Wentworth by the Sea, A Marriott Hotel & Spa

The hotel has the scale and facilities of a resort, but its identity comes from the building itself: Wentworth by the Sea has welcomed guests since 1874, with a grand façade, tall turrets and interiors shaped around the coastal setting. The palette runs to creams and blues, with furnishings designed to keep the mood calm rather than shout about it. English is spoken by the hotel team, so you can deal with the practicalities of a stay without resorting to underwater sign language at reception.

This suits you if you want your diving holiday to include a proper base for the hours between dives. There is a restaurant, indoor and outdoor swimming, a spa, fitness facilities and space to sit outside. It is also set up for families, meetings and celebrations, so the atmosphere is likely to be broader than that of a small dive lodge. In other words, your non-diving companion has somewhere to go while you are thinking about tides, surface intervals and whether that wetsuit will ever dry.

The address is 588 Wentworth Road in New Castle, New Hampshire, on the coast near Portsmouth. The hotel sits close to New Castle’s centre, with Fort Stark State Historic Site and Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse among the places to explore nearby. This is a coastal location with history attached, rather than a hotel dropped beside a generic strip of shops.

Portsmouth is close enough to feature in your plans, while the immediate setting gives you more than an airport-style overnight stop. You can combine diving with a visit to a historic fort, a lighthouse outing or a walk around the local area. The hotel also has parking on site, which is useful here: a car gives you more freedom to reach the coast, the nearby dive centre and the wider New Hampshire area.

The room choice is unusually wide, running from single and standard double rooms through to suites and two-bedroom villas. For a couple, a double room with a port, water or sea view is the obvious direction if the outlook matters as much as the bed. Families or groups can look towards the quadruple, quintuple and sextuple categories, while the two-bedroom options give people a little more room to exist without negotiating every square metre of floor space.

The hotel’s larger accommodation is where the character becomes clearer. Suites can include a separate bedroom arrangement, a safe, telephone, toiletries and towels, while some of the more distinctive accommodation has private balconies with water views, fireplaces and extra space for sharing with family or friends. Many rooms and suites have spa-style bathrooms, with claw-foot baths echoing the building’s older New England character. A long soak has its uses after a day involving salt water, even if it does nothing for your logbook.

Air conditioning is available, and rooms include private bathrooms; selected categories also include televisions and hairdryers. The hotel has room service and some rooms include an alarm clock. If you value the view, choose a category that names the harbour, sea or water rather than leaving the scenery to chance. For a longer stay, a suite or villa makes more sense when you want a sitting area, extra space or separate sleeping arrangements rather than simply a place to collapse.

SALT Kitchen + Bar is the main named restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. That gives you one in-house table covering the useful parts of the day: coffee and food before setting off, something substantial when you return, and an evening meal without having to organise another journey while tired and hungry.

The restaurant is associated with local cooking in the hotel’s description. A bar is also available, along with tea and coffee for guests. Breakfast can be taken in the room, which is a practical option when the morning starts earlier than your enthusiasm for conversation.

The stay does not come with one universal meal formula: what is included depends on the room arrangement selected. Check the meal details attached to your booking before assuming breakfast is part of the deal. There is also a food vending machine for the moment when a full restaurant meal is not what you need, merely something to stop the post-dive hunger from becoming a small domestic incident.

The indoor and outdoor pools give you two ways to spend time in the water without putting a tank on your back. The outdoor setting works for a slower afternoon, while the indoor pool keeps the option open when the New Hampshire weather has other plans. There is also a garden and terrace for sitting outside rather than returning immediately to your room.

The spa offers massages and facial treatments, with a sauna alongside it. That is the useful sort of indulgence after several days of early starts: less fuss, more recovery. Fitness equipment is available too, while tennis and golf give active non-divers something structured to do; the golf course is about 2 miles away.

For something less hotel-bound, hiking, fishing and cultural excursions are available. Families have a games room, children’s play area and babysitting service, so a mixed group can divide the day without everyone being forced into the same timetable. Pets are admitted as well, which may matter if the trip includes a four-legged passenger.

Check-in runs from 4 pm to 6 pm, with check-out at 11 am. A 24-hour reception, express check-in and check-out, luggage storage and concierge services make the arrival and departure mechanics fairly straightforward, particularly if your travel day does not fit neatly around the room timetable.

Airport transfers are available, and vehicle hire can be arranged. Free on-site parking is available if you drive. Wi-Fi is free, while laundry and dry-cleaning services are available when salt, travel and ordinary life have made a mess of the packing plan. A lift, wheelchair-accessible facilities and accessible rooms support guests who need step-free access.

The hotel is non-smoking, has air conditioning in the property and accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and Diners Club. English is spoken on site. The building also has meeting rooms, a conference room and a business centre, so the resort can accommodate work or events alongside a diving stay. Its electrical supply is 120 volts with Type A and Type B sockets.