Catch, eat, stay at Fairmont Battery Wharf

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

There are cheaper ways to eat lobster, such as buying one yourself and cooking it at home. But this summer and fall, there is a far more fun and expensive way to do it if you take part in "Keep the Catch Boston Harbor Lobster Package," offered now through Oct. 31 by the Fairmont Battery Wharf, with rates starting at $529 per person.

For that, you get passage on a lobster boat for a private excursion with one of Fairmont's chefs, learning how to bait, drop and haul in lobster traps, while taking in the views of Boston Harbor and learning about its history. After the day at sea, guests return to Aragosta Bar & Bistro, the Fairmont's new Italian eatery, where chef David Daniels whips up the day's catch to your liking. The package also includes a night's stay at the Fairmont and welcome gift.

The Fairmont also offers other summer-to-fall packages, including one where you definitely won't eat what you see: The Whale of a Tale Package, which starts at $329 per person, includes a night at the hotel, two tickets on a New England Aquarium whale-watching trip and breakfast for two. For landlubbers, there is The North End Freedom Trail Package that starts at $289 per person and includes an 18th-century costumed guide escorting guests on a history walk in the city, and the Dog Days of Summer Package, starting at $259 and running through Sept. 30, which includes a hotel stay and use of dog bed and bowls as well as treats for your canine companion (dog-sitting services are extra).

For information on any of it, visit www.fairmont.com/batterywharf