• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

This two-bedroom cottage offers a place to call home at the beach.    (Photo: The Cottage)

Book a two-floor spa suite with a private patio with ocean views at Inn by the Sea (from $459), Maine’s first carbon-neutral hotel and the only proper hotel in Cape Elizabeth. Stroll down the wooded footpath to a private stretch of Crescent Beach and later explore the five-acre property’s lush indigenous gardens, home to a certified wildlife habitat and Monarch butterfly way station.

Experience Victorian-era elegance at Morrill Mansion (from $149), an eight-room B&B set in Portland’s historic West End district. Wake to a sophisticated breakfast buffet (complimentary) of egg soufflé and French toast with fresh berries. Stay in the quiet Back Cove room, which faces the backyard and has views of its serene namesake estuary basin over the treetops.

Access the sailboat-dotted waters of Casino Beach, a private stretch of soft sand, from a two-bedroom cottage (from $130 to $250 for a two-person stay, depending on season) just a short walk away. The owner maintains the simply decorated property and its homey amenities, including a full kitchen and outdoor grill that allow you to make use of local farmstand finds.

Published on Jul 8, 2011 as a web exclusive.