Are you planning just a one night stay, or is it a week and a day? Also you said you want to get farther north but Rockport Mass is south, or did you mean Rockland Maine? Portsmouth NH is south of Maine, so I'm a little confused. Did you mean Portland Maine?

Single night stays for a Saturday night are a problem in that area in summer. Portsmouth NH is very popular and if you can even get a one night stay, it's about $200 per night for a Hampton Inn, nothing fancy. Same for Portland Maine, I'm afraid. Rates are a little lower in South Portland near the Maine Mall, but still expensive for what they are,If it's late in the month after some families are already packing up kids for school and college, it might ease up, The summer season is so short in this area and prices are very high up and down the entire coast

Were you planning on renting a car? The #687 Downeaster (Amtrak) leaves Boston North station at 5:40 PM and arrives in Portland about 8:10PM. Taxi to your Portland hotel and rent a car in the morning in Portland. The fare is very reasonable at $20 per person.

It's busy season, most places will be unwilling to book a Saturday arrival. You might have some luck calling around that Saturday morning.

Maybe try Ship Ahoy Motel near Boothbay Harbor, it has been mentioned in the forum before as bare-bones but clean and friendly. Or the High Tide Inn near Camden maybe?

www.shipahoymotel.com
www.hightideinn.com

We are going for just one night, two days. We will drive from Boston. I don't know the area so I am throwing out some places but am obviously confused. We chose north of Boston because going to Cape Cod will be just too busy for two days. Our dates are Aug 11 and 12. Um, how about Cape Ann/Cape Elizabeth area?

There are some nice hotel/motels on Atlantic Ave in Gloucester MA. And Rocky Neck and downtown have some good restaurants.

We chose north of Boston because going to Cape Cod will be just too busy for two days.

So will pretty much any place you can think of on the coast within a reasonable drive from Boston.

What about heading inland, to the mountains in western MA or NH or VT?

Portsmouth, NH is a good/clean/safe/historic city to stay over night.It's about one hour from Boston. Going into western MA, NH, or VT will take you the opposite direction of going to Maine.

rbnwdln, heading inland is a good idea. More details would help though.What do you want to see? As mentioned, coastal areas are much more expensive and harder to book. What's your budget for the night? Chain hotels and motels are more likely to get allow a one night stay , especially if they are in a less popular area.How far do you want to drive (in hours, not miles) Small cities like Manchester NH have some good deals on hotels but would you be interested in the area or willing to drive somewhere you like better and then drive back an hour or so to stay overnight. Colleges in New England start getting students back mid to late August so that adds to the problem

I want to see the ocean and eat lobster! We are only going for Sat and Sun so don't want to drive too, too far. Thanks for the help, so far. I will check out your suggestions.

http://www.atlantisoceanfrontinn.com/

http://www.bassrocksoceaninn.com/

http://www.gloucesterinnbythesea.com/

http://www.oceanviewinnandresort.com/

If any of these work for you, you can enjoy an ocean side evening and morning stroll, the nearby beach and great food options in the area, as well as the option to explore Rockport for a few hours and have a lobster on the pier.

Do you have a possible place to stay in Boston that Saturday night? Ogunquit is a popular day trip from Boston so as long as you get an early start, it ls doable without an overnight there. You could try York (lighthouses and lobster) and Kennebunkport too. Then Sunday, try a different town either North or south of Boston. Rhode Island (south) is clam territory more than lobster, but there are some beautiful places on the ocean that also could be a long day trip

I suggest looking in South Portland near the airport. There are some hotel chains there and they tend to cater to the business crowd, so you may be able to find something affordable there for a Sat night.

I want to see the ocean and eat lobster!

Rockport, MA on Cape Ann - totally do-able as a day trip from Boston, no overnight needed. Or to add to janie's most recent suggestion: you could do one day trip to southern Maine, spend the night someplace less pictaresque/inland, then the second day someplace else like Cape Ann.

And there's plenty of lobster (and yes, clams!) south of Boston, too, with beaches more for swimming than you'd want to do to the north (IMHO). For example, there's a lobster fleet in Westport, MA and the beautiful state beach there called Horseneck; plenty of inexpensive chain hotels, too. But if you want the classic NE fishing village look-and-feel, you're better off sticking to your plan for the north...

You might want to check to the if the Vista in Gloucester (in Cape Ann) will rent for one night. It is kind of an old fashioned, Mom and Pop type motel with a distant ocean view. You can walk to the beach from there. Note: I haven't been inside in many years, but have heard it's still okay, and the reviews on Tripadvisor seem to bear that out.

We just spent several days in Maine. Be prepared that southbound traffic on I95 on Sunday is going to be very heavy even in early afternoon. If you have to be back at a certain time, plan on extra travel time. We were traveling Brunswick ME to Portsmouth NH.

You might have luck in the Brunswick area (Bowdoin college). It's inland but there are some wonderful drives nearby. We had a great steamed lobster dinner at Cundy's Harbor. Sat at a table on an open deck right on the water of a working harbor. Due to the college etc there are a lot of chain hotels in the area.

How about Nashua, NH? There are plenty of nice hotels, but not by any means touristy but still a lot to do. It is about 1 hour north of Boston, and a little over an hour to the boarder of Maine. It would be perfect! It is also tax free so SHOPPING! but also is next to the boarder of Massachusetts.

Nashua is not on the tourist map, but it is a nice city with an eclectic downtown of interesting shops and eateries. It's easy to get to Nashua from Boston and easy to get from Nashua to Maine.

Reply if you want any more info on Nashua.

If you book now you may be able to get a room at the Hilton Garden in downtown Portsmouth. That is a good base for trips to beaches in Newcastle NH, and Kittery Maine (Fort Foster). If you go to Kittery I recommend lobster dinner at Chauncey Creek...lobster in the rough, BYOB on a beautiful inlet. If you have money to burn you could also stay at the Wentworth Hotel in Newcastle...a beautiful historic hotel with a great adjacent restaurant on the water. Not far from there you can can also rent kayaks and paddleboards at Portsmouth Kayak Adventures. Have a fish sandwich at the Ice House in Rye.
The York Harbor Inn is also nice and worth a visit sometime. If I were you I wouldn't go much north of York...with so little time why spend it in the car. Don't go inland...stick to our objective of staying on the coast it is well worth the effort. Finally, the advice about the traffic on 95 should be heeded. I'd suggest either leaving by 3pm on Sunday or sticking Round until 8 or 9pm lest you want to sit in your car for hours. Have fun!