Jennifer G.
Yelp
Covid weary, my son and I decided on a road trip to Maine. We found the Inn was running a great opening special. When we arrived, we were greeted in the parking lot by two young men who promptly brought our bags to our room, and would also do a great job serving us breakfast the next morning.
Timothy at the desk was a pleasure to talk to. His great sense of humor and care for the guests were evident each time he spoke with everyone. James, Aidan, and Harper in the dining room were a delight. I wish we could get their food and service knowledge everywhere we go.
All of the food was excellent with the exception being the lobster bisque. Pricey and small portioned, but delicious flavors, fantastic plate presentation, and creative combinations. The scallops and halibut the standouts, everything was perfectly cooked each time. Each meal also included an amuse bouche which was a wonderful surprise.
The area is a small harborside town with plenty of shops to explore, many with a view of the water. Easily in walking distance from the Inn. Leave your car at the Inn and enjoy the close by beach, overlook, and shopping.
The room and common areas are everything you would expect from a Relais and Chateaux property. Beautifully decorated with thoughtful touches for the guest. Drinks, coffee, and snacks are included with your room. With the special package we also received two bottles of wine.
We did have one incident however that not only spoiled our first day, but also kept me from leaving a 5 star review, which the others here well deserved. We checked in and were delighted to see the white wine already in the fridge. I poured a glass for my son and I and suggested we sit on the beautiful porch.
We checked the seats outside, one side of the porch had tables with tablecloths on it, the others near the door did not, so we sat at the first table right at the entrance. We could see the staff were eating so we knew regardless the restaurant was not open. We were outside for about five minutes when the bartender came outside. "Excuse me you can't drink out here." My apologies, I did not realize, we aren't from the area. "Maine liquor law says you cannot drink outside, and you certainly can't bring in your own wine and come out here." I thought to myself maybe he is unaware the wine is from the hotel with our room. Maybe they should make the staff aware of the packages. I said the wine came with the room, could we drink it in the lounge or library room area? He replied, hovering over my son, "you don't drink downstairs unless I served it to you." I felt he was way over the top, and leaning over my son prompted me to say, "okay this was my idea, don't blame him." He tapped his foot and held the door open waiting for us to evacuate. So rude and unprofessional. Menacing over guests is completely unacceptable. Mind you we had only arrived about 15 mins before this happened so we were very concerned we had chosen the wrong hotel. Fifteen minutes in and our day was certainly set off badly.
I spoke with Timothy the next day. He was so great to listen and we both thought a card near the wine simply stating "please enjoy the wine in your room" would save another guest from feeling the way we did. As we later left to go shopping, we overheard and saw him following up with the manager on what happened to us. I did say earlier he was fantastic!
Later that night we sat in the rocking chairs and enjoyed the view. The manager did see us and come out. He did not apologize for what happened, but asked if we would like a drink while sitting. Wait.....I thought you couldn't drink outside??? Maybe someone could just check the actual laws.