{"id":14687,"date":"2018-03-15T18:46:26","date_gmt":"2018-03-15T22:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=14687"},"modified":"2018-03-15T18:46:26","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T22:46:26","slug":"resortingto-extremes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/resortingto-extremes\/","title":{"rendered":"Resorting\u2026to Extremes!"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 2018 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

At Maine\u2019s hotels and inns, legends are created one guest at a time.<\/span><\/h3>\n

By Sarah Moore<\/span><\/p>\n

\"resorts\"From the moment you pass through the gates of Spruce Point Inn<\/strong>, you\u2019ve unknowingly stepped into a precisely choreographed dance. <\/span><\/p>\n

Reservations manager Cindy Poe describes this as the \u201cspun-glass bubble\u201d of smooth and serene service. Spruce Point\u2019s 120-strong staff is waiting in the wings to ensure that bubble never bursts. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne family has returned to Spruce Point Inn year after year since 2008,\u201d says the Inn\u2019s Stephanie Seacord. \u201cCindy Poe always greets them. Several years ago, a few of the grandchildren were here. One of the little girls talked about how much she loves the inn\u2013how she wants to have her wedding here. It was such a sweet and powerful moment,\u201d and it highlighted the Inn\u2019s appeal across three generations. \u201cThey first began gathering with the family patriarch. After he passed away, we weren\u2019t sure if they\u2019d return. That winter, his wife called. \u2018Of course we want to continue the tradition!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Resort: <\/strong>Built as a private hunting lodge in the late 1800s, Spruce Point began its long career as an inn in 1902. Guests across the ages include Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Senator and Mrs. Edmund Muskie, and Vice President and Mrs. Hubert Humphrey. The prevailing breeze is that Spruce Point creates a sense of homecoming. This is amplified by impulsive hospitality gestures on the part of the staff. If the way to the heart is through the stomach, Food and Beverage manager Sonya Dearborn had one couple smitten with a surprise anniversary dinner overlooking the ocean, including a whimsical menu personalized with the name and wedding date of the lovebirds. At another table in time, the banquet manager noticed a group of guests looking flummoxed at the lobster bake set in front of them. Diving to the rescue of the newbies, \u201cShe gave an impromptu lesson on how to crack a lobster!\u201d Seacord says. <\/span><\/p>\n

Top of its Class<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Blair Hill Inn, Greenville <\/span><\/p>\n

The Extreme: <\/strong>In the age of internet takedowns, Blair Hill Inn<\/strong> scores 98 percent on Tripadvisor. \u201cI could write a book about how fantastic, hospitable, and warm the staff is at the Blair Hill Inn,\u201d one guest says. \u201cRuth, Dan, and their family blew us away with their hospitality. Ruth helped book outdoor adventures for us, while Dan cooked delicious homemade meals in the back. You could eat off the floors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The Resort: From a hilltop perch in Greenville, Blair Hill Inn commands a stunning view across Maine\u2019s largest glacial lake. The inn\u2019s many windows frame these cinematic views of Moosehead Lake and its islands. Innkeepers and self-confessed corporate escapees Ruth and Dan McLaughlin have presided over the smooth running of Blair Hill since they fled Chicago for the Maine hills with a wild dream 20 years ago. The rural setting does not equate to rustic amenities. \u201cWe have a space for helicopters to land and a Tesla and generic electric charging station\u2013both free of \u2018charge\u2019 for our guests,\u201d Ruth says. \u201cWe\u2019ve also arranged for a seaplane to fly guests to and from Bangor Airport.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

A Port in the Storm<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort, Boothbay<\/span><\/p>\n

The Extreme:<\/strong><\/span> Now here\u2019s something you don\u2019t see everyday: Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort <\/strong>offers service with a smile\u2013off dry land. The hotel boasts a \u201cnautical concierge\u201d service for guests and diners who arrive by boat. While you sip margaritas and munch on fresh seafood, your pride and joy will be buffed to a high shine by expert hands. \u201cWe once had a couple arrive from Florida for a vacation,\u201d says Landon Flynn. \u201cDuring the stay, the weather turned bad. They were wary of sailing home. We stored, cleaned, and brought in a specialist mechanic while the storm raged. Afterward, we even helped find an experienced captain to sail the yacht back for them.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The Resort: <\/strong>You can\u2019t get much closer to the water than the Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort<\/strong>, just a stone\u2019s skim from the town dock. The 18-hole golf course is a draw for enthusiasts, while patient spouses can keep themselves entertained on the patio of Coastal Prime with a cocktail or 12. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rare Acts<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Claremont Hotel, Southwest Harbor<\/span><\/p>\n

The Extreme: <\/strong>An emerald-green nine-hoop croquet lawn manicured to international standards has been the jewel in crown of The Claremont Hotel <\/strong>since the Victorian age. World-class mallet stars travel each summer to play for glory in the Claremont Croquet Classic, a fixture since 1977. One summer, staff members dragged their eyes from the competition to notice a guest on the water struggling to start his Hinckley yacht. At that moment, the boat\u2019s gas engine caught fire and exploded in a flapping fireball. \u201cStaff members ran to the shoreline and began rowing out to where the yacht was moored,\u201d says assistant manager Tim Stanley. \u201cWe came to the aid of the gentleman and his daughter, who was badly burned from the explosion.\u201d John \u201cJay\u201d Madeira, general manager for over 35 years, rushed the young woman to the ER in his car. He remained by her side for almost eight hours while she received treatment. Thankfully, she made a full recovery. \u201cShe returns now and then to visit Jay,\u201d Stanley says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Resort: <\/strong>At the mouth of the East Coast\u2019s only fjord, The Claremont Hotel stands outside of time, a moment caught in amber. The green sweep of lawn rises up from a boathouse on the lip of\u00a0 <\/span>Somes Sound, sloping up to the main hotel, punctuated by white Adirondack chairs. The main hotel with gabled roof and wraparound porch was built in 1884 by Captain Jesse Pease, who fell for the stunning views across the fjord to what would later become Acadia National Park. In the dazzle of a summer\u2019s day, you may have stepped back in time. If you glance over your shoulder and spot the Obama family sitting down to lunch, you\u2019ve sped back to 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the staff members specialize in small acts of kindness, \u201cfrom filling rooms with fresh flowers\u201d to a can-do attitude, Jay Madeira sets the standard. \u201cIt was the height of summer, when late one evening, a family of four entered the hotel looking tired and despondent,\u201d Stanley says. \u201cThey\u2019d been around the island searching for a place to stay\u2013 with no luck.\u201d Sure enough, The Claremont was full, too. \u201cJay got to talking with the father.\u201d The family was exhausted, vexed by Vacationland. \u201cJay went down into the laundry, collected a pile of fresh linens, and set up a bed in the living room for the family free of charge.\u201d Nice guy, dreamy hotel. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rested and Recharged<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Samoset Inn, Rockport<\/span><\/p>\n

The Extreme: <\/strong>You know that sinking feeling when you realize you forgot to pack your most valued possession? The staff at the Samoset will save the day. \u201cWe\u2019d forgotten the cable for a phone charger,\u201d says one guest. \u201cThe staff went searching through the lost and found and brought one to our room that evening.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Crisis averted.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Resort: <\/strong>In the heart of midcoast Maine, The Samoset Resort <\/strong>is an oceanfront jewel complete with spa, swimming pool, and an 18-hole golf course looking out over the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. This hotel has a history as striking as her views. The Ricker Hotel Company (of Poland Spring fame) bought and transformed the