OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Perched just steps from the water, looking out across Saco Bay to the open ocean, The Diplomat is named after a motel that once occupied the 1.78-acre site, and is perhaps the most desirable of the high-rises along this famous seven-mile stretch of sandy beach. (It is one of only two such buildings with an indoor pool.)

The quiet, seven-story, 54-unit Diplomat tends to have longterm owners. It is significant that the minimum rental duration is 90 days, and that there are people who pay for an entire year simply to enjoy the privilege of summering here.

This bright and much-updated unit on the third level is oriented toward Pine Point and Prouts Neck, so the easterly views are splendid from every room, the guest bathroom excepted. More, rooms are outfitted with mirrors that effectively expand the views (and the room sizes, to the eye) so that you can stand in the kitchen and see out to Prouts Neck, exactly where it should be – except that you actually looking at a full-wall mirror reflecting another mirror’s perfect view of the landscape.

Of course, the same oceanfront gorgeousness is seen from the deck (which could be screened or enclosed) and the main living area, which is open to the newer kitchen across a Corian dining bar. Both the guest bedroom and the master are oriented toward the water (the latter view is boosted by a row of mirrored closets). The master suite has a cool walk-in closet with pretty built-ins, and a new, marble bath with Jacuzzi tub.

An enclosure in the hall houses laundry. While pets are not permitted here, the amenities, including a patio amid the seagrass, are excellent. The pool is one level down, with a 100-plus-foot atrium soaring above; hot tub and sauna are here, too. The storage room is actually a real, 10-foot-ceiling room, off a passage from near the beach, so it’s very handy for stowing sandy gear. Bicycle and kayak racks are nearby. And parking is generous – two spaces, plus two more “guest” spaces across the street.

The Old Orchard Beach condominium is listed for sale by Nancy Z. Moreshead of Best Maine Beach Properties.

For more information or to arrange a private viewing, please contact Nancy at 329-3545, 934-1600, or at nancyzbythesea@gmail.com.

No. 309, 215 East Grand Ave., Old Orchard Beach

Price: $419,000
Built: 1987
Rooms/bedrooms: 5/2
Baths: Two full
Square footage: 1,201
Parking: For four vehicles
Taxes: $4,663
Association fees: $242

Produced by the Marketing Department of the Maine Sunday Telegram, the Home of the Week is provided at no cost.

Photos by Derek Davis. HOW suggestions: jrolfe@pressherald.com.