10 Best Hotels in The Seacoast, New Hampshire

One of a few contemporary hotels in downtown Portsmouth's fast-growing, formerly industrial North End, this sleek midrise boutique hotel offers contemporary rooms with plenty of techy gadgets and creature comforts, plus a spacious lobby-bar with a fireplace, a popular rooftop restaurant, and a well-outfitted gym.

Each of the stylish rooms in this urbane inn occupying a converted Victorian redbrick brewery on the historic riverfront has plenty of handy amenities, such as wine glasses with corkscrews, iPod docks, and plush robes, and the modern bathrooms have handsome Italian tilework.

From downtown Portsmouth, it's a picturesque 2-mile drive or bike ride along the Piscataqua River to this urbane inn set inside an 1820s home that's been given a nautical-chic redesign, all of its six apartment-style studios equipped with well-stocked kitchens, washers and dryers, and light-filled living spaces. Although the inn offers only a self check-in, there is a concierge available to answer questions by text. Some rooms have water views. 

This downtown Victorian mansion built in 1881 by a sea captain is now a 32-room boutique hotel with elegantly updated furnishings, plush bed linens, and such modern conveniences as iPad docks, fast Wi-Fi, and flat-screen TVs.

This gorgeously appointed luxury B&B in the heart of downtown Exeter exudes character and comfort, with individually themed rooms furnished with fine antiques, Oriental rugs, and cushy bedding. Most of the accommodations in this exquisite Federal-style mansion, built in 1809, have gas fireplaces, and the Exeter Suite has its original Colonial kitchen fireplace; the Abenaki Room takes an outdoorsy approach with exposed beams, antlers over the brick fireplace, and a boat-shape bookcase.

The quiet rooms in this yellow 1815 house surrounded by flower-filled gardens are furnished with antiques and decorated with fine period antiques; a generous full breakfast is served each morning, featuring lemon-ricotta pancakes or other delectable treats. It's a 10- to 15-minute walk from the historic district and the waterfront.

This chicly remade mid-century motel, comprising 12 spacious apartment-style suites with kitchens and retro-cool decor, enjoys direct beach access along a mostly undeveloped and gorgeous stretch of Atlantic coastline between Odiorne Point and Wallis Sands Beach. An attractive sundeck and heated pool offers ocean views and is equipped with a grill. Parking is free if you book directly but $29 otherwise.

Since 1649, this stately yellow house has graced a hill overlooking the Oyster River; it now offers attractive rooms filled with period antiques and reproductions in the main house and a 1795 barn. Canopy or four-poster beds and Oriental rugs, and in some cases fireplaces and Jacuzzi tubs, fill these charming accommodations. The two restaurants include the formal Maples dining room and the cozy and casual Ffrost Sawyer Tavern.

Nearly demolished in the 1980s, one of coastal New England's most elegant Victorian grand resorts—where the likes of Harry Truman and Gloria Swanson once vacationed—has been meticulously restored and now ranks among the cushiest golf, boating, and spa getaways in New Hampshire. Operated by Marriott, the hotel has spacious rooms, all with ocean or harbor views. Huge sunny suites, which have gas fireplaces, occupy a modern building overlooking the marina.