Four Seasons Hotel Boston, overlooking Boston Public Garden

Occupying a contemporary building overlooking the glorious Boston Public Garden and adjacent Boston Common, the ultra-refined Four Seasons Hotel Boston (200 Boylston St., 617-338-4400‎) contains 273 rooms (nearly 80 of them are suites), all with subtle and tasteful color schemes and elegant yet unfussy furnishings. One of the more high-end properties in New England (rates start in the low $300s), the fashionable and gay-friendly hotel is one of the stars of the vaunted Four Seasons brand. The hotel is steps from the Back Bay and the posh shopping along Newbury Street, and it's a short walk from gay nightlife and dining in the South End. The hotel's Aujourd'hui restaurant is one of the most romantic settings in the city for a special-occasion dinner.