Kim

Any suggestions on where my husband and I should stay in: Boothbay Harbor; Camden; Kennebunkport; Portland; or any other coastal town you'd recommend? Thanks!

jane

My husband and I stayed at Cape Arundel Inn (www.capearundelinn.com) for our anniversary in October 2001. It's not cheap (we paid $235/night) but it was SUPERB. We were in a Rockbound room and had a huge picture window and a deck that was literally a stone's throw from the ocean. The breakfast (and dinner for that matter) is first class, the rooms are clean and the people are friendly.

Joan

Jane: is the Cape Arundel the one on Ocean Drive near Walker's Point?

gab

On a spur-of-the-moment trip, we stayed in Camden at the only place that had a room, The Swan Inn (or maybe it was the Swan House). Expecting the worst, we were pleasantly surprised. I'm sure in Camden you can find fancier places, but this place was very nice, with a terrific breakfast.
On the same trip, we also stayed in Portland (but not at a B&B), Ogunquit (too crowded for my liking, but maybe not so bad on a weekday), and Bar Harbor. You should try to make it as far north as BH--Acadia is wonderful.

SZ

I had an experience similar to Gab's. The only Camden B&B we could book at the last minute was at the Captain Swift. We, too, were pleasantly surprised by our lodgings. The inn was small but very comfortable and totally unpretentious. Good breakfast, too.

Ellen

Anywhere you stay in Camden will be great! Such a beautiful town...climb to the top of Mt. Betty on a clear day.

pete

I stayed at the Five Gables Inn www.fivegablesinn.com, in East Boothbay. It was very nice, and I would definitely recommend it and stay again. East Boothbay is about 5 miles from Boothbay Harbor, but the inn is just down a small road from the Lobsterman's Wharf restaurant in East Boothbay, so you can go there for close by food & drink. It was very nice, East Boothbay is a lot quieter than boothbay harbor, but still only about a 5-10 minute ride to all the shopping, restaurants & bars in Boothbay harbor. I think we paid about $125/night in June. The rooms were spacious, very clean, and comfortable. Not at all "fussy" (no doilies, doll collections, country cute stuff all over the place).

In Camden, we stayed in the Blue Harbor House. I would also recommend this place (although I liked Five Gables better), it had a delicious breakfast, and very clean rooms. It was also within easy walking distance of downtown. The only downside was that our room was in the front, which is right on Rte. 1, so the traffic noise was loud if the window was open. With the window closed (double pane window), it was quiet. The room did have A/C (probably not necessary in Maine), so you won't be hot if you close the window. Ask for a room in the back of the inn, and there won't be any problem. We paid about $125/night in June

Another place in Camden that looked great, and has gotten great reviews (but was booked when we went) was the Maine Stay Inn. We drove by it, and it is on the other side of Camden from Blue Harbor House (still within walking distance of town), and was a little further set back from the road.

You will have a great time.

SZ

In Portland, try the Danforth Inn. Not cheap but it's in a really neat brick mansion and the proprietor is lovely. It's within walking distance of the Old Port, the Museum of Art and pretty much everything you'd want to see in the city.

Bonnie

I'm a big fan of the Captain Lord Mansion in Kennebunkport. Haven't been there for years though, but pining to return.

Sara

We toured up the coast of Maine in Sept 2000 and had a wonderful trip. One of the main highlights of our trip turned out to be a wonderful Bed and Breakfast which we originally reserved just to break up our trip. It's the Squire Tarbox Inn in Westport, Maine. It is actually a working goat farm that makes its own award-winning goat cheese. The hosts are wonderful and let you roam around the farm, which includes a beautiful pond with a rowing boat, binoculars and a bird book. They really pay attention to all of the details. Also, they serve dinner at the B&B and it was outstanding. They served their own goat cheese as an appetizer and follow the meal with changing entrees - ours was a choice between lamb and fish - both were wonderful. All of the other guests were returning guests and were staying at the B&B for 3 days to a whole week (Some returning for their 3rd year!!). We only spent one evening there, but luckily arrived early to enjoy it. But we have already talked about returning for a whole week.