La Bella Vita - Samoset Resort

I'm a local and went here for the first time for a business dinner. I have been dreaming of going back ever since. We began with a cocktail, the Blackberry Pineapple Smash. Sipping on and savoring one of these had us floating blissfully through the entire meal. Not overly sweet but not too bitter either, and served frosty cold, almost frozen, but not. We had several amazing appetizers, including the octopus which was grilled and served with delicious sundried peppers and accoutrements. The texture of the octopus was divine, as was the grilled flavor (seasoning, I could swear, almost like streaks of blackening). We also all had the haddock dish with sweet pea risotto but swapped haddock for salmon. Indulgent! The risotto was so delicious and plentiful I took it home for two more meals the next day. Our server was professional and prompt without being intrusive. Our service and the ambience were superb (early November). I cannot wait to take friends and family back now that I know about this gem and several good items to order plus other tempting items to try throughout the menu. It speaks volumes that near a month later I remembered all these details with no photos or notes from that night. Regarding the negative reviews, I'm sure they may have off nights, finding enough labor is difficult in midcoast Maine. But this place hits hard when it hits, and that's all I've experienced so far, a standout meal and an experience I won't forget. Highly recommend (and I'd be thrilled even if they had an occasional off night).

My wife and I decided to celebrate our birthday there after treating ourselves to a massage at the spa. We share a birthday and I was turning 50 so we thought we would pamper ourselves and then get a nice meal. The spa experience was good but the restaurant way over priced and the food maybe a little better than you would get at Olive Garden but definitely nothing to write home about. My wife ordered the “wood fired” pizza. The edges of the pizza weren’t even thoroughly cooked! You expect that nice brown crust from the description. It didn’t make up for its appearance in taste either. My dish was ok but overall pretty flavorless and overpriced. The best part of the meal was the wine. It is the only restaurant on property so you have no other option unless you leave the property. I would definitely not make the mistake we did and drive over an hour to overpay for an ok meal.

We had an awesome experience dining at La Bella Vita each day we stayed at the resort. Neither of us had a meal we didn’t enjoy! We had food delivered to our room and also dined in the restaurant. The staff were friendly and helpful. Highly recommend the bucatini alla pesto and the pizza! For dessert, the chocolate budino and crème brûlée were repeats for us!

We ate several meals here while staying at the samoset. The staff were GREAT! Folks were pleasant and approachable. There is a bit of a lag with service, so don’t be in a rush if you eat here. We ate lobster, cuz when in Maine, eat lobster. Way over cooked, didn’t taste fresh. I would equate this restaurant to an Applebee’s or Olive Garden. It’s fine. Won’t knock your socks off. Cocktails great. Drinks on the deck, amazing. Breakfasts are also available and also just fine.

For the price, the food was not good at all. Extremely over priced mush. Bland spaghetti and burnt pizza, over priced deserts are what wait for you if you visit the restaurant here. Cooks need retrained, or maybe trained, my 6 year old can make better tasting food. Waiter and spot was good.

We had an exceptionally fine meal with appetizers, desert, and wine. We began at 6.30 and needed to quickly finish our last bites at 10pm closing time. Loved this place.

Food and drink were excellent, service was good it was a lot of ppl before dinner, so we are staying at the resorts the second time here, always hard to get

Kind waiter, nice view and decent food. I got the fillet and sadly it wasn’t cooked the way I asked. But it was still good.. definitely a pricy menu but seems overall quality and a fancy environment

Food was good! But not a wow! Service was good! Ambiance was beautiful looking at the coast of Maine!

Our waitress was very nice and accommodating. The appetizer and crème brûlée were the best part of our dinner. The main courses were very underwhelming and we sent one back. It was not the greatest way to spend a Valentine's Day dinner, but I cherished the time with my beautiful lady nonetheless.

We had dinner here last night and I was a little disappointed in my main course, the Lobster and Crab Ravioli but absolutely loved the Lobster bisque. My ravioli was cold and very tough but yet the plate was warm. My husband had the Chicken Parmesan and said it was very good. Our first bottle of wine was skunky, the cork broke and from the date (2017) on the bottle it was old for a Chardonnay. The service and our server were excellent! She was very attentive and nice, apologized for my meal and I made sure she knew it wasn't her fault. Although I did not ask for it, they removed the ravioli from our ticket which was kind of them. The views were beautiful. The lush lawn, golf course and ocean views can't be beat.

