With the friendly atmosphere of a B&B -- perhaps most evident during the 6-7pm wine-and-cheese hour when guests flock to watch the sunset over the water -- this inn exudes quality. You could get lost in the down comforters. The bathroom smells like a day spa. The furniture is set up just so -- a love seat facing the fireplace and fluffy chairs perfectly positioned for watching the sunset. The inn's only three years old and everything seems suitably new -- from the CD sound system to the sparkling jacuzzi tub. My room, #16, was located in the ugly red brick 'annex' next door, but the interior was so fabulous that I dreamt about transporting it to my own house.

As for the inn's intimate ambience. . . where do I begin? Two weeks prior to arrival, we received an email advising us where we might want to book for Valentine's Day dinner. On our first night there, affable owner Bill Griffin helped us find a local painter whose work we'd been admiring on his wall. The always-helpful staff was eager to make coffee, investigate day trips, or point you to local restaurants. (Don't miss Skipper's Dock just behind the hotel: its hot toasted lobster sandwich was amazing.)

The town of Stonington, complete with whitewashed homes, picket fences, and plentiful glimpses of the water through gates and archways, is quiet during the winter, but bustling with boaters and bargain-hunters during the summer, according to locals. In fact, we loved its antique stores so much that it proved to be a very expensive weekend. But no matter how quaint the town is, the Inn at Stonington is the reason you'll want to come back.