$100–150

Convenient to downtown Westerly, the Blue Star Motor Inn (110 Post Rd., Westerly, 401/596-2891, $119–139) is a trim motel along Route 1 with an outdoor pool and continental breakfast.

A rambling 1906 Victorian just over the bridge from Wickford Village, Haddie Pierce House (146 Boston Neck Rd., Wickford, 401/294-7674, www.haddiepierce.com, $130–150) features a super-cutesy decor of lace, dolls, and teddy bears. Each of five rooms has its own bath, though some are located in the hall; the largest has a whirlpool tub. For breakfast, friendly innkeepers John and Darya Pressl have been known to whip up baked apple-stuffed French toast.

A Narragansett bed-and-breakfast, the 1900 House (59 Kingstown Rd., Narragansett, 401/789-7971, www.1900houseri.com, $185–150) re-creates the resort’s heyday with old wooden boxes full of antiques, a genuine stereoscope, and two hat boxes stuffed with old postcards. After the block-and-a-half walk back from the beach, guests can “shower under the stars” in an enclosed outdoor shower (rooms also have private baths).

$150–250

A rambling white building smack dab on Misquamicut Beach, the Andrea Resort Hotel (89 Atlantic Ave., Misquamicut, 888/318-5707, www.andreahotel.com, $110–265) is legendary for its friendly service and beach-bum atmosphere. If you are looking for quiet, keep looking; if you are looking for a short stumble home from the bonfire, this is the place. Some rooms include porches overlooking the action.

At the opposite extreme, even the name of the Shelter Harbor Inn (10 Wagner Rd., Westerly, 401/322-8883, www.shelterharborinn.com, $125–200) suggests romantic seclusion. A converted farmhouse near the sleepy village of Weekapaug, the 24-room inn features rooms with wood fireplaces, exposed beams, and four-poster beds. The inn’s 200 acres of grounds include a hot tub, croquet course, and putting greens, just a short drive from pristine barrier beaches.

© Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall from Moon New England, 2nd Edition