Came in August. It's expensive to eat here, but you're at the Samoset so -- it's convenient. Their kid's menu steak (my stomachless self often orders from the kid's menu) made my eyes roll back into my head. They have great sandwiches too. Drinks are delicious. Obviously kid friendly. They have two different sections - one where you reserve your seat and also a first come first serve section we got lucky both nights we were there and scored nice tables.

Great food and staff! This place has the best view around and the resort is very well kept. Breakfast is the best meal here, imho. Nicely prepared eggs, bacon & more. The air conditioning is pretty strong so bring a sweater. Some suggestions... the view is the draw here! Pls remove bird nests from the awnings at patio dining, they dive bomb guests trying to eat. Add clear wire across the patio to keep the large gulls off the tables - it's quite disgusting and they are aggressive. They'll steal your food right off your plate if you're not looking. Have the staff use more than one small wipe when cleaning tables. Even though Covid is over, a proper table cleaning is appreciated especially since many young children eat here and messes abound. There's nothing better than clean!

What a great experience again. They deliver on food, service and location. Great meal to celebrate a birthday. Every dish was innovative and fresh. Pricey-- yes. Worth it-- yes Go back--definitely

Had breakfast at La Bella Vita. The place was really busy. In all the turmoil one server stood out. My wife and myself were not even one of her tables but we were so impressed we went back the next morning to give her a tip and acknowledge she might be the best server we ever saw. Her name was Layla or Lyla. She should be running the floor she was that good. Kim and Jim.

Great happy hour deals available in the lounge! $8 specials on one white, red and speciality cocktail per day from 4-6pm. Food specials are also available! I had the Brussel sprouts for $8 and the calamari for $10! Both were delicious! I was able to sit outside on the patio where it was serene and peaceful. My family also ate in the restaurant inside one night during our stay at the resort. Dinner was good. Average selection of food options. Chicken parm portion was on the smaller side. The burger was cooked correctly and fries were crispy. Pizza is personal sized; good for one person only or can be split between two as an app. The one thing lacking both times was the service. Many times we were wondering where our waitress was. Both waitresses also weren't very knowledgeable about the drink or food menu. Make sure to make a reservation especially on the weekend since it fills up quickly for dinner!

This place never answers the phone. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs room service and tasted horrible. The meatballs tasted like old frozen meatballs and were not cooked enough inside. I will never order or eat from this place.

Splendid restaurant, had my anniversary with them and had a incredible time 10-10 would recommend fancy/casual atmosphere and a great date night restaurant. The staff is exceptional and I can't wait to see them again. We started with the gnocchi, perfect for the two of us and then had our meals, I had the chicken Parmesan and my partner had the vegetable risotto and loved it. We ended our incredible night with the Tasting of Crème Brûlée. Definitely one of my top 10 places in the area.

Closed...set up a nice mid week trip to the hotel and when I had the only car in the parking lot I was informed the hotel was "seasonal" and my room was in a timeshare building. They still took their $40 resort fee per night, and all it really means according to the front desk is "the restaurants are closed" yeah and the hotel lobby, and the ability to gather there. I could have went to the holiday inn if I wanted to be relegated to my room, and have to go out for dinner every night.

I wish I could leave no stars. This place is absolutely disgusting. The floors are literally sticky, our utensils were dirty, and the bathrooms were DISGRACEFUL. The service was okay but the food wasn't worth a quarter of what we paid. There are SO many other really great places to eat in Camden and Rockland that aren't nearly as expensive or inconvenient and the food is WAY better. Don't waste your money.

Couldn't even rate this place 1 star! But had to or I couldn't write my review. My wife and I ordered two pasta dishes at $50.00 per plate. Complete culinary joke!!! Not only did it lack flavor it had maybe 2 oz of nasty poached chicken. I could go to downtown Portland and get the same dish for half the price and leave very satisfied with quality and flavor. I don't mind paying for good quality ingredients and plate presentation. About 21 miles south look for Moodys diner we'll be off a lot better. Chef and managers at this restaurant should be very embarrassed!!

