The legendary coast of Maine has become more popular than ever in the last few years. You can credit the pandemic for that, a period when many new visitors headed north and discovered the state. That rising popularity has translated into sold-out summers, a season already short enough in this New England climate. That’s why the sage advice is to book way in advance. Here are three coastal hotels that I number among my favorites.

Chebeague Island Inn

The Chebeague Island Inn dates back to the 1880’s and has a wide and inviting porch, a lawn dotted with Adirondack chairs, and a full-service restaurant and bar with a menu created by Matt Ginn of Evo Kitchen & Bar in Portland. There are fat-tired bikes to use, yoga classes on summer weekends, and the adjacent Great Chebeague Golf Course, a nine-hole course. The sandy beach is a short stroll away. Chebeague Island is about three and a half miles long and about half that wide at its widest point, home to less than 350 year-round residents, who include fishermen and lobstermen. In summer, it gets busy with “rusticators” who come for two or three months of bracing ocean air and island life. It is beautiful and tranquil, but you don’t come here for nightlife, so bring a few novels, good walking shoes and a pair of binoculars for the seabirds and seals. The island is about a 20-minute ferry ride from Yarmouth, just north of Portland, but it feels a world away.

The Pentagöet Inn & Wine Bar

Castine's sleepy, elm-tree-lined streets make it one of my favorite towns on the Maine coast, a veritable film set of 19 century Greek Revival homes. The town’s oldest summer hotel, The Pentagöet Inn & Wine Bar is a Queen Anne Victorian built in 1894, a classic Maine inn with an inviting porch, a perennial garden, homespun rooms with carved wooden headboards, and a loyal following. Late last summer, it was purchased by two New Yorkers: Matt Powell, who has a background in restaurant hospitality and marketing, and George Trinovitch, a specialist in interior design. The inn has long been one of the most treasured hotels along the coast. Loyalists will be happy to know that the new owners have kept the Pub and Wine Bar and traditions like Jazz on the Porch. But they’ve also infused the property with newfound energy, creativity and a certain measure of zaniness. They’ve started a weekly featured cocktail program and introduced Piano Nights, and they’re currently undertaking some interior renovations in advance of a May seasonal reopening.

The Claremont

Heading to Acadia National Park this summer? Bar Harbor has its fans, but on the so-called quiet side of Mt Desert Island lies Southwest Harbor, home to The Claremont Hotel. This 1884 grand dame was tired and in need of restoration when it was purchased by hotelier Tim Harrington a couple of years ago. He embarked on extensive renovations to the tune of $20 million. You might know Harrington as the force behind the Kennebunkport Resort Collection, which includes The Tides Beach Club, Cape Arundel Inn & Resort, and Hidden Pond Resort in Kennebunkport. The reborn Claremont now has 51 accommodations, including 12 cottages, four suites, a three-bedroom waterfront property and 34 guestrooms.

Harrington made other additions, like the Botanica Spa and a dramatic heated infinity swimming pool overlooking Somes Sound. There are now summertime yoga classes and Pilates sessions on the lawn overlooking Somes Sound.

He also added some much-needed dining options, like Harry’s Bar, Little Fern Restaurant, and Buttercup Bakery. Closer to the waterfront is Batson Fish Camp, offering drinks and small plates.

The Maine coast is attracting a younger, hipper crowd, and the state’s classic seaside inns are changing with the times to accommodate them.