Great Diamond Island, Portland, Maine
For island getaways in New England, instincts typically turn to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. But head north, solitude-seeking traveler, to discover the many unspoiled islands off the coast of Maine—like Casco Bay’s Great Diamond Island, home to a year-round population of less than 100. A short ferry ride from the mainland, the tiny island is a former military base; the Inn at Diamond Cove, opening in June, rises from the rubble of historic army barracks. The inn was originally slated to open last year, but a fire in late 2013 razed the near-finished property. Developers salvaged as much of the structure as possible and sourced era-appropriate materials to rebuild the rest. Now the 44-room hotel, featuring bayside balconies and a heated pool with a cabana bar, will welcome guests to a virtually car-free island where vacationers spend lazy days sunning at the beach, traipsing miles of walking trails, sailing in and out of a full-service marina, hitting tennis courts or even playing some frames in a restored turn-of-the-century bowling alley with a handful of vintage arcade games. Here it’s all about peace, quiet and whiling away in an Adirondack chair. Summering on ACK is exciting, but sometimes you want to go where nobody knows your name. Cheers.
-Hungry? You’ll lunch on the lawn of the saltwater toffee-stocked Diamond Cove General Store, which offers a full-service cafe menu, and sup at the upscale-American Diamond’s Edge Restaurant. (Lobster bake, anyone?) But Portland is accessible enough for day trips and dining, and the island’s longer-stay guests also order food deliveries from mainland markets.
-Locals suggest catching the sunset from Moon Garden, a landscaped stone pier where you might spot an eagle, osprey or seal.
-For even more solitude, head an hour’s north of Portland to Southport, Maine. Off its coast is the Inn at Cuckolds Lighthouse, housing two rentable suites inside a restored lighthouse. Splurging friends can claim both and have their own private island.
Season Openers
Want to keep your next getaway local? Here are seven exciting New England properties opening in the months ahead.
By Scott Kearnan | Photo Credit: Rare Brick | May 1, 2015
Gilded
Newport, Rhode Island
Back in the late 19th century, when railroad and mining tycoons first turned tony Newport into the mansion-filled summer resort we know today, luxury looked a little different. They had Vanderbilts and Astors; we have Hiltons and Kardashians. So Gilded, opening in May, dutifully updates the swanky seaport’s approach to high-end properties for the Real Housewives generation. Out: Oriental rugs, Fabergé eggs and crystal chandeliers. In: rococo and beaux arts-inspired furnishings with a contemporary edge, in-room iPads pre-programmed with info on local attractions and a black velvet and white lacquer pool table where guests staying in the 17 rooms and suites can shoot a few rounds. Gilded is tucked on a leafy residential side street only a few steps from the main strip of shops and nearby beaches, and its quiet courtyard lounge—with a cozy fire table and a croquet practice green—offers a grassy hideaway for enjoying a nightcap after a day in the sand. (Your room conveniently comes with a beach bag and chair.) Thanks to a partnership with Vineyard Vines, the hotel will even help you outfit yourself appropriately; guests here get special online discounts with the clothier—still a perennial favorite for the pretty and preppy. Some things never change.
-Restaurants courting old money abound, but we love the new blood behind Thames Street Kitchen, helmed by a pair of young chef/pals and their wives (twin sisters). The formerly NYC-based foursome has brought Newport a tiny farm-to-fork spot that feels straight out of Bushwick. Bonus: BYOB.
-The summer sizzles with live music series. Classical concerts define the Newport Music Festival (July 10-26), the Fiona Apple-affiliated project Watkins Family Hour graces the Newport Folk Festival (July 24-26) and a Cassandra Wilson-led tribute to Billie Holiday is a highlight of the Newport Jazz Festival (July 31-Aug. 2).
-Lest you be left ashore while the blue bloods hit the water, Sail Newport offers lessons that’ll strengthen your sea legs.
By Scott Kearnan
Eben House
Provincetown, Massachusetts
If the phrase “bed and breakfast” brings to mind lace doilies, creaky floorboards and intrusive hosts wielding bran muffins like weapons, prepare to elevate your expectations. A few years ago, husbands David Bowd and Kevin O’Shea—respectively the former vice president of operations and the lead designer for Morgans Hotel Group, which runs swanky spots like Miami’s Delano and NYC’s Hudson—moved to Provincetown and opened the Salt House Inn. Now they’re building their own boutique brand, Salt Hotels, marrying the quaint charm of B&Bs with the cosmopolitan gloss of high-end design and service. In May, they’ll unveil their second P-Town property, Eben House, aiming to offer spirited lodging to young, reasonably well-heeled visitors to the Cape’s most colorful summer colony. The 1776 sea captain’s estate now boasts 14 rooms and suites outfitted with the best of the old (original moldings and wide-plank floors) and the new (flat-screen TVs and eco-friendly bath products from Los Angeles’ trendy Further). Our favorite design detail: local artist-commissioned oil paintings that put some quirky spins (say, drag queen-style chandelier earrings) on otherwise stately powdered-wig portraits of the late captain’s family.
