Accommodations

$100–150

Filled with art and antiques, The Beach Farm Inn (97 Eldridge Rd., Wells, 207/646-8493, www.beachfarminn.com [1], $100–135) offers garden cottages, a pool, and chic country decor throughout.

A 1727 farmhouse converted to a quiet guest house, The Apple Blossom B&B (25 Brixham Rd., York, 207/351-1727, www.appleblossombandb.com [2], $120–130) has six guest rooms with private baths, cable, and air conditioning, several with queen sleigh beds, canopies, and a few with double beds. Almost all have pretty views of the 11 acres of lawn around the house.

$150–250

Seemingly built for families with lots of beach-loving kids, The Seafarer Motel (Rte. 1, across from Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, 207/646-4040, www.seafarermotel.com [3], $140–200) offers two pools, laundry machines on the premises, and a score of rooms with twin double beds. Rates decline considerably—to less than $100/night—in the off-season.

A boutique bed-and-breakfast operation, the personal feel of The Inn at Tanglewood Hall (611 York St., York Harbor, 207/351-1075, www.tanglewoodhall.com [4], $155–225) is balanced by a respect for privacy (as in, yours). Lots of thoughtful extras make the price absolutely right: Relax in the meditation room, watch passersby from the porch, or simply curl up with a book in your suite.

The riverside Portsmouth Harbor Inn and Spa (6 Water St., Kittery, 207/439-4040, www.innatportsmouth.com [5], $160–190) sports a handful of handsome rooms decorated in a style every bit as Victorian as the rest of the 19th-century house. The property also houses a spa, with facials and massages on offer at varying prices. (A first-rate breakfast and bikes and beach necessities are complimentary.)

$250 and Up

Set on its own isolated peninsula, the modern Stage Neck Inn (Rte. 1A, York Harbor, 207/363-3850, www.stageneck.com [6], $285–405), is steps from the beach, with swimming pools, in-room spa services, and tennis courts, to boot. Rooms have fireplaces and many have water views.

With spectacular ocean views and a full-service spa (including sauna, whirlpool, and pool), it isn’t hard to feel cosseted at The Cliff House Resort (Shore Rd., Ogunquit, 207/361-1000, www.cliffhousemaine.com [7], 265–310), the choice of moneyed visitors to Ogunquit since 1872. It’s been renovated and added-onto many times since, with the latest addition being a new spa and outdoor terrace overlooking the Atlantic. Between dining on a full clambake in the dining room and golfing, de-stress with a wild-Maine-rose body wrap.