Diamond Cove, Maine

It's hard to imagine more appropriate vessels to deliver you to a refreshing stay at Diamond Cove in Maine. Sturdy passenger ferries with whimsical names—Island Holiday, Bay Mist, and Maquoit II—ply Casco Bay's lobster buoy-strewn, sometimes fog-bound waters, delivering residents, vacationers, and provisions to quiet islands just 20 minutes from downtown Portland. The "ay-uhs" of the locals, the flavors of the salty air, and the workaday boats of the fishermen all signal your arrival Downeast. As your ferry's diesel engine idles at each stop, listen for the gulls' crying and the sailboats' symphony—the clanging of halyard against mast. Friendly waves from boaters foretell the welcome you'll discover at Diamond Cove's dock and the conveniences in your three-bedroom townhouse in the brick buildings that were once home to Army officers stationed at this island fort. Get ready to enjooy butter-dripping lobster dinners, explore teeming tide pools, and meander along the rocky shoreline.

Fall/Winter 1999