Waterfront peace and quiet in New England?
 

My friend is having an extremely stressful and exhausting week at work (in Boston). When it's over, she wants to drive herself away to someplace quiet and relaxing for a three-day weekend. I'm trying to help her pick a place.

She's envisioning some sort of hotel, inn, or maybe a B&B where she can just recline outside, on a deck, patio, or other such surface, stare at a body of water (apparently an ocean, lake, or river would do), relax, and do absolutely nothing else. No other recreational activities are required, and it doesn't have to be luxurious. It would be nice if food could be obtained without too much traveling or commotion -- ideally room service, I would think, but a restaurant in the building might do. It has to be someplace tranquil and quiet, and it has to be within driving distance of Boston. She'll need to book it on short notice (i.e. for next weekend).

Can anybody recommend the right place?

I was looking for Boston area lodging just before coming here to Fodors, and here's something I found, but won't use for the Boston trip ... it looks good, but I've never been there:

Clarion Hotel Nantasket Beach (MA115)
45 Hull Shore Drive , Hull, MA, US, 02045
Phone: (781) 925-4500

"The beautiful full-service Clarion Hotel® Nantasket Beach is ideally located on Nantasket Beach and features magnificent ocean views. This Hull hotel is minutes from Hingham Harbor, Boston Harbor Islands, the Hull Lifesaving Museum, Wompatuck State Park and the Quincy Shore Reservation, which offers a variety of recreational opportunities."

www.choicehotels.com/hotel/ma115

(disclaimer: I work 1-2 nights a week at a Quality Inn, but not affilated with this hotel - I found this while searching for places where I can use my employee discount)

Chatham would be nice, not too long a drive to the Cape if she can escape before the traffic - Chatham Bars Inne is lovely, she can do nothing, or enjoy a stroll thru the downtown and would be on the water.

CBI is most likely booked for the season by now.

Here are some other Cape locations providing similar services:

Wequassett Inn, Lighthouse Inn, Red Jacket Beach Resort, Provincetown Inn, Sandcastle Resort, Soundings Resort.

Your friend can sit in an adirondack chair and stare at the ocean and Newport at Castle Hill Inn in Newport. "www.castlehillinn"

I wouldn't recommend Nantasket Beach.

How about either the Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle NH or the Cliff House in Ogunquit ME?

Hi medhead,
I agree with wyatt. the Cliffhouse in Ogunquit should meet your friends needs. It's only an hour or so from Boston and not in the midst of much activity if she's looking to chill quietly. If she gets lonesome she can go into town or walk the beautiul beach. The views from the Cliffhouse are gorgeous even at night when they shine the light on the water - very dramatic. Most rooms have balconies or are facing the water. The food is very decent as well. There's a small gym and a pool. There was talk about spa services - don't know if that's started yet.
Good luck!

Consider Watch Hill in SW Rhode Island. Less hectic than places like Newport, and prices a little better. I don't have specific recommendations, but something like this may suite you need:

www.watchhillinn.com

What ever you do don't stay at the Clarion Nantasket Beach Hotel. We stayed there and had the worst hotel experience of our entire lives. The promise a spa tub and fireplace. Good luck on the fireplace and we got a moldy cracked tile shower with no tub. The room was so small you could just walk around the bed. Which really sucked considering there was no closet or place to put your luggage. They booked us in a smoking room and when we asked for it to be changed they said no. We complained about the no tub and no working fireplace and they said there was nothing they could do. The air conditioning on every single room on the third floor broke in a two day time period during the summer. My brother's room was better than ours, but his air broke too. It was interesting that all of the sudden they then had an empty room to move him into, but when we had asked ourselves earlier because of our crappy room and unhygiene shower, they told us they were 100% booked for the entire week. Not a room free any day. What liars and rudeness on top of the horrible hotel. Also the pool was so cloudy you could not see down to the four foot bottom. Gross! We will never stay there again. We were suprised that Clarion allows this hotel to use its name. Whatever you do don't book at this hotel!

I second Watch Hill...and the WatchHill Inn is lovely.
There is also a cute town, and other beaches within driving distance.

This post was asking for a recommendation for a three-day weekend back in June.

I wouldn't recommend Nantasket Beach either. Not quiet...

We stayed at the Clarion Nantasket Beach a couple of weeks ago for a weekend. The air conditioning was not working properly in our room (temps in the 90's) and we got little sleep. The tile floor of the shower was disgusting. Though, Clarion did keep their 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and zeroed out our entire bill.

My recommendation would be Rockport, MA.

DOES ANYBODY READ PREVIOUS POSTS...this post was for a weekend in June (2 months ago). It was topped by a first time poster who bashed a local hotel.

Let it fade into Fodor heaven.

Perhaps today's poster chose to revive this thread because in the 2nd post rb suggested the hotel in question based on location but had no first hand experience. Perhaps today's poster was adding first hand experience. Have no idea if that was the reasoning, but that is my best guess.

<<DOES ANYBODY READ PREVIOUS POSTS...this post was for a weekend in June (2 months ago). It was topped by a first time poster who bashed a local hotel.>>

Well, as noted, we had similar experience at the very same hotel.

Should anyone else search for Nantasket, the comments would be quite helpful.