New England country inns are no longer the simple, informal roadside guesthouses that they were in olden days.

Rather, they are more like small vacation resorts, without the big-production feel.

Unlike New England motels, inn room rates vary considerably depending on the particular room, number of occupants, day of the week, season of the year, and concurrence with special events such as holidays or local festivals.

You may have to reserve well ahead for a country-inn room, particularly if you wish to stay during New England's foliage season or when there's some big event nearby.

The innkeeper may require a minimum stay of two, three, four, or even more days, perhaps with payment in cash.

Calculating your cost can be complicated at some inns. For example, an inn may charge $195 per night for a double room with bath in summer on Monday through Wednesday nights, but $260 for the same room on Thursday through Sunday. To these rates you must add $10 for the maid's tip (required), $15 if you use the fireplace in the room, and 9.7% room tax. All in all, that comes to $241 for the "$195" Monday-through-Wednesday room, or $313 for the "$260" Thursday-through-Sunday room.

Speaking of days-of-the-week, city hotels offer discounted weekend packages, since the business trade disappears on weekends. But for country inns, Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest, and other nights tend to be cheaper—and quieter.

What you want to do is plan your city visits for weekends (or at least partly so), and spend Sunday or Monday through Wednesday or Thursday nights out in the country.

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