2 Best Hotels in Orleans, Cape Cod

This gorgeously decorated and recently renovated inn occupies a 1798 building on a bluff beside a cranberry bog with Pleasant Bay views from many of the rooms and a small private beach with its own dock. At the dock is "A Little Boat," a 21-foot motorboat the hosts use to take guests on complimentary tours of Chatham Harbor. There are kayaks and paddleboards for guests to use (free) and experiential activities such as cranberry picking, oyster shucking, and bread baking lessons. A daily happy hour includes wine and tasty snacks like baked Boursin with spicy honey. The main house has four guest rooms, and two nearby buildings contain another five.

Giving a generous nod to its name and its 19th-century heritage, this inn is full of nautical and historic touches: seaside artwork and furnishings, steeply pitched roof lines, wide-plank floors, antiques, and a good deal of painted furniture. Sleep with your windows open and you'll likely hear the waves of nearby Nauset Beach, a five-minute walk from the inn—have your morning repast inside the homey pine-paneled breakfast room, or outdoors on the stone patio.