Staying in Maine – room at the inn

Maine is a gorgeous US state – the little corner of it we’ve seen so far certainly is.  Something of it that reminds me of Cornwall which is one of my favourite places.  Not necessarily the sights and sounds (or the enormous scale of it), but more its pace of life and the fact that it isn’t overrun by tourists and commercial enterprise.  It isn’t necessary to look hard for homely, boutique and personal places to stay – there is a plethora to choose from!  As soon as you have chosen the coastal towns you want to visit and stay in, you’ll be hard-pushed to actually choose where to stay, such a lot of good quality choice!

We stayed in three very different inns, all of which I would go back to in a heartbeat.  Let me tell you more.

The Inn at Cuckolds Light – nr Boothbay

The Inn at Cuckolds – a slice of heaven

This was a dream come true – to stay in a lighthouse on a private island.  I did a full review of our stay for The Lux Traveller.  Our stay was quite incredible – we were blessed with gorgeous weather and fantastic hosts who quickly become friends.  It was a true retreat – a time to recharge, not do a great deal and really enjoy peace, quiet, the every changing coastal view, fantastic food and wine and each others company.  Staying at the Cuckolds will set you back a bit of cash, but it is a great alternative to a water villa and probably the closed we’ll get to living the ‘super-yacht’ lifestyle!

The Inn at Sunrise Point – Camden

The Inn at Sunrise Point – sea frontage in Camden

Our next stop was Camden – a town that a friend happily recommended to us.  I really wanted waterfront – and the Inn at Sunrise Point had it in spade loads.  What drew us here is that the rooms were actually little cottages – suites effectively with their own fire places.  Having had the run of an island, we didn’t want to stay in a hotel or B&B, we wanted our own space, as well as the view.  These cottages were perfect for integrating back into the real world.  The grounds are stunning and the sea view gorgeous.  Our suite was very quiet and comfortable and on a rainy evening the little trust bar was a perfect place to enjoy a nightcap and play some chess.

Captain Fairfield Inn – Kennebunkport 

Relaxed vibe at Captain Fairfield Inn

This was the most relaxed of the places we stayed – really comfortable and with a quiet garden behind the Inn.  The Lark Hotel group is run by a young team and so has a really good vibe to it – and the team had great recommendations for where to eat and drink (more to follow soon).  Kennebunkport was the most built up of the places we visited (closest to Boston) and so finding somewhere relaxed was harder.  Lots of the Inns in the town are pretty big so I was delighted to find this one that only had 9 rooms.  It was fully booked while we were there but remained peaceful.  There are comfortable common areas and breakfast is a simple yet tasty affair with a small buffet to suit all tastes

Three great places to stay in Maine – all very different but all perfect for a few nights in a beautiful part of the world, especially if you are looking for peace, quiet and comfort.  Our route took us from Boston to Boothbay/Southport, then up to Camden, back to Kennebunk and ended in Boston.  We were in Maine across for 7 nights across these 3 Inn’s which was a sensible amount of time to see the area without the driving feeling onerous.

I shared some of my favourite snaps from our trip on Instagram and let me tell you that Maine is made for foodies.