We had high hopes for this restaurant and were truly disappointed by the experience. My boyfriend and I visited on a Thursday evening around 7:30. We ended up leaving after 40 minutes due to the poor service (at which point we still had not even placed a drink order). After we sat down, it took 20 minutes for our server to even bring us the drink menu, after which he was gone for another 20 minutes. The server was rude and patronizing when he did finally show up, and did not acknowledge the long wait. When we tried to place a food order, the server told us he had accidentally given us the wrong menus and disappeared again, at which point we decided to leave. We were looking to treat ourselves here for a nice date night, but we felt this experience was just unacceptable. We went to another restaurant in Rockland and had a wonderful time.

My wife and I are having a weekend getaway at the Samoset and decided to eat at their signature restaurant La Bona Vista. I ordered a chicken sandwich and my wife got a fried haddock sandwich.my chicken sandwich was excellent and came with parmigian truffle fries which also were delicious.

This is a $17 wild mushroom risotto that was ordered for takeout at one of the Samoset timeshare units. It was listed in their website for $13. Pretty disappointing.

Exceptional hotel restaurant. Outstanding food, drinks, service. Quiet, intimate atmosphere (love the table lamps rather than candles.) Favorite: red sauce! Roast pork, Caesar, chicken saltimboca, crème brule trio.

La Bella Vita is a solid eatery for atmosphere and service, but fairly expensive resort prices make for this being a special occasion type of place. We ordered the Sicilian Style garlic knots to start off the meal & a margherita pizza as one of the main dishes. Coming from a state with great Italian food, these would probably rank a 2/5 at best, but both were perfectly edible and prepared well without any sort of discernible wow factor. The lobster bisque soup was a hit, which is expected given it's a Maine specialty. The chicken & pasta dishes were fresh & well prepared, but also lacked any sort of special flavor to set them apart. The dessert chocolate cake & mousse were a great way to finish off the meal. If I had to break it down on a comparison to other meals in the state of Maine, I'd rate it 3.5 stars for food, 3 stars for price (considering restaurant is located within a resort), and 4.5 stars for service and ambiance. Service was very friendly and cordial throughout the meal and atmosphere is pleasant with great views before the sun sets. No regrets since we were celebrating a birthday, but given the prices and so-so food experience, I would visit again only if staying at the resort or if celebrating a special occasion.

Went here for my birthday 2 years ago and wanted to repeat it again this year (unfortunately we didn't travel in 2020 so no Bella Vita that year!). Tonight was again a FABULOUS meal! Maria, our server, was delightful and attentive. They have an extensive wine, beer, and cocktail selection. The menu is varied, and everything we ordered was delicious! We started with the zucchini and calamari which was a hit. The marinara and aioli dipping sauces were so tasty! Then our party of 4 had Garganelli Bolognaise, insalata di casa and mushroom risotto, Taglioni, and East coast Halibut. Very very good!!! Only slight criticism is that the garganelli came out a little too cold. It was sent back to rewarm but was remade entirely so we were finished with our meals by the time it arrived back to the table. No real worries though as we had more than enough delicious food and so we packed it up for lunch tomorrow! For dessert, Maria brought a delicious little fudge mousse for my birthday with a candle atop! Also so scrumptious! Overall a wonderful meal!

I was very exhausted after hours of driving. But this restaurant gave me such an awesome fresh feeling! Nice view, very good quality food (I got pizza) and super nice and very beautiful staff! Absolutely recommended!

4.8 out of 5 warrants rounding up. I skimped on the pictures but the service atmosphere and food were all above expectations. We shared Lobster Bisque as starter course, Lobster Roll as Second course. The bisque was very decadent and had plenty of lobster flavor and just the tight amount of lobster in the soup. The Lobster roll was very good, creamy and with a splash of lemon just a perfect second course. I had the ravioli and J had the Veal Picatta which BTW she hates capers. She absolutely loved it. The veal was tender and sauce perfect, pasta was al denti. My ravioli was just as perfect, sauce, doneness, flavor all spot on. I'll just say I don't know if an executive chef was there but if not the staff executed just as they should. We will go back and eat at the restaurant more than once during the next stay.

I assume I've given this restaurant a 4 or 5 in past reviews, and my wife and I have been enjoyably coming here when vacationing, about twice a year for the past decade. Tonight? Slow service, mediocre food. A bummer, hopefully only a bad night.

