Seaside Inns for Couples

What could be more romantic than a getaway for two at an inn overlooking the ocean? Not much! Here are some of our favorite choices along New England’s coast.

With panoramic ocean views overlooking the Atlantic at the outermost point of Cape Cod, the well-named Land’s End Inn in Provincetown feels like a world apart. Its luxurious rooms and suites are lavishly decorated and supremely comfortable; many have decks where you can enjoy the magnificent sunset views (there aren’t many places on the East Coast where you can watch the sunset over the ocean!). The public rooms are filled with antiques and a museum-quality collection of Art Nouveau glassware (think Tiffany lamps on steroids), and guestrooms have distinctive architectural details that include carved pillars, cedar-beamed ceilings, stained glass windows and spiral iron staircases.

Guests gather on the verandah after a day’s sightseeing for complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres. Along with its active art and dining scene, Provincetown is a good base for exploring the 40 miles of beach-lined coast protected as the Cape Cod National Seashore. You can’t drive to the park’s massive dunes, but Art’s Dune Tours can take you there for an up-close look and a glimpse into their history and nature.

Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Photo: Stillman Rogers

Another fine mansion has become an inn in Newport, Rhode Island: Cliffside Inn, former home of the eccentric artist Beatrice Turner. Antiques furnish the public areas and guestrooms, all of which have working fireplaces; most have whirlpool tubs. A wraparound porch overlooks the inn’s lovely perennial gardens. Full breakfasts are included, with hot entrees and fresh-baked muffins and breads. An afternoon wine reception is also included. The inn is a short walk from Newport’s famed Cliff Walk and popular Easton’s Beach.

The sleek style and huge airy suites overlooking the ocean at Inn by the Sea give a contemporary twist to the old fashioned Maine coast sun-and-sand vacation. The inn’s exceptional environmental ethic inspired the natural setting — in place of the usual manicured green lawns stretching to the ocean, the inn sits in a natural landscape of native grasses and wildflowers that extend to the long white-sand beach. Full walls of glass and roomy private balconies make this landscape part of the guest experience. Inn by the Sea is in Cape Elizabeth, just south of Portland, close enough to pop into town to sample Portland’s world-class dining scene, but the inn’s own Sea Glass Restaurant will tempt you to stay “home” for meals.

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Breakfast at Hawthorne Inn. Photo: Stillman Rogers

While any of the luxurious guestrooms at Hawthorn Inn are perfect nests for a Maine coast couples’ getaway, our pick is the first floor of the Carriage House, with its own separate entrance hall and spacious deck overlooking the garden and the swaying Windjammer masts in Camden harbor. Choose the inn’s Cocooning Package for total seclusion: It includes a bottle of wine and a selection of local Ducktrap River smoked sea foods on arrival, complimentary pick-up of a dinner for two from a Camden restaurant, and your hot breakfast delivered to your room in the morning.

For a longer getaway on the Maine shore, Inns Along the Coast can help you plan an itinerary, staying at luxurious inns and B&Bs from Kennebunkport to Bar Harbor. The inns have been chosen for their luxurious rooms and for welcoming resident innkeepers, who can help you find unique experiences while you’re there, such as touring coastal gardens, tastings at breweries and a distillery, and romantic spots for picnics.