first trip to maine
 

This is our first trip to Maine. We are flying to New York on Sun. June 27th and renting a car to drive to Maine for four days.
We are planning on staying in Kennebuckport and taking day trips.
Does anyone have any sugestions of hotels there. We would love to stay by the beach and we don't like to stay at a bed and breakfast.
What would be a good place to stop for the one night on the road to Maine?
Is Kennebuckport a good place to stay for raod trips?
Thanks for your help.

Until you get a more topical answer ...

40 years ago my father and I stayed at the Shawmut Inn, and I still remember it, so it must have been pretty nice.

But maybe things have changed in 40 years.

Other advice; lobster tastes better outside than in. You can eat lobster for both lunch and dinner. There's good lobster in Lincolnville, right on the water.

The cost is so bent you can get up early and look at sunrises across the water, and then spend a nice day, and finally watch the sun go down over the water.

As you drive up from New York, pause in Portland, and think about taking a tour on Casco Bay.

Think carefully about souvenirs. Do you really have room at home for that old lobster trap?

BAK

Since you have 4 days, you should not limit youself to Kennebunkport. While it's a nice area, you really don't see the real Maine coast until you go past Brunswick and Bath, and you should think about visiting the Acadia National Park. It'd be quite a waste if you have 4 days in Maine and don't visit those areas.

I must agree with rkkwan... too much coast to see to stay only in Kenne.

For my DH's 40th bday I surprised him w/ a 4 day trip to Maine. We flew into Portland, stayed the 1st night at a lovely oceanfront jacuzzi suite inn (not a B&B) in Boothbay Harbor... I'll look the name up if you're interested.

Continued up the coast to the Bar Harbor Inn for 2 nights... toured Acadia Nat'l Park and adored it... would have liked a few more days there!

Hoofed it back to Portland for a flight out in the afternoon. It was a perfect itinerary for us.

If you've never been to Maine, you really must spend some time at Acadia... also at the MANY dockside local lobster joints. What fun!

Whatever you decide, have fun... happy planning.

Kennebunkport would not be my choice for a base because we prefer the area further north. I highly recommend planning a day trip to Pemaquid Point lighthouse (there's nearby lobster places) or Camden/Rockland area (visit the Owl's Head lighthouse). You can easily spend the day driving down interesting roads. The whole Rt 1 area south of Portland is congested but it all depends on what you want to do. The Farnsworth Museum in Rockland has wonderful paintings by Maine artists. You would find funky restaurants in Portland. I would also recommend a harbor or lobster boat cruise. I like Portsmouth NH better than Kennebunkport for things to do and a drive thru Newcastle for scenery. The further north you go, the less apt you are to find a sandy beach. The coast gets rockier and rockier. I have no idea why "Message in a Bottle" was filmed in Maine when the story was set in the Carolinas but there is a beach scene that was so NOT Carolina and obviously Maine. The coast of Maine where you can see offshore islands is the prettiest IMHO.

I think staying in the Kennebunkport area for 4 days is fine. There are lots of nice beaches and small towns to explore within an hour of Kennebunkport. You could visit Portland, Portsmouth NH, the water parks near Saco, the outlets in Kittery, and some of the scenic villages like Cape Porpose. The only hotel right on the beach that I'm familiar with is Lafayette's in Wells Beach. This large motel complex is right on the beach, with all price ranges to choose from. I'm sure there are others.