American seaside escapes

The Ocean House (Photo: Warren Jagger)Camden Harbour Inn (Photo: Camden Harbour Inn)Cass House Inn (Photo: Drew Kelly)c/o The Maidstone (Photo: Maidstone)Hotel Erwin (Photo: Christian Horan)The Stone House (Photo: Stone House)Bungalow Hotel (Photo: New World Group)Postcard Inn (Photo: Postcard Inn)Surf Lodge (Photo: The Surf Lodge)Hidden Pond (Photo: Rare Brick/Hidden Pond)Though few people have a seaside home like the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, there are many gorgeous seaside inns and hotels throughout America. From Los Angeles's Venice Beach to the Jersey Shore, the new wave of beach hotels is also putting an emphasis on amazing food.

The Ocean House (Photo: Warren Jagger)The Ocean House; Watch Hill, Rhode Island

This grand oceanfront Victorian hotel completed a $140 million renovation in 2010. A full-time forager works with 40 area farms to supply the six dining venues. At night, a classic commuter boat takes guests on cocktail cruises.






Camden Harbour Inn (Photo: Camden Harbour Inn)Camden Harbour Inn; Camden, Maine

All 20 rooms at this harborside inn are named after famous ports of the Dutch East India Trading Company (a nod to its owners' Dutch heritage). The exterior is classic New England white clapboard; the interior, a mix of mod lighting from Habitat and Asian antiques. Its outstanding restaurant, Natalie's, looks like a Parisian boîte, offering ambitious dishes like local sea scallops with Hon Shimeji mushrooms, tomato coriander sauce and baby bok choy by chef Geoffrey Deconinck (an F&W 2011 People's Best New Chef nominee).



Cass House Inn (Photo: Drew Kelly)Cass House Inn; Cayucos, California

Chef Jensen Lorenzen and his wife, Grace, helped turn this 19th-century house (originally owned by the town's founder, James Cass) into a luxe five-room inn. Jensen's exceptional four-course dinners are built around locally-sourced ingredients and produce from the inn's garden; the wine list emphasizes Central Coast producers like Tablas Creek.


c/o The Maidstone (Photo: Maidstone)c/o The Maidstone; East Hampton, New York

Swedish hotelier Jenny Ljungberg has given East Hampton's iconic 18th-century Maidstone Arms a Scandinavian twist. There are colorful Josef Frank upholstered chairs in the lobby and red Kronan bikes (a civilian version of Swedish army bikes) for riding to the beach; there's also a place to play Kubb, a Viking game. Chef James Carpenter is even serving some Swedish dishes like skagen—toasted brioche topped with shrimp, caviar and lemon crème fraîche and dill—at the hotel's restaurant, the Living Room. The 200-vintage wine cellar, however, is Scandi-free.


Hotel Erwin (Photo: Christian Horan)Hotel Erwin; Venice Beach, California

Rooms at this hip new boutique hotel have balcony views of Muscle Beach and come with a free supply of surf wax for boarders looking to take advantage of the location 200 feet from the Pacific. The hotel will debut a new restaurant, Barlo Kitchen + Cocktails, in Fall 2011. High, the rooftop lounge, is a popular Venice destination for locals and tourists.


The Stone House (Photo: Stone House)The Stone House; Little Compton, Rhode Island

This eco-friendly, restored 19th-century mansion has 13 rooms and a Hinckley yacht available for charter. At the Tap Room, chef Wayne Gibson serves dishes made with ingredients sourced from local farms and honey harvested from a beehive on the property.



Bungalow Hotel (Photo: New World Group)Bungalow Hotel; Long Branch, New Jersey

Fans of the hit reality-TV show Jersey Shore may be surprised by the tastefulness of this beachfront hotel. Husband-and-wife team Robert and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design (stars of HGTV's Home by Novogratz) are responsible for the funky cowhide chairs and one-of-a-kind artwork, like surfing photos by Jeff Devine. There is no on-site restaurant but the hotel owners also operate the fantastic seafood-centric brasserie Avenue, just one block away.

Postcard Inn (Photo: Postcard Inn)Postcard Inn; St. Pete Beach, Florida

Restaurateur Steve Hanson turned a 1950s Colonial Gateway Inn into a retro-style hotel with vintage surfboards in many of the 196 rooms and a photo booth in the lobby. Beachwood BBQ & Burger, an outpost of NYC's Wildwood, serves mahi mahi tacos in addition to ribs and brisket.



Surf Lodge (Photo: The Surf Lodge)Surf Lodge; Montauk, New York

A super laid-back vibe and beachy-chic décor make this hotel one of F&W editors' favorites in the area. Australian chef Chris Rendell recently became executive chef at the hotel's restaurant and serves summery seafood dishes in a space that's a total throw-back to 70's surf culture and Bruce Brown's iconic Endless Summer movie. The hotel's 2,600 square-foot deck is a late-night hotspot and food destination: fish tacos, lobster tolls and Hawaiian plate lunches are served from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m.

Hidden Pond (Photo: Rare Brick/Hidden Pond)Hidden Pond; Kennebunkport, Maine

This gorgeous resort is made up of 16 colorfully clapboarded two-bedroom cottages on 60 acres of balsam and birchtrees. For people who like to cook, what makes Hidden Pond especially exciting is the 800-square-foot organic garden. Guests have unlimited access to it and can pick whatever they want for free-strolling through the bentwood trellis at the entrance, grabbing a pair of shears and a reed basket from the rustic farm shed and cutting anything they desire, including flowers.

For guests who don't feel like cooking there's Earth, star Boston chef Ken Oringer's new garden-inspired restaurant.

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