Massachusetts Best Lodging 2011

BEST B&B SUNSETS
Centennial House, Northfield
Spacious common areas in this 1811 mansion lead to a glassed sunporch overlooking a two-acre “back meadow.” Step out to the gazebo for sunset views over the valley. Five guestrooms combine comfort and Federal-era grace. Rates: from $117, including full breakfast. 94 Main St. 413-498-5921; thecentennialhouse.com

BEST VICTORIAN STAY
Allen House Victorian Inn & Amherst Inn, Amherst
Ann and Alan Zieminski are sticklers for outfitting their two Victorian B&Bs with precisely the most appropriate wallpapers and antiques, but contemporary amenities include in-room high-speed wireless Internet access. Rates: from $100, including full breakfast. 599 Main St. (Allen), 257 Main St. (Amherst). 413-253-5000; allenhouse.com

BEST INNKEEPERS
Williams Inn, Williamstown
The slight, grandmotherly lady pouring your morning coffee may well be Marilyn Faulkner. Son David is now manager of this 125-room, full-service inn, but in their 20th year here, Marilyn and husband Carl remain hands-on hosts in hospitable Williamstown, on the Williams College campus and just two blocks from the village center. Rates: from $180. 1090 Main St. (jct. Routes 2 and 7). 800-828-0133, 413-458-9371; williamsinn.com

BEST B&B BREAKFASTS
Windflower inn, Great Barrington
Longtime locavores Claudia and John Ryan can tell guests the provenance of every fresh-laid egg, bacon rasher, and sausage link in your big country breakfast. Claudia bakes the breads and John grows the veggies and berries. Common rooms and 13 guestrooms in this antiques-filled Berkshires B&B blend elegance and comfort. Rates: from $125, including full breakfast and afternoon tea. 684 South Egremont Road. 800-992-1993, 413-528-2720; windflowerinn.com

BEST BERKSHIRES COTTAGE
B&B Devonfield, Lee
Ronnie and Bruce Singer make patrons feel like houseguests in this graciously comfortable Gilded Era estate. Comforts include a landscaped pool with mountain views, deftly decorated rooms, tempting books, wood-burning fireplaces, and great food. Rates: cottage from $350, including full breakfast; B&B rooms from $250, including full breakfast. 85 Stockbridge Road. 800-664-0880, 413-243-3298; devonfield.com

BEST HISTORIC LODGING
Longfellow’s Wayside Inn, Sudbury
Wayfarers have lodged at this former stagecoach inn and tavern for nearly 300 years, and it was the centerpiece of historic buildings that Henry Ford once envisioned as a museum of Early American life. Nine modernized guestrooms, upstairs from the busy restaurant, remain pleasantly genteel, though some are small. Rates: from $140, including full breakfast. Entrées: from $18.95. 72 Wayside Inn Road. 800-339-1776, 978-443-1776; wayside.org

BEST CAPE ANN HIDEOUT
Seacrest Manor, Rockport
On a woodsy hilltop outside the town’s hubbub, this friendly Edwardian inn has eight guestrooms (six with private baths) and shady landscaped grounds shared with a resident flock of wild turkeys. The private decks off Rooms 7 and 8 look across Whale Cove to the twin lights of Thatcher Island. Rates: from $125, including full breakfast. 99 Marmion Way. 978-546-2211; seacrestmanor.com

BEST CANALSIDE CAMPING
Bourne Scenic Park, Bourne
Families have been coming to this woodsy enclave for idylls on the Cape Cod Canal in the shadow of the Bourne Bridge for more than 50 years. Two in-ground pools offer freshwater swimming, and saltwater beaches are only a short bike ride away. Catch dinner by fishing off the rocks. Rates: tents from $36; RVs from $46; cabins from $330 one week, $480 two weeks. 370 Scenic Highway. 508-759-7873; bournescenicpark.com

BEST CLASSIC BEACHFRONT STAY
The Lighthouse Inn, West Dennis
This time-capsule complex of cottages, guest houses, and a big, barn-like inn (with the c. 1855 Bass River Light at its center) is about as Old Cape Cod as it gets–with the addition of WiFi, jet-skis, and kayak rentals. The property covers nine acres on Nantucket Sound, including a private pocket beach. Rates: cottages from $285, including full breakfast; rooms from $235, including full breakfast. 1 Lighthouse Inn Road. 508-398-2244; lighthouseinn.com

BEST SPA MUD
Mansion House, Vineyard Haven
This breezy resort hotel, with 40 rooms and suites, re-creates Aquinnah mud baths with glacial white clay in its signature therapeutic “Moshup” spa treatments. Rates: from $299, including buffet breakfast. 9 Main St. 800-332-4112, 508-693-2200; mvmansionhouse.com