First off, don't bother reading if you demand a work-out room, wi-fi access, heated swimming pool, or breakfast buffet. It's not here--not even a chilly pool. However, this place is terrific because it lacks these so-called amenities.

It's a small motel--maybe 12 rooms and a few more cabins--set amidst trees at the foot of a mountain. It looks to have been built in the 1950s. The rooms are small but cozy. My room was completely updated--cable TV, new-looking wallpaper, linens, carpet, blinds, etc.--but not at the expense of its retro charm. Its rural location is shared by several other motels and resorts, so it's not too far away from civilization, but the property backs up to the Pemigewasset River and essentially wilderness beyond that. The river is down a set of stairs from the cabins, and picnic tables are set up along the bank. If the weather cooperates, turn off the A/C and open the window to be lulled to sleep by the water rushing over the rocks.

The proprietors are a welcoming, helpful, friendly couple who live on site. They keep everything clean and working properly, and have a nice selection of postcards (and stamps!) and other small souvenirs available in their office/parlor. Though they won't cook you breakfast (actually I didn't ask--maybe they would), there are plenty of options at the next exit to the south.

I hope I have another opportunity to stay with the O'Briens.