Spent a week at the Samoset, ate breakfast and dinner via room service, breakfast outside at the restaurant, and then another night had drinks on the patio. The room service food was good. Not great. Served in cardboard take out boxes in paper bags. Plastic cutlery. But the food itself was solid. I will share a funny story about my first night's order. I called down and got a young woman who took my order. I could tell she was new. A few minutes later, I got a call from either the cook or a manager. She asked me what kind of pasta I wanted. We hadn't ordered pasta. For the youngster, "Antipasto" got written down as pasta... (In the end the order was correct. Kudos to the second person for calling and making sure the order was right!) Our drinks on the balcony were fantastic. Great staff, great view. Happy. One of the highlights of the menu is actually breakfast! It's a little spendy (you're eating in a resort, after all) but they give you good portions and well prepared food. I especially enjoyed the home fries. So not perfect, but averaged out over 4 different times, I give them a positive 4 stars!

On a weather-perfect evening the quattro pizza and the closing creme brulee were near perfect. The mojitos seemed a bit off, but drinkable, and the Caesar salad was disappointing, the lettuce brown in spots, the dressing bland. Our waitress was Joanna on the spot--actually her name was Gabi--sweet and friendly as could be.

Lovely spot fir lunch at the Samoset Resort. View is incredible and wait staff are attentive. Prices are also reasonable compared to other local spots. I definitely recommend the pizza or pasta. The salads look well made as do the sandwiches. The desserts are excellent as well. Please note that one does not have to be a guest at the Hotel.

Dinner was delicious! Had the Tuscan salad which was enormous! Didn't have room for a full entree so had the appetizer size mushroom risotto which was prefect. Added lemon ricotta cheesecake which I shared with my dinner companion. Could improve their wine selection But good meal and good service provided by Samatha

La Bella Vita is rated along with the fine dining restaurants in Rockport and Rockland. Sadly, it is not in the same league. I agree with others that the pizza is quite good. The staff is professional, friendly but not overbearing. The entrees are usually overcooked and smothered in a bland but garlicky tomato sauce. Wine list is mediocre and overpriced.

Great value and delicious pizza, pasta, and drinks. This is a go to spot if staying or near the Samoset.

Everything is great. So tasty, nice ambience, pasta has half portion. Lovely meal, highly recommend.

My very first visit to this resort, for a very special family holiday, I am so grateful to Jeremy for getting me the reservation even though they have been sold out for weeks! And most of all our server made everything so special that I can not wait to return and visit this beautiful place once more.... Faith you are the very best server and thank you for a wonderful evening!

HORRIBLE!! If I could rate zero stars for the food and atmosphere I would. My wife and I decided to dine outside to take in the beautiful view of the ocean and golf course. No more than a couple of minutes after sitting down, I noticed something white and grey on the table and thought it could have been an imperfection in the table but after my wife rubbed it with her finger IT WAS ACTUAL BIRD CRAP!! Then we moved the place mat where the empty seat beside us and there was more bird crap underneath that one!! So we moved to another table and was surprised that under the awnings of the building it looks like they haven't been rolled out for years and there is at least 6-7 bird nest above where the dining tables are located... DISGUSTING!!! It has been at least 10 years since we've eaten there but wanted to try something different than what we remembered we got last time so we relied on the waiter to recommend popular meals that are served. The waiter recommended that the chicken Parmesan was one of the top favorites and also comes in a pretty big size portion so that's what I got and My Wife got the spaghetti with marinara sauce. When the meals came out, I honestly couldn't believe my eyes it literally looked like banquet TV dinner that was put on a plate. The two small pounded out chicken breast breading was dry and tasteless and had two pieces of what looked like to be kraft white cheese single pieces put on the top of both of them and the spaghetti noodles were super thick and the sauce taste like tomato sauce with chunks of tomato with nothing else added all for a price of $31.00!! My Wife's spaghetti was in a midsize bowl and it was terrible and room temperature for $18.00. I ended up eating all of my food because I was starving and still left hungry. My wife took two bites of her spaghetti and couldn't eat anymore of it so they took it off the bill and when we left had to get a Subway sandwich on the ride home. I have never been so dissatisfied with a high-end restaurant like this and would not recommend this place to anyone. I highly recommend the Walsh's and upper management to consider making some changes to their outside dining and get rid of the Birds nest because it's pretty unsanitary to have bird crap everywhere especially on the tables that you're eating on and also need to test taste the food on their menu they are giving to their customers, especially when they're asking for all the money for the meals. I wish I had taken pictures.

