotel Veritas is located in Cambridge, about two blocks from Harvard Square and several area colleges. The neighborhood, though a short distance from the center of the city, still has a classic Boston feel, with its brick roads and a culture steeped in academia. The hotel, consequently, is somewhat removed from many popular Boston attractions, but the nearest subway offers a quick ride to the center of town, and the scenic Charles Rivers is just a few block away.

Cambridge seems at once part of and distinct from the city. It provides much of the classic and academic -- some would say dowdy -- imagery for which Boston is known: stately red brick townhouses; the sight of rowers launching from ancient boathouses on the banks of the Charles; the almost colonial atmosphere that envelops Harvard, the nation's oldest university. And yet Cambridge virtually buzzes with energy; biotech companies, startups, and the studious whir of college town activity combine to make it one of the country's most vibrant intellectual centers. Cambridge is also home to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and just as Harvard exudes a musty air of American influence and success (Kennedys, Roosevelts, Obama), MIT proudly embraces its own brand of nerdiness: Where else do you find a street named Galileo Galilei Way?

• 4-minute drive to MIT
• 5-minute walk to Harvard Square
• 6-minute walk to Harvard University or Cambridge College
• 7-minute to the nearest T stop at Harvard Square Station
• 16-minute drive to the Logan International Airport
• 12-minute drive to Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox
• 12-minute drive to Boston Common and the start of the Freedom Trail
• 14-minute drive to the South Station Transit Center

All 31 rooms of the Hotel Veritas are cozy, albeit compact, with classic decor and modern amenities. Even though rooms start at a petite 175 square feet (the average for Boston is about 300 square feet), they are still lovely with light, creamy tones and lovely floor-to-ceiling windows. Upscale details include heated bathroom floors, Turkish bath linens, and Nespresso coffeemakers. And because space is limited, not all rooms are created equal: Most do not have full tubs, safes, or room for cribs or rollaways.

• Beds have Anichini Egyptian cotton linen and down duvets
• Palais Jamais by Etro toiletries
• Marble showers (and tubs, in some rooms)
• Flat-screen TVs
• iPod docking station
• Heated bathroom floors
• Free daily newspaper delivery
• Some rooms and suites have balconies