Hellobee Boards

Hey, look at that - we're neighbors! I live in MA, just over the RI border. Interestingly enough, we were married in Sept and have our baby due in July. lol. We are looking to do the same thing and so far we are looking at some options in Maine and on the Cape. There are some nice B&B's in Ongunguit that seem fairly resonable, even in July. That's the tough part around here - all vacation-y spots are at peak prices in the summer and it's tough to spend $400 a night when I know we will have all sorts of extra expenses soon.

Not sure what you're looking for, but here's another thought. We were married up in Bethel, Maine which is where Sunday River Ski Resort is. Since it's off-season up there, it was really affordable. We found some great houses/condos to rent and it's a very pretty area. It's low key and there is not much to do besides checking out some local spots, Mt Washington is maybe an hour away, and the mountain itself has gondola rides and a few activities there. It's a quaint town, with a couple of really nice golf courses and a spa. In July they have their Mollyocket festival too, which is really just like a big arts and crafts fair in town, but at night they had fantastic fireworks. I think we spent $400 total for a nice condo for the 3 nights, but it will be about a 4 hour drive. We would stop in Portland, Maine on the way up for lunch and poke around the city a bit and to give ourselves a break.

I also love maine! We rented a house in georgetown last summer, and it was so peaceful! We have also stayed at castle hill in newport, in one of the beach cottages. Though the rates in july might be steep...

@SorryCharlie:

Frugal is going to be sort a bit more difficult since you’ll be coming in the height of tourist season, BUT, there are plenty of deals to be found!!

I’ve had luck with this website – here are some listings in the greater Portland area for condo/apartment/house rentals.
http://www.homeaway.com/search/maine/portland-and-casco-bay-area/region:237/maxPrice/750/currency/USD#sp=401

If you get a place with a kitchen, you can buy lobster down at the pier for well under $5/lb. Prices for lobster in restaurants will still be in the general neighborhood of $30+, so if you want to pig out on lobster, getting a place with a kitchen might be a good idea. The downside is very, very few rental places would have pools.

Nice bed and breakfasts in Portland:
http://www.thechadwick.com/
http://www.morrillmansion.com/information.html
http://westendbb.com/inn.html

For eating in Portland….well, we are second only to San Francisco in the number of restaurants per capita; so it’s really about what you like to eat!

For resorts, these are the first two that come to mind - both are beautiful settings and have pools. It looks like they also have summer package deals too!

Samoset Resort – super beautiful location, also has a spa, restaurants on site, etc.

Sebasco Resort – has a saltwater pool, has a package where you get to stay IN a lighthouse, and comes with a lobster dinner.

Other areas that are lovely in summer and not too out of the ay are Boothbay Harbor, Camden/Rockland/Rockport.

Ogunquit is also fun – it’s a funky town with a great playhouse. I’ve never stayed overnight there, but my husband and I go down a few times a summer and walk around (lots of antique shops, etc.) and go see whatever play is put on at the playhouse.

Portsmouth, NH is also a nice town!

Great topic since we're located so close! We want to go on a babymoon after I graduate (3 weeks!) but before the baby is born (June). So of course, we want to stay somewhat close. I was debating NH and Maine and now I'm totally going to check out the Portland B&B recs. We love B&B's!

You could also go out to Nantucket or the vineyard. You can take the ferry from woods hole which would be a quick drive from you. You probably won't find great deals but I'm sure some of the b&b's have reasonable prices. And for some reason when I go out to an island I feel like I'm really getting away from home and going on vacation.

My recommendations are Newport RI, Little Compton RI, Cape Cod, or Nantucket. I'm guessing that Little Compton would be the cheapest of that list, since it's a less obvious tourist destination.