sadiqhassan

I have 3 days off in the first week of June and I want to go away with about 3 or 4 friends from college to a seaside town somewhere in New England. I was first thinking of Maine (Portland) but my budget won't co-operate.

I was hoping for something near / on the beach, and would like things to do outdoors (biking, hiking, kayaking and what not). Nice seafood would be good too but otherwise I'm not too picky.

Distance from NYC is semi-important (Maine was pushing it) and I don't really want to stay in a hostel. My friends won't mind but I will

The biggest problem, IMHO, is our budget. My friends don't want to spend more than $100 per room per night. I thought this would be easy to manage but it is proving harder than expected. I can find lots of places far away from the water but I'd like to be as close as possible. Any ideas? I have really never ventured north of New York City in the US so I have very little idea of what all there is to enjoy! I think it will be easier to find a specific hotel once I decide on a place to go!

Thanks so much!

Out of my Element

$100 per room per night? Or $100 per person per night?

You're not going to find anything (safe) for $100/room per night where you can easily get to the coast in any place worth staying in (Bridgeport, CT isn't really a vacationland) during beach season.

lo2e

With all due respect, I think your expectations are way too high. To find a "decent" beach location outside of Maine that is also near good hiking/biking/etc and cheap in the beginning of June, I would rate it as nearly impossible unless you trim down your expectations for lodging. Then you tack on decent seafood, and I'd say your chances of fitting all of those molds is about zero.

First off, I'm not aware of any locations outside of Maine that are both close to the beach AND have nearby hiking/biking/etc. Maybe your best bet is to see if there is a state park or national park somewhere in MA, RI, or CT that happens to be pretty near a beach location? I will admit that I'm not as familiar with "outdoors-y" things to do in those states.

If you zero in on a location, I think you might want to try Priceline's Name Your Own Price service to get the best lodging possible for a price you might want to pay. But again, I think you'd be lucky to find anything of quality near a decent beach for under $100 at this time of year. I hope I'm wrong though!

cordelli

Pick a spot and work backwards from there. You can for example get rooms in the Mystic area for around $100 a night, you could all chip in your $100 per night and buy a four person tent and camp at many of the beach front state parks (assuming they have space, they are probably full for June).

Rooms along the New Hampshire coast should also be in the $100 to $125 range, getting you close to the beaches up there.

Yahtzee

You might be able to get something decent around Portsmouth, NH/Kittery, Me in a Motel 6 type establishment. That would open you up to biking and kayaking and good food. You're likely sacrificing a really close big beach though.

sadiqhassan

Thanks for the replies, I knew the budget was limiting but didn't think it would be impossible to find a place.

For the record, the original budget was $60 (per room!) and I was able to get it to $100. Do you think it would be possible to find decent places at $150? $200? The places I am finding either seem really crappy for $100-$150 or nice for $400, I don't see anything in between!

Thanks again!

mareh

In early June, you can probably get a basic hotel on Cape Cod for $200, maybe less. It won't be on the beach, but the Cape has trails through the woods and bike paths. I don't think many rooms would fit 5 people though. They definitely will charge you extra for more than 2 adults, and I'm not sure how much that will up the rate. Note: Beaches on Cape Cod generally charge parking fees.

You might be able to pull off the same thing on the North Shore of MA, but there are fewer hotels to choose from. Years ago, I stayed at The Vista in Gloucester, which had distant ocean views. You can walk to the beach to avoid parking fees, which can be high on the weekends. Not sure about weekdays that early in the season. I would check Tripadvisor for more recent reviews. Biking would not be a problem, and again, there are walking trails through the woods. (Not sure about bike rentals though, if that's what you're looking for.)

Kayak rentals are available in nearby Rockport, where there are also some hotels but I am not familiar with their condition or price.

Ipswich and Newburyport might also be worth a look, but no idea about hotels there.

sadiqhassan

If the rooms can fit 4 people, the budget can be upped to $200 (people don't want to spend more than $50 each a night.) We are not sure if 4 people are coming yet or 5, but it will most likely be 4.

BostonFlyer1624

Look at the Cape, Ipswich MA, Gloucester, Newport RI.

sadiqhassan

Does Portland, ME have "real" beaches? We were looking at http://www.innbythebay.com/ I wouldn't mind staying here if the beach was adequate and there are activities such as biking within a 30 minute drive.

Thanks!

lo2e

The Holiday Inn By the Bay is actually in the center of downtown Portland and would be a very long walk to a beach - the only sandy beach in downtown Portland is at a park on the Eastern Promenade (according to Google Maps, the park is actually on "Cutter Street" - I've never heard it called that in real life, though).

I guess I'm not sure what the difference between a "real" beach and a "fake" beach is, but there are sandy beaches at a few points south of Portland - Cape Elizabeth (Higgins Beach), Old Orchard Beach, Wells Beach, York Beach.

Here's one idea for biking if your budget can swing it - take a ferry to one of the islands (Peaks Island seems to be the most popular) and bike around the island.

PWMFlyer19

The first cautionary tale I would say is the weather in the 1st week of June is very hit or miss in Maine. It probably will not be "true" beach weather (it will not be 80's to 90's probably of any days) and the water will very chilly. Not sure what you do at the beach or how much time you plan to spend there are compared to everything else you mentioned.

If you will have a car, I would suggest the location of the Holiday Inn can not be beat. You can drive and do your activities in the day then just walk to the Old Port for dinner/drinks/entertainment/shopping. There is also a Hilton, Residence Inn and Hampton Inn in the Old Port that you may want to look at as well.

Crescent Beach
http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/...s.pl?park_id=4

Williard Beach
http://www.visitmaine.com/attraction...willard_beach/

Cheers.

sadiqhassan

Thanks! We will have a car!

Yahtzee

I think a "real" beach is Ogunquit, and a "fake" beach is the little one at the end of the road in Kittery Point.

Analise

The Inn by the Bay is a resort in Cape Elizabeth maybe a mere 15 minutes south of Portland. If you are able to afford that, then do it. That you are a bunch of people makes me think that you can afford a room! It's on the water and very close to Crescent Beach. They also have bikes to bike to the Scarborough beaches and Higgens Beach. You can kayak too. You can get sandy beaches without the tackiness.

If you want a beach town with LOTS of people, boom boxes, taffy and the like, start with Old Orchard Beach and head south to the Yorks. That's getting your Jersey Shore fix in New England if that's what you think your "real" beach experience should be.

If you stay in or near Portland, you can take a ferry to Peaks Island, rent bikes and really enjoy a day on that island on Casco Bay!