Private deck independent inns

Set at the end of a private road in Lincolnville, this upmarket bayside bed & breakfast spreads across landscaped grounds where the waterfront does most of the talking. Rooms and cottages are airy and quietly refined, most with a fireplace to take the chill off and a deck for watching the light change over the bay. Guests are unusually devoted dash; a 4.9 rating across more than 250 reviews suggests the kind of place people return to rather than merely visit.

Tucked onto a sliver of West Asheville just off the river, Wrong Way is less hotel than hangout — a cluster of snug wood cabins, each with a kitchenette and its own deck for slow mornings and longer evenings. The lodge at its center holds a cafe and bar plus space for gatherings, so the social life of the place spills easily between porch and pint. Reviewers are near-unanimous in their affection: 415 of them, averaging a flat five stars.

On Vinalhaven's Main Street, The Tidewater puts you within a few steps of the working harbor that defines this island town. Rooms and suites lean casual and beach-inspired, and many come with kitchens plus decks that cantilever out over the water — the kind of place where you make coffee and watch the boats come in without leaving your doorway. Guests rate it 4.4 across nearly 100 reviews.