I was never interested in coming but was looking for Italian food in Rockport & the GPS brought me here. What a pleasant surprise; lively bar scene and friendly staff. The Marguerita pizza was totally different then usual and was very good. Then I had a fettuccine c chicken & peas in a cream sauce which was good followed by a haddock dish that was excellent. Definitely will return.

Based on the reviews, I expected this place to be mediocre at best. We were too lazy to take a drive off the resort for dinner so we came here instead. I will say that the quality of the food surprised me and was better than I would have expected. The pizza was fairly good. I had a Tuscan salad which was also pretty tasty. Would definitely be willing to come back again.

We enjoyed the beautiful views from our restaurant at the Samoset Resort. We had a reservation so we were seated quickly. Our server could have been faster taking our order, bringing water and bread. Both of us ordered Veal Scallopini. The veal was very tender but the sauce had little flavor. For dessert we ordered blueberry pie with gelato. That was the best dessert ever! It came as a mini pie with toppings on the side. A must try!

I had dinner last night at La Bella Vita at the Samoset Resort. The food was very good and well priced. I would definitely go back! I ordered a Cesar salad and their special for the night, scallops over arugula and polenta. All was very tasty! I also ordered a mushroom wood fired pizza to take home with me. But to top it off, I had the most amazing server, Paul. He was professional as well as entertaining! What a great guy ... I'm going back and asking for him! It's best to make reservations, I sat in the bar area since there were no available tables even at 5:30!

We usually stick to seafood when we come to the coast of Maine, but for a special occasion we ventured out to try this Italian restaurant. It definitely surpassed our expectations, food wise anyway. We were seated outside under a heater and were very comfortable. The view of the well-tended golf course and water was beautiful. We started with a small margarita pizza that was a little doughy but had excellent Italian tomato flavor. The lobster bisque was loaded with tons of lobster, but could've used a little more sherry flavor. The chicken Parmesan was delicious, as was the stuffed baked lobster and lobster/crab ravioli. Service was sincere and intent but slow and inexperienced. It was the hostesses' first week and she was swamped with no help. We were finally seated 45 minutes after our reservation time. She was sweet and apologetic so all was forgiven. Our server (Emily?) was dismissive and slow. We asked for a wine list repeatedly but never got one. We finally ordered a fairly common Chianti from the 'by the glass' list, but she brought something else because our original choice wasn't available by the bottle. No bread, no water refills either. But - these days we all know of the short staffing issues so we looked the other way and enjoyed our meals. We'll definitely visit again when their staffing issues are evened out.

After reading the reviews I was pleasantly surprised to have a really great experience. We sat on the patio which was a little buggy. When I mentioned it the restaurant staff found some spray for me after telling me the front desk didn't have any. I was more than pleased they went so out of there way. The rest of the staff was also really great. Checking in frequently. The wine was reasonably priced and the food was really good. I had the fonduta it was seafood in a fondue sauce with great toasted thin bread points. Really yummy. Also had the veal scallopini. Outstanding! The halibut dish was a little vinegar strong. Too much caper juice? Also too salty but still good. Get the creme brûlée for sure. Three flavors in one dish. Spectacular! The view is to die for. Perfect for a special date.

This was some of the best food I ever had. I had spinach artichoke al forno for an appetizer, and it was so rich, warm, and flavorful. For dinner, I had the quattro formagio pizza, which was the best pizza I have ever had since I've been to the coast of Italy. And for dessert, a flourless cake that was moist and rich. We came for breakfast the next morning as well, and the Belgian waffles with shaved chocolate were everything I could want. One of my favorite things about eating here was that we were not rushed. We could sit and enjoy our dinner without feeling like the servers wanted us to get out quickly. I would definitely come back here for more.

Atmosphere was great! What Italian Restaurant doesn't serve bread or rolls with dinner? Perhaps the chef should make homemade bread. They make flatbread pizza...... just a thought! My husband had lobster bisque and should've returned it. It was not piping hot but because he was hungry ate it anyway. The portions were not generous. My chicken saltimboca was good. I had linguine with it and the serving size was small.

