The old “Surf Hotel” sign still stands atop this weathered Victorian mansion, the only beachfront hotel on Block Island, but what’s inside has been given a thorough redesign, resulting in interiors that are one part modern-casual surf shack to one part classic coastal New England. Bold wallpaper and textile prints liven the whitewashed shiplap background, as do old wooden surfboards and other eclectic, atmospheric touches.

In Newport’s historic district, tradition isn’t exactly in short supply. But with the Cliffside Inn, the New England–based Lark Hotels has transformed a beautiful Victorian house into a lovely 16-room boutique hotel. And not just any Newport Victorian — this one happens to have been the home of the painter Beatrice Turner, whose artwork adorns its interiors. The astonishing sea views of Newport’s Cliff Walk lie just at the end of the street.

Perhaps no destination in the Northeast feels quite so quintessentially New England as the island of Martha’s Vineyard. And on the Vineyard, there’s no place more stately and upright than Edgartown. So it’s no small matter when a 15-room Victorian inn undergoes a makeover, trading its traditional interiors for a bright and lively look that adds mid-century modern and French Caribbean influences to the mix.

Once home to the American whaling industry, Edgartown is now one of the leisure capitals of the Northeast, and many old sea captains’ stately homes have been transformed into guest houses and hotels. Faraway Martha’s Vineyard comprises six of them; and while, with nearly two centuries in business under one name or another, it’s one of the oldest hotels in the country, its new owners have updated it for the 21st century.

Names like Nobnocket are the surest sign you’re in New England. Located on Martha’s Vineyard, a short walk uphill from the dock on a on a bluff above Vineyard Haven, this 1908 Arts & Crafts-style house was once the home of the island’s doctor. The new owners overhauled the place, knocking down walls to create open living areas, polishing the hardwood floors, installing large picture windows to maximize the sweeping garden views.

We’ll follow hotel designers Roman & Williams anywhere, but it’s a surprise to see them in Nantucket, where the Greydon House, a renovation and expansion of a 19th-century sea captain’s house, delivers its own version of New England maritime-chic, while studiously avoiding the local clichés. The town-center location is perfectly convenient, and the rooms, as usual, are beautifully stylish, and full of carefully considered detail.

Discreetly hidden within a trio of 17th-century-style houses in Nantucket’s Brant Point is one of the island’s finest hotels: The Brant. It’s a member of the Provincetown-based Salt Hotels family, and under their guidance it’s been given a chic contemporary-classic look, foregoing the typical whaling-captain inspiration in favor of something more agriculturally inspired.

One part boutique hotel, one part classic B&B, the Salt House Inn is set just close enough to Provincetown’s main drag to feel lively, and just far enough for a bit of privacy. It’s a study in balance: stylish enough for design-savvy travelers, without losing touch with its circa-1850 heritage. The rooms are simple, white-on-white, decorated with vintage maritime objets and memorabilia, with comforts that belie their visual minimalism.

Traditional antique-style bed-and-breakfasts may be a dime a dozen in New England; The Inn Downtown, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, distinguishes itself with its contemporary décor and its thoughtful, but never excessively reverent, approach to renovating a two-hundred-year-old house. Each of its ten rooms is a fully furnished studio apartment, and the hospitality is low-touch — check-in is contactless, and breakfast is self-catered.

Kennebunkport, Maine might be known as the summer home of an American political dynasty, but it’s a lovely seaside town for the rest of us as well; by local standards, a six-room bed and breakfast in a spectacularly well-maintained 1753 house is the populist choice. The Waldo Emerson Inn is tastefully bedecked with quotations from namesake Ralph, who is said to have spent ten summers here.

Kennebunkport is a typically welcoming New England seaport, with all the pleasures and perks of a small maritime village. In short, it’s a healthy environment for a top-shelf bed-and-breakfast like the Kennebunkport Captains Collection. Housed in a renovated Federal mansion dating back to 1813, this hotel is situated on a quiet tree-lined street within easy walking distance of galleries and antique shops.

Blind Tiger Guest House takes its name from the Prohibition-era speakeasy that once occupied the basement of this lovely 19th-century house. Built in 1823, converted into an inn in 1993, it’s fresh off a 2020 renovation by Northeast boutique-hotel specialists Lark Hotels, and the brand’s signature attributes are in evidence: photogenic interiors, luxe comforts, a convivial atmosphere, and a location in a vibrant and walkable corner of town.

With pine forests at its back and the Atlantic unfurling at its feet, Bluebird Ocean Point Inn captures the easygoing soul of a classic Maine summer. Situated along East Boothbay’s craggy shoreline, this former summer colony turned boutique inn channels coastal nostalgia with nautical stripes, weathered wood, and porches made for sea-gazing. Days are filled with kayaking calm coves, schooner sails at sunset, and lobster rolls enjoyed from Adirondack chairs.

Built in the 1880s and restored in 2004, the Chebeague Island Inn is an intentionally low-tech experience — no TVs, no phones, and the island itself is only reachable by ferry. The rooms are surprisingly stylish, outfitted with vintage furniture and local artworks. Most impressive is the restaurant, serving fresh, local lobster and mussels as well as produce from the island’s farms, all under the direction of an award-winning Portland chef.

The Norumbega Inn seems pulled straight from a master painting. Overlooking Penobscot Bay, this castle promises a singular stay. Step inside one of the 11 guest rooms and suites and the hotel’s former life as a grand private residence (dating to 1887) will come as no surprise. Some rooms feature fireplaces while others open to terraces or frame stunning ocean views, but all sport a distinctive style with unique charm.