Looking for a relaxing place to stay

July 23, 2018 12:12 PM

Looking for a relaxing place to stay within ~2 hour drive of Boston, MA.

I imagine something remote that has a very good on-site restaurant. Maybe a spa too? I really like the the sound of moving water, especially waves, so I generally think about on the ocean. Otherwise quiet. I'd like to splurge on luxury for this.

I’d be going solo. Goal is to recharge/get away from responsibilities. I might do things like read, write, play guitar, just walk around. I don't really want to leave the premises.

Does a place like this exist?

posted by disaster77 to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

The Beachmere Inn in Ogunquit, Maine, seems to tick all of your boxes. It's a nice place.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 12:37 PM on July 23, 2018

I spent a very relaxing 3 day weekend at Pilgrim's Inn on Deer Isle in downeast Maine. I ate nearly every meal in the onsite restaurant, except for a few roadside lobster rolls, read some books in the hammock, and went for long walks. It was rad. Maybe a 2.5/3 hour drive since you have to go north, then south to get there, but that's part of the reason it's affordable and not too crowded.
posted by pazazygeek at 1:18 PM on July 23, 2018

(By great coincidence, I am considering a similar trip, but don't drive. So if anyone's suggestion happens to be accessible by train, etc., I would appreciate their flagging that!)
posted by praemunire at 1:31 PM on July 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

If money was no object, I would go to Cliff House Resort in Maine. I don't really know much about it (stopped researching when I saw it was out of my price range) but the pictures look amazing. Looks like there are restaurants and a spa.
posted by lomes at 1:39 PM on July 23, 2018

Wentworth by the Sea in Portsmouth (New Castle), NH. I haven't stayed there but look at it enviously when I'm in Portsmouth and at Odiorne State Park. resort, restaurants, ocean views, spa, pools.
posted by mmw at 1:40 PM on July 23, 2018

I have no experience of this myself, but one of my friends goes every summer to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Retreat in Stockbridge, MA.
posted by brianogilvie at 1:44 PM on July 23, 2018

Not a beach resort, but there are some nice hotels in, say, Wolfeboro or North Wolfeboro NH, with restaurants, bars, etc., all in walking distance, on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Laconia is just down the road if you feel like hitting a biker bar or two.
posted by sudogeek at 1:50 PM on July 23, 2018

I really liked the Norwich Inn and Spa when I stayed there. Very tranquil and laid back, but woods, not ocean.
posted by Mchelly at 2:02 PM on July 23, 2018

Second Kripalu. They have a rest and relaxation option. The food is the best. Not an ocean, but a nice lake to sit by in summer as well as canoe and kayak.
posted by Xurando at 2:55 PM on July 23, 2018

We love Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth Maine. Lovely boardwalk to a sand beach, which is part of a nice state park. Excellent restaurant. Nice spa. Gorgeous rolling lawn looking out at the water. If you sit there, you can order cocktails from the roving staff. Everyone is relentlessly kind and hospitable and good at their jobs. Really lovely.
posted by donnagirl at 3:31 PM on July 23, 2018

The Castle Hill Inn in Newport RI is spendy but seems to meet your criteria. Relatively remote ocean location, on-site dining, a "wellness sanctuary" and less than 2 hours from Boston. They even have private beach cottages. Prices drop after the summer.
posted by Preserver at 4:00 PM on July 23, 2018

Luxury, eh? Canyon Ranch.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:06 PM on July 23, 2018

Madison Beach Hotel in CT was lovely for this. Great food onsite, fireplaces in the rooms, spa onsite, and right on the ocean. Some good restaurants nearby if you want to leave the premises as well.
posted by luckdragon at 5:01 PM on July 23, 2018