Asked if they had bread, they direct you to order their garlic knots for $10, a restaurant charging these prices should provide bread/olives/something as a courtesy. Drink prices are absurd NYC prices $16 a drink and the martini glass came out half full. They sat us next to two tables of screaming children running around our table, why would you put a quiet romantic couple next to families with ten misbehaving kids? The food was mediocre at best. A caesar salad with fried chicken came out and we could tell immediately the chicken was frozen. The pizza was meh, people rave about the pizza here but I'm from New York and will tell you it was not that great. They have no busboys so we had to wait an hour and ask repeatedly to have our water glasses refilled. Service was seriously lacking no one checked on us and we had to flag servers down when we needed salt and pepper. I understand staffing people in this location may be hard but you must either A) train your staff better or B) lower your prices to reflect the fact you don't have adequate staff. It was way overpriced for the level of service and quality of food/serving sizes we got. I will not be back.

One of the best meals of my life! Well, it was really good. I had the Lobster and Crab Ravioli. It's all I can think about now. VERY flavorful.

The view is absolutely stunning and makes the whole restaurant what it is. The food is pretty darn tasty as well. My boyfriend got the crab and lobster raviolis and I got the minestrone styled soup with the mushroom risotto. I was expecting the risotto to be a smaller portion since it was an appetizer, however it was a pretty decent sized portion. The reason for 4 stars is due to the slow wait staff with the mumbles under their breath as they walk away. The runners and bussers were more attentive and a lot nicer than the servers themselves. Overall, the experience their was great. The next night we just sat in the bar area and Chelsea (I believe was her name) was our server. She was very attentive and a great server overall. We had more people join us than expected (all separate checks) and she was great about it all.

We really enjoyed this restaurant. We dined in and used the room service option. Breakfast was delicious. When dining in the restaurant there is a yummy breakfast buffet with a custom omelet station, waffles, fruit, bacon, scrambled eggs and sausage. They also had a lot of pastries and both hot and cold cereal. When we ordered room service, we had the panini with prosciutto and fontina cheese, we also had the Italian breakfast (croissant and cappuccino). The girls had pancakes and muffins. All were delicious - especially their coffee. We also had lunch and dinner in the restaurant as well. Over the course of 4 days, we had: Caesar salad with shrimp - very tasty Lobster ravioli - very good Burgers - my daughters liked them Spaghetti with clam sauce - great Lobster roll - so so - It had a weird taste What was really nice is that you can get a large or small portion of all the pastas. The wait staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The restaurant is very clean and beautifully appointed. The outdoor seating area is lovely. We would defiantly come back, but would steer clear of the lobster roll.

Place was packed and understaffed. Tables were complaining about the food next to us. Pizza is decent, everything else is meh,meh. Nice location staff is friendly.

Had their halibut dinner 2 nights ago.....fist rate with local fresh veggies....very large dining area , clean, very competent servers and nice fire place sitting...going back tomorrow night!

Went for dinner in September with another couple. We have a time share every September for 2 weeks. Very disappointed. The restaurant & outside area was packed & they were very understaffed. Our waiter Peter was wonderful & he did the best he could. He said it was like that most nights. It took quite a while to receive our drinks which weren't that good. Our appetizers were cold. We asked for bread & were told that during COVID, the restaurant stopped serving bread. Every other restaurant in Rockland, Camden etc served bread. The food was ok, down from previous years. We were very disappointed & the couple next to us left. Rustica in Rockland has it all over Bella Vita. We will not go back for any meals.

Every single meal I had was amazing ! Everyone was amazing ! Loveeee this place so much, the whole experience was just very luxurious and welcoming.

This is a nice place with great ambiance but I would simply have drinks and a cheese board or something of that sort. There was a rock in my food and nobody apologized to me. I expected more from a place like this. Please beware of the shellfish ... not property cleaned which is why there are still rocks in seafood... disappointing!

The lobster roll and ravioli are pretty good, but we ordered pomodoro pasta that tasted like the sauce came from a can--the spaghetti pasta was square (not round), and was mushy--surprising from a place that bills itself as an Italian restaurant and claims that it books out weeks in advance. You are better off leaving the hotel and going to Ada's Kitchen or somewhere else for Italian food.