Hi everyone!

Thanks again for all your help as mom and I plan our mother-daughter get-away to Maine. So far, we have secured all transportation and lodging needs.

A little info before I share the itinerary.

We'll be meeting up at MHT and then stopping in Portsmouth for the night and then on to Boothbay.

We chose this area as our primary destination based on a few things but our main concern was accommodations. For mom and me, a great deal of our travel experience is influenced by lodging, unless we're going to be out-and-about for the bulk of our trip. If not, we generally seek places that we're either blown away by, depending on the occasion/destination, or those that are charming, quaint, or simply make us go "ahh".

For this trip, we wanted a bed and breakfast that had great views, fit in our budget, and had attractive decor/style. Since our ultimate goal is "to get away from it all," where we lodge is pretty important.

What's funny is that mom had initially been eyeing Brown's Wharf Inn but we ruled it out, thinking we didn't want to travel that far north. We concentrated our search on the stretch between Kittery and Kennebunkport. I think we must have checked out every B&B and VRBO known to man! Then we stumbled across Topside Inn and it just seemed the obvious choice. Now we feel that we've done our due diligence in locating the best spot for us.

So, at this point I've come up with a few things to do, but welcome suggestions, additions, subtractions to this draft itinerary, including restaurant choices.

FYI-We like touring historic places, window shopping, scenic drives, buying art, antiques. Oh. And did I mention we'd like to relax!

Considering all that, what do y'all think about the following:

September 11 (Tuesday)

Arrive at MHT at 9:20 p.m., pick up Thrifty car rental, head to The Port Inn in Portsmouth for one-night stay.

September 12 (Wednesday)

Partake of complimentary continental breakfast and head north.

Stop in Ogunquit, stroll streets, walk Marginal Way, snap a few pictures

Stop in Kennebunkport for lunch at Nunan's, strolling, picture taking, etc.

Arrive in Boothbay around 3 p.m., check-in at Topside Inn, dinner in town perhaps at Brown's Wharf Inn and Restaurant, relax at Topside

September 13 (Thursday)

Breakfast at Topside, peruse shops, visit botanical gardens, try lobster roll for lunch at Lobster Wharf or Fisherman's Wharf, spend afternoon relaxing at Topside with a good book and enjoying the view

Not sure what to do in the evening? Drive to a nearby town for dinner, Bath maybe?

September 14 (Friday)

Breakfast at Topside, Cabbage Island Cruise and Clambake from 12:30 to 4:30

Not sure what else to do on this day, our last before heading home.

September 15 (Saturday)

Breakfast at Topside, of course, check out and enjoy scenic, leisurely drive back to MHT for 2 p.m. departure

For some reason, it seems like we're not doing enough but if we want a fun but relaxing get-away, I guess there shouldn't be scheduled activities every second of the day, right?

ttt

I wouldn't detour to Portsmouth...Ogunquit is just 20 minutes further.

If you wish a nice drive from Boothbay one evening for dinner, consider the dining room or pub at the Newagen Seaside Inn.

Agreed, it's probably better to just head straight to Ogunquit if you don't plan on exploring Portsmouth at all.

Hmm. Our stay in Portsmouth is $95 for the night. Considering we'll likely get there close to 11 p.m. we'd like to limit the expense to $100. Do you think there's such a find in York Harbor or Ogunquit?

Looks like pretty good plans for a relaxing vacation. The Port Inn looks like an easy place to get to since you are arriving so late but it is no where near Portsmouth's charming and historic downtown area. If you are going to skip this (gasp) then staying in Maine as suggested might be a good idea. BUT the weather here in NH has been glorious - very cool at night, great for sleeping. The gardens in Prescott Park/Portsmouth are lovely, right on the waterfront across from Strawbery Banke Historic area. Take at least an hour to walk around admiring the architecture even if you don't plan to go into the historic area. The view at the waterfront is industrial/working harbor but it fits the region. You can see the Navy shipyard across the harbor. From there Rt 1B heads thru Newcastle, one of the oldest towns in the US but then goes by the historic Wentworth hotel (very grand). It doesn't take long to drive this loop and get back to Rt 95. There are private mansions along the coastal road in Rye if you go a little further.
You will enjoy driving around the Boothbay area altho downtown is very congested (at least in summer). Fun little shops.
I may have told you on another post that Rt 4 between Portsmouth and Concord is far more scenic than Rt 101 between Portsmouth and MHT. There's also an area of antique shops in Northwood NH called antique alley. If you sleep late and have a leisurely breakfast you might not have the extra time to go this way. Have an early lunch in Manchester before going to the airport. The airport is small and except for one restaurant is mostly McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts and a Bagel place. Check the airport recommendations for arriving to get thru security. At that time of day it might only be an hour so you have time for lunch.
The Sea Basket in Wiscassett is a popular family place. Very casual.

York Harbor is a bit difficult late at night, I think, down winding roads and twists and turns. York Harbor Inn is very nice however.
check www.thegrandhotel.com for one of their 2 room mini suites, Shore Road in Ogunquit is definitely a great place to wake up and start your day!

clarkgriswold & wyatt92 - Thank you so much for your feedback. I looked into other possibilities in Ogunquit but I think we're going to stick with the Port Inn. Unless, of course, something changes between now an then. We'll check out the Newagen. Unfortunately, The Grand was booked up.

dfrostnh - Thanks for the awesome insight and ideas. We're thinking of spending a couple hours in Portsmouth rather than simply waking up and doing the skedaddle.

If you like history/restored houses, stop at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth.

I would urge you to have a Plan B for each day. When we were in Ogunquit in July, we had (of course) planned to walk the Marginal Way on the first day. There was so much rain and fog that we couldn't do it until the 3rd day.

Try to fit in visit to York Beach to see the very famous light house. You will really feel like you are in Maine!

Thanks MissyPie! I was just looking at the forecast and it looks like it's going to be a wet week, at least for the first couple days of our trip. We'll definitely visit York!

Yeah, you can tell yourselves that you're hardy and a little rain doesn't matter, but when the fog rolls in and you can't even see the water from the beach, there's no use hiking the Maginal Way, or taking a "scenic" cruise!