Here’s a place where you can rest in peace: Maine’s Hotel Crypt

Attention, Dracula wannabes: A new feature at the Inn at the Agora, a Lewiston, Maine, boutique hotel: a room that's a crypt. Checkout time is 2 a.m. That is not a typo.

The crypt, billed as the "only attraction of its kind in America -- possibly the world," will open its doors to guests beginning Aug.  1.

The room was forged from a crypt below the mortuary chapel of the former St. Patrick's Church (built in the 1880s). Reservations for the crypt room are available from the Inn at the Agora (a.k.a. the Hotel Crypt), a five-room hotel created out of the former rectory of the church and steps from the crypt itself.

Owner Andrew Knight, an entrepreneur and seasoned world traveler who's on a "constant search for unique lodging and experiences," told me by email that  "unlike a kitschy Halloween haunted house, the crypt is real."

And the original occupant of the crypt? That would be Msgr. Thomas Wallace, the church's first priest, who rested here from 1907 (though some sources say 1910) until 2009 when his remains were moved to Mt. Hope Cemetery.

As for the crypt room that will soon open to living guests, Knight notes on the website that "to preserve its authenticity, we have not changed anything except for the addition of furnishings and a few modern comforts."

Those earthly pleasures include an LCD TV, a selection of 60 horror films and a sitting area. The highlight? Probably the custom-built plush pine coffin big enough for two in which you can take a quick nap or down the souvenir bottle of "Bloodeaux" wine. 

Keep in mind that you can stay in the crypt only from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. Also, there's no bathroom in the crypt. It's offered only as an entertainment venue, not as an overnight hotel room. A crypt visit must be paired with accommodations at the Inn at the Agora.

Prices range from $450 in low season (May through September and November) to $680 in high season (October) for two. Rates include the Hotel Crypt visit and the stay at the Inn at the Agora.

Lewiston is about 35 miles northwest of Portland and about 140 miles north of Boston. With a population of about 37,000, it is the second largest city in Maine.

Info: Hotel Crypt and Inn at the Agora, 1 Walnut St., Lewiston, Maine; (855) 552-4672