The best part of the stay was finding out about the place. I have probably stayed overnight in Newburyport at least 20 times in the past 3 years. The Morrill doesn't advertise. It is not in a location a visitor would necessarily walk by. I made a random call from the yellow pages and found out that I could have a room in a captain's mansion with a huge four-poster bed, a side afternoon bed, a window seat/bed, working fireplace, and a private bath for......$85.00, tax included. Yup, that is right. And it's lower off-season. As I said, the old manse could use a paint job and some serious trimming of the wildly overgrown shrubbery, but, as you step in, you do truly step into a home and you are very much welcomed as if you had been coming 20 years. Rose Ann Hunter owns the Inn and gives you as much space as you'd like or will talk to you for hours if you need some friendly banter. Everything creaks in the hotel, and in all the right places. The rooms have NO TV's and no electronic devices other than a clock radio. And that includes no phone. And today, that is priceless. Of course, if you are planning a trip that includes a hefty or even a little bit of in-room watching or listening, the Morrill is not the place. But given that Newburyport Center is a brisk 5 minute walk or a slow 10 minute stroll, the separation between the fun of this little port and the quiet of the Inn are perfect. And there are no room keys. Someone is always home and both your room door and the entry door are always open. I know that probably scared half of the reading public away, but the Morrill is tucked off the main road and you will pass it at least once before you can find. You can, of course, give Rose Ann any valuables, but the no key feel matched the no TV, no electronic feel. For the desparate, there is a TV in the fabulous library/living room. But it would almost seem profane to turn it on when you are surrounded by a library of at least 2,000 volumes with deep leather couches and tea at the ready. If you are like me and know Newburyport, then you love to bike. So, you can pay an additonal $150 to $250 more and stay right in the middle of Newburyport or you can pay $85 ( I believe it is $95 during in season weekends) and be one minute behind the other riders on the way over to Plum Island. I would say it was extremely romantic but, as you can see above, I was a sole traveler. But it certainly has the right feel. But, at the same time, it is one of the few places where I can be anonymous if I so choose. Nobody is knocking on the door. Nobody's ringing the nonexistent phone. I will return many times.…