-Fill up at the Canteen, where craft beers are downed in a buzzy, hipster-friendly backyard alongside gourmet takes on counter-service classics: Think oysters, tacos and meaty sandwiches dressed all fancy.
-Bask in a star-filled season at the Art House, hosting summer stints from Doogie Howser-turned-hottie Neil Patrick Harris, RuPaul’s Drag Race winners Bianca Del Rio and Jinkx Monsoon, and Tony-winning powerhouse Audra McDonald, among others.
-Want to wander farther afield? In May, Salt Hotels also opens the Chequit, a shabby-chic beachcomber on New York’s bucolic Shelter Island, accessible only by ferry.
By Scott Kearnan | Photo Credit: Irvin Serrano
The Press Hotel
Portland, Maine
Need a place to hammer out the next Great American Novel? (Or just some envy-inducing vacation tweets?) Click-clack your way over to the Press Hotel, opening in May inside a former newspaper building in the historic Old Port district. Word geeks will strain for superlatives to describe the design, from a “letterpress art wall” sculpture at the front desk to drink coasters shaped like typewriter keys. The 110 guest rooms’ decor is inspired by 1920s newsrooms: Picture herringbone prints, reeded glass doors and leather desk chairs imprinted with Times New Roman pangrams. Collaborations with Maine artists and authors are highlighted in the hotel’s art gallery, whose first exhibition features a display of antique typewriters. And when guests aren’t slurring words at the Inkwell, the classic cocktail bar, they can stuff their mouths at UNION, the latest from farm-to-table chef duo Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, which trades the Renaissance Italian-inflected cuisine of their Boston spot, M.C. Spiedo, for distinctly American coastal cookery. In addition to offering an in-house lecture series, Press Hotel will partner with area arts and culture groups to give guests insider opportunities—so if you want a relaxing getaway that will still engage your mind, this seems like a no-brainer.
-Portland has a helluva food scene. Right now all eyes are on the internationally inspired small plates at rustic wunderkind Central Provisions, a James Beard award finalist for the country’s Best New Restaurant.
-Hit the neon-glowing dance floor at the awesomely named Bubba’s Sulky Lounge, where it’s all about ’80s pop, shooting pool and cheap drinks in a bric-a-brac-strewn space that resembles a hoarder’s rec room. (Retro tin lunchboxes: Everywhere.)
-For an arts scene overview, plan your trip to coincide with a First Friday Art Walk among galleries skewing classic, contemporary and occasionally kooky.
By Scott Kearnan | Photo Credit: Rare Brick
The Break
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Break out your mid-thigh Hawaiian shorts (or itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini) and cue the rapid-fire drum solo of “Wipe Out.” You needn’t visit Cali for a surf-centric getaway—just the Ocean State, where the Break opens in June. Narragansett is a small town that swells during summer months, when University of Rhode Island students hit the road and vacationers and second-home owners move in to hit the same famous waves that seasoned 1960s surf legend Peter Pan; the Break has partnered with his nearby shop to offer guests board rentals and lessons. Rather stay dry? Totally chill, brah. Sprawled beside Scarborough Beach (for maximum bronzing), the hotel features colorful and funky midcentury-inspired furnishings in 16 rooms where you could easily imagine Frankie Avalon luring a beehive-coiffed babe for a round of beach blanket bingo, if you catch our drift. The amenities are modern, including Apple TVs, ocean-view balconies and a year-round heated outdoor pool (with sundeck and hot tub) for guest-only splashing. When appetites crest, fruity cocktails and horizon views await at the Rooftop Lounge, while Chair 5—named for a local lifeguard post—is the intimate in-house restaurant serving modern seafood and fun, upscale twists on beach snack shack fare. Tubular.
-The digs feel a little dated, but don’t be fooled. Spain restaurant is tops for spicy paella and pasta, plus strong sangria pours. (Request a seat on the Old World-style patio with gurgling fountain.)
-Renovated after Superstorm Sandy, the Coast Guard House—set beside an iconic oceanfront arch of granite towers—has a big bar where you can soak up the coast’s most inspiring sunset.
-Ferry service from Point Judith links Narragansett to Block Island, a sparsely populated Atlantic speck about 13 miles offshore that’s nearly half conserved natural space. Your agenda: barely touched beaches, watersports and bicycle paths by coastal lighthouses.
By Scott Kearnan | Rendering: Carl Sprague; Photo Credit: Alivia Bartlett
Hotel on North
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
A few years ago, The Financial Times dubbed renascent Pittsfield the “Brooklyn of the Berkshires”—pretty impressive, considering that the Berkshires are already the Brooklyn of Massachusetts. And opening in June is Hotel on North, a property tailor-made for Western Mass. vacationers with downtown tastes and enough green for a week’s worth of craft brew tastings, museum admissions and yoga intensives. A $14 million renovation of a historic former department store building has preserved original brick walls, wood columns and tin ceilings while debuting 45 HGTV-ready rooms swathed in soothing and sophisticated yellow, blue and gray tones. Many have fireplaces and claw-foot tubs, extended-stay accommodations boast kitchenettes and the 650-square-foot Library Suite has floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a separate sitting room with a wet bar. (Sorry, no pipe puffing allowed.) Custom furnishings are the work of local artisans, the minibars are stocked with Berkshires-made noshes, guests caffeinate with cold-brew coffee from a small-batch roaster in neighboring West Stockbridge, and nearby farms inform menus at Eat and Drink on North, the in-house restaurant emphasizing shareable plates and whole-animal roasts for groups of six or more. Think Local Achievement: unlocked! Now we just need a room key.
-Locals love the steamed dumplings and other Eastern eats at Flavours of Malaysia—cheap, simple and absolutely delicious.
-Pittsfield is a great home base for exploring the Western Mass. arts scene; it’s within a half-hour drive of the BSO’s summer home at Tanglewood, North Adams’ Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Williamstown Theatre Festival and many smaller arts groups. And Hotel on North is just around the corner from Barrington Stage Company, where summer shows include Man of La Mancha and Lost in Yonkers.
-Nature buffs: Hike (or drive) to the summit of Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts.
By Scott Kearnan
The Godfrey Hotel Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is among America’s 10 most visited cities. And yet here we natives sit with our cursors hovered over Expedia.com, dreaming of faraway lands while forgetting to appreciate the vibrant city underfoot. Your assignment: Book a staycation at the Godfrey, opening downtown at 505 Washington St. this fall, and experience the Hub through less jaded eyes. The Godfrey has preserved the building’s prewar stone and brick façade but juxtaposed it with an interior of slick porcelain floors, pigmented oak panels, contemporary furnishings and 242 handsome guest rooms with bay windows and tartan accents. In the hotel’s cafe, you can sip roasts from George Howell, a pioneering local rock star of the specialty coffee movement, and an as-yet-unnamed chef will commandeer the ground-floor restaurant. The Godfrey is still cagey on details—though we’re promised a 24-hour fitness facility and a tech-driven approach that will allow guests to do everything from check in to hail a cab via their smartphones—but we know enough to be excited. This Godfrey is a sibling of an industrial-chic Chicago flagship that opened last year amid Windy City raves. So don’t sleep on this one.
-Embrace Boston history with dinner at the Brahmin haunt that invented the Boston cream pie: Parker’s Restaurant in the Omni Parker House, America’s longest continuously operating hotel. Lovebirds, request table 40, where JFK proposed to Jackie.
-Discover downtown’s modern art scene at Lot F Gallery, which highlights emerging artists during monthly exhibitions and weekly Saturday open house hours (noon-4 pm).
-For bespoke fashions, book a consultation at the downtown showroom of 9tailors, where you choose fabrics and styles for perfectly sized suits, shirts and outerwear.
By Scott Kearnan
Inn at Diamond Cove
Great Diamond Island, Portland, Maine
For island getaways in New England, instincts typically turn to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. But head north, solitude-seeking traveler, to discover the many unspoiled islands off the coast of Maine—like Casco Bay’s Great Diamond Island, home to a year-round population of less than 100. A short ferry ride from the mainland, the tiny island is a former military base; the Inn at Diamond Cove, opening in June, rises from the rubble of historic army barracks. The inn was originally slated to open last year, but a fire in late 2013 razed the near-finished property. Developers salvaged as much of the structure as possible and sourced era-appropriate materials to rebuild the rest. Now the 44-room hotel, featuring bayside balconies and a heated pool with a cabana bar, will welcome guests to a virtually car-free island where vacationers spend lazy days sunning at the beach, traipsing miles of walking trails, sailing in and out of a full-service marina, hitting tennis courts or even playing some frames in a restored turn-of-the-century bowling alley with a handful of vintage arcade games. Here it’s all about peace, quiet and whiling away in an Adirondack chair. Summering on ACK is exciting, but sometimes you want to go where nobody knows your name. Cheers.
-Hungry? You’ll lunch on the lawn of the saltwater toffee-stocked Diamond Cove General Store, which offers a full-service cafe menu, and sup at the upscale-American Diamond’s Edge Restaurant. (Lobster bake, anyone?) But Portland is accessible enough for day trips and dining, and the island’s longer-stay guests also order food deliveries from mainland markets.
-Locals suggest catching the sunset from Moon Garden, a landscaped stone pier where you might spot an eagle, osprey or seal.
-For even more solitude, head an hour’s north of Portland to Southport, Maine. Off its coast is the Inn at Cuckolds Lighthouse, housing two rentable suites inside a restored lighthouse. Splurging friends can claim both and have their own private island.
View All Events
Related Articles
B.C. High
Vancouver offers plenty of natural splendor...
Modern Living
Find sunshine and art in Sarasota’s Rosemary District...
There Be Dragons!
Come spring, there’s many reasons why the north rules...
Coast Along
There’s more to Miami than booze and beaches...
Thoughts on Sox D-Day
How Boston positioned itself for the future...
Celtics' Gamble Not Worth Taking
Love in the Time of Tinder
A singleton braves Boston’s digital dating scene...
Flagged for Approval
The Craigslist Ad That Won the Internet...