Coastal Living | Kennebunkport Hotel Review

The Yachtsman Lodge Marina, Hotel & Inn
By Steve Millburg, Photography By Bruce Buck

Frazzled, preoccupied, maybe even a little grumpy from the drive, you search for your room. Here it is, with a parking space right outside the door. A long, low building like this, with a row of doors facing the parking lot, usually would signal a basic American motel.

Inside, well you're not sure what you expected. Beaded-board walls painted a soothing cream color. Lustrous Mahogany trim. A down comforter floating like a thick fog over an ocean of a bed. Sunlight whispering through glass doors. Granite bathroom countertops with space for your stuff. This isn't just a room, it's an oasis.

Welcome to the Yahctsman Lodge & Marina in Kennebunkport, Maine. Until last year, it was two shoe-box buildings stretched end to end. Boston-based designer Peter Neimitz transformed the place, turning it's rooms into 30 cozy cocoons. Nautical charts and yachting prints decorate the walls. A rigged sailboat model looks ready to race.

An armoire holds the satellite TV, VCR, and CD player. A cathedral ceiling contributes to the overall sense of spaciousness, while a ceiling fan spins lazily overhead.

Each room's glass doors and patio overlook a small marina on the Kennebunk River. Each room also contains generously padded wicker chairs, a sturdy writing desk, an ironing board and iron, and a pair of fluffy robes in the closet.

The Yachtsman fits the seaside town of Kennebunkport, which somehow retains its charm despite hordes of summer visitors. The lodge rests within an easy walk of Dock Square, the most concentrated cluster of shops, galleries and restaurants.

Before setting out for town you'll linger in the lodge's breakfast area, an umbrella-shaded patio between the two lodge buildings. (Afternoon tea is served here as well.) There's something powerfully peaceful about this little space.

Perhaps it's simply the beauty of coastal Maine in the summertime---a beauty to which the Yachtsman, in its understated way, contributes.

*Reprinted courtesy of Coastal Living Magazine

The Yachtsman Lodge is your perfect Kennebunkport hotel choice; an ideal starting point for you to experience all that coastal Maine has to offer…shopping, all the attractions and the many great events that Kennebunkport and Maine hosts each year. Make an online reservation for our Kennebunkport inn or enquire online. You can call us on 207-967-2511 or explore our Kennebunkport hotel and inn packages, deals and specials for your next Kennebunkport romantic getaways or mid-week or weekend escapes.