Coastal Maine is stunning, peppered with quaint seaside towns, beaches and lobster shacks. We spent 2 nights in Kennebunkport, 2 nights in Portland and 3 nights in Bar Harbour.
** Boston to Portland
We drove up the coast, taking in the pretty Nubble Lighthouse in York and the cute high street in Ogunquit. Our first impressions on arrival in Portland weren't great, as it seemed a bit desolate but once we had wandered around we could see that it is a fun, trendy town on the sea, more gritty than the cute towns you pass along the way. With hindsight we might not stay there again with a toddler, as we didn't get to fully enjoy the cool bar and restaurant scene on offer.
Hotel
We stayed at the Marriott Residence inn
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pdxri-residence-inn-portland-downtown-riverplace/
I would recommend highly - had a huge room, great breakfast, laundry room, nice indoor pool to splash around in with our toddler and helpful staff. The only downside is the car park is a short walk around the corner and there is an extra charge ($12 per day)
Activities
We were hoping to go and see the Portland Sea Dogs play baseball but decided against it due to the weather. I also think that it would be more suitable for older children who are happier to stay still.
- We ate and drank well in Portland, although it is more geared to trendy young people than families with children. Highlights included beers at Three Dollar Dewey http://www.threedollardeweys.com/, chips at Duckfat http://www.duckfat.com/ and dinner at White Cap Grille http://www.whitecapgrille.com/
- Shopping at the Maine Mall, which isn't too far out of town. The carousel and 'Build a Bear' workshop were a hit with our little girl
- Portland Children's Museum http://www.kitetails.org/ was a definite highlight. It's not so much a museum, as a really fun educational play area.
**Portland to Bar Harbour
We carried on up the coast to Bar Harbor, stopping off at the Maine State Prison Showroom in Thomaston. Definitely worth a look for some interesting souvenirs, followed by lunch at Watermans Beach Lobster http://www.watermansbeachlobster.com/ Enjoy the pecan pie but beware of portaloos!
Hotel
We spent 3 nights at the Quimby House B&B in Bar Harbor. Lovely place just slightly set back from teh main street, with very reasonably priced efficiency suites. The hotel had a small outside play area and was right next door to a friendly organic supermarket.
Activities
- We drove into Acadia National Park, but the weather was pretty poor when we were there so we didn't see many of the sights
- There are plenty of boat trips taking tourists out to see the lobsters, seals and whales. We weren't sure whether our toddler could handle a long boat trip so we opted for the shortest one that we could find. The Miss Samantha boat tour lasts 1 hr 45 mins, although unfortunately that was too long for us as our little girl cried most of the way and puked halfway through....
- Bar Harbor itself has lots of nice little shops and great places to eat. Our favourites were breakfast at 2 cats http://www.2catsbarharbor.com/intro.html and Jordans (both on Cottage Street) and takeaway pizza from Rosalie's.
** Bar Harbor to Kennebunkport
We headed back south again and rented a cabin for one night, just to break the journey at Point Lookout http://www.visitpointlookout.com/, near Lincolnsville. We hadn't booked in advance but it was a great choice. We had a really sweet 2 bedroom cabin in the woods. There is no restaurant on site but there is a gym. The following day we headed on to Kennebunkport, stopping off in Freeport for some shopping and a delicious lunch at Linda Bean's http://lindabeansmainelobster.com/
Hotel
In Kennebunkport we spent 2 nights at the Nonantum Resort. This is a lovely old fashioned American family hotel and we had a suite in the main part of the house. We would definitely recommend the hotel although the outdoor pool is quite small and the lift is very annoying - it's tiny and so old that you have to call someone from reception to operate it for you. The hotel restaurant was in range of our baby monitor so we took advantage and ate there both nights. The food was great and there was a lovely, friendly atmosphere with live music.
Activities
Kennebunkport is another sweet coastal town, with the added cachet of being home to the Bush family, along with some other very wealthy Americans. We just enjoyed wandering around taking in the peaceful scenery and beautiful (massive!) houses.
Read more about our New England Road Trip:
Planning our New England Adventure
Flight Review with British Airways to Boston
Beginning in Boston (Part One)
Relaxing in Cape Cod (Part Three)
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