Stylish independent inns

Set just off Kennebunk's Chase Hill Road, The Grand Hotel trades New England chintz for something cleaner and more current — stylish rooms with marble bathrooms and private balconies that invite a slow morning with the coastal Maine air. An on-site art gallery gives the property a cultural pulse beyond the usual lobby decor. It's a contemporary retreat in a town better known for its clapboard and shingle, and reviewers rate it warmly at 4.2.

A short walk from downtown Napa on Polk Street, this stylish property trades on the easy rituals of wine country: a complimentary breakfast to start the day, and an evening wine social to close it. Rooms are refined and unfussy, and guests rate it highly — 4.5 stars across more than 300 reviews. A practical, comfortable base for tasting-room days in the valley.