We're Smitten With These Fabulously Renovated Roadside Motels

Tracey Minkin
Updated

There's a new crop of old-school, side-of-the-highway getaways that have turned a style corner with chic makeovers, just in time for your summer roadtrip stop-over. So pack your bags, hit the road, and check into one of the newest editions to our favorite stays by the sea.

Harbor Hotel, Provincetown, Massachusetts
Just off Massachusetts RTE 6A
Built in 1970

Beginning its life as a Holiday Inn, this sleek and bright redo (also shown at top) set between Cape Cod's breathtaking sand dunes and the artsy hive of Provincetown is a retro-chic escape with 119 guest rooms and 10 suites, along with a pool, cabana bar, fire pit, and views of Cape Cod Bay. Rates start at $99; harborhotelptown.com.

Cambria Beach Lodge at Moonstone Beach, Cambria, Califorina
Just off California RTE 1
Built in 1960

This is a whitewashed dream of a renovation, with opulent turquoise accents in its 27 guest rooms (and sunny yellow bikes lined up along the exterior), made even more cool by the fact that it's in a part of California's Central Coast that's largely undiscovered. Rates start at $179; cambriabeachlodge.com.

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Hotel Palms, Atlantic Beach, Florida
Just off Florida SR A1A
Built in 1947

You'll want to pull up in a 1950 Chevy Bel Air, just to match the retro lines and motor-court layout of this Florida roadside classic. With 11 guest rooms that tug playfully on nostalgia (flamingo pillows) and beach house 101 (reclaimed-wood headboards), this oasis just three blocks from the sand hits all the notes, like Patti Page coming over the car radio. Rates start at $149; thehotelpalms.com.

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Casa Morada, Islamorada, Florida
Just off U.S. HWY 1
Built in the early 1950s

Originally the Sunset Inn, this midcentury concrete hotel surrounded by prosaic Florida Keys motels got an injection of sexy, sophisticated design, creating a serenely urbane escape of 16 suites with private gardens or outdoor terraces. Rates start at $229; casamorada.com.

Photos: Erica Mendenhall Photography; Joe Vaughn; Logan Bowles; Courtesy of Casa Morada