As my daughter is currently studying for a year at university in Maine I went to stay with her for a month over the Christmas and New Year period. We were joined at different times by two of her university friends and the apartment was spacious enough for everyone, the three large bedrooms accommodated everyone and allowed me to escape and watch television of my choosing when 'Keeping |Up With the Kardashians' got too much.

The apartment was well equipped with the washing machine and dryer being especially useful for our lengthy stay. Although we did not have a hire car we were able to walk to local shops on Broadway in east Somerville and there was a large Stop and Shop supermarket also within walking distance. To get into the centre of Boston we used the orange T line from our local station at Sullivan Square, this was also a short distance from the apartment and a weekly ticket of around $21 for unlimited travel was very good value so we were able to easily visit a number of great attractions in the Boston area including the JFK museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Sky Walk in the Prudential Tower and the Waterfront area. (If you are visiting over the New Year period it is worth knowing that the T line is free between 8.00pm - 2.00am on New Year's eve and that the firework display in Copley Square was also free.)

We walked to Harvard University on a number of occasions and found it a very easy walk, right at the bottom of Florence Street and then virtually straight along Washington Street and Kirkland Street into the heart of the university area. Once there you are presented with a huge choice of things to see, several museums, some great independent shops such as the Harvard Book Store and a range of good places for food and drink. We particularly liked the John Harvard Brew House on Dunster Street and the Cambridge Common on Massachusetts Avenue, it doesn't look much from the outside but it has a very good draught beer selection and friendly staff.

If you do enjoy trying different beers this is a brilliant area to visit with so many local breweries within easy reach, my favourite was the Harpoon Brewery in Boston with a tour of the brewery for $5 including lots of samples of the brewery's beers.

Although Chris was not around during our visit he answered any queries we had promptly. I would definitely recommend this property to friends and family and would personally stay there again.