Overnights to Float Your Boat | Favorite New England Waterfront Hotels and Inns

Looking for the perfect coastal getaway? Whether you’re in search of romance, luxury, or a family-friendly escape, these top New England waterfront hotels offer stunning views, seaside charm, and relaxing stays.

Luxury New England Waterfront Hotels

Ocean Luxury Waterfront: Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island

Private beach cabanas with butlers. A 12,000-square-foot spa with a saltwater lap pool and eucalyptus steam room. Sushi at the Secret Garden bar. This Forbes Five-Star resort offers all this and more in Westerly’s vaunted Watch Hill enclave—also known as Taylor Swift’s summer stomping grounds.

Lake Luxury Waterfront: Pickering House Inn in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

In true New Hampshire style, this 10-room historic inn a short stroll from Lake Winnipesaukee isn’t showy; rather, it oozes quiet luxury. Book the top-floor Pickering Suite, where cathedral ceilings and gabled dormers meet modern amenities: a gas fireplace, plush linens, a heated bathroom floor, and daily scratch-made breakfast (featuring coffee from local Lucas Roasting Company).

New England Island Waterfront Hotels

Ocean Island Waterfront: The Asticou Hotel in Northeast Harbor, Maine

Sister property to the swank Claremont Hotel, this newly reopened 82-room grande dame is the hottest place to stay this summer on Mount Desert Island’s so-called quiet side. A $28 million glow-up breathed new life into the circa-1884 hotel, which boasts Northeast Harbor views and a heated Italianate pool with adjacent bar. Cin cin, indeed.

Lake Island Waterfront: North Hero House in North Hero, Vermont

Lay your head where Paul Newman once did at this North Hero Island escape. Nearly razed to make way for luxury condos a few years ago, the inn is under new ownership and has seen recent renovations including a dining room reconfiguration to give all patrons Lake Champlain panoramas. The pièce de résistance, however, is the open-air Pier Bar, slinging frozen drinks and lobster rolls lakeside—how New England is that?

Romantic New England Waterfront Hotels

Romantic Ocean Waterfront: The Beach Cottage Rooms at Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island

A beach stay in Newport is already special. Booking your own bungalow steps off the sand? That’s big-anniversary-bucket-list stuff. And while Castle Hill Inn’s chic cottages are well-appointed with semi-private decks and Farmaesthetics bath products, the true romance comes from the salty air ruffling the curtains and the sun streaming through picture windows.

Romantic Lake Waterfront: The Lodge at Moosehead Lake in Greenville, Maine

For a romantic retreat that’s equal parts adventure and relaxation, reserve a Carriage House Suite at this Great North Woods bed-and-breakfast. Get your thrills with a guided hike, a moose safari, or a fishing tour—then idle in your jetted tub or snag a firepit and s’mores kit (homemade marshmallows!) and swoon as the sunset fades into seemingly 3-D starry skies over Moosehead Lake.

Budget-Friendly New England Waterfront Hotels

Budget-Friendly Ocean Waterfront: Blue Shutters Beachside Inn in Gloucester, Massachusetts

Location, location, location. The footbridge to Good Harbor, one of New England’s best beaches, is a two-minute walk from this bed-and-breakfast. (You can get an eyeful of the enviable white sand from all but three guest rooms, too.) Add in the friendly owners—two couples—who truly put the cheer in cheap and cheerful, and it’s no wonder the same visitors return year after year.

Budget-Friendly Lake Waterfront: Hopkins Inn in Warren, Connecticut

This no-frills Litchfield Hills guesthouse has 13 rooms and a private beach on Lake Waramaug. And while you won’t find bespoke linens or spa treatments here, you will get sweeping lake views with your Wiener schnitzel, sweetbreads, and other Austrian delights on the restaurant’s flagstone terrace. Souvenir alert: Buy a bottle of the homemade salad dressing to go.

New England Waterfront Hotels For Foodies

Ocean Waterfront For Foodies: The Wauwinet on Nantucket, Massachusetts

Did you even do Nantucket if you didn’t boat to Topper’s for dinner? Up the ante: Stay on-premises at the luxe Relais & Châteaux Wauwinet and you can dine at its famed bayside restaurant for all three meals, no water taxi required. A magical setting, a stacked wine list, and a focus on the local and the seasonal—as in island-grown produce and oysters—all add to Topper’s culinary allure.

Lake Waterfront For Foodies: Shelburne Farms Inn in Shelburne, Vermont

For a true taste of place, book a room at Shelburne Farms Inn and take your meals on the terrace overlooking the gardens and Lake Champlain. Dishes spotlight ingredients grown or made on the property (see mac and cheese made with Shelburne Farms cheddars) or sourced from other Vermont farms and producers.

Family-Friendly New England Waterfront Hotels

Family-Friendly Ocean Waterfront: Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich, Massachusetts

A kid-friendly Cape trip without the kitsch? Yes, please. Little ones will love the Wequassett’s Children’s Center programs and regular appearances by the vintage Good Humor Ice Cream man. Adults, meanwhile, will enjoy a break, two pretty pools, cocktails at the oceanfront Outer Bar, and—debuting this summer—freshly remodeled guest rooms done up in nautical blues and neutrals with upgraded bathrooms.

Family-Friendly Lake Waterfront: Migis Lodge in South Casco, Maine

This pleasantly retro resort situated on 120-plus acres along Maine’s Sebago Lake not only offers opportunities for quality family time—bingo nights, bonfires, and lakeside lobster bakes, oh my!—but also has daily kids’ camps so parents can also partake in waterskiing and other diversions sans offspring. It’s all included in the lodging rate, so all you have to focus on is making memories.

This feature was originally published as “Overnights to Float Your Boat” in the July/August 2025 issue of Yankee.

Courtney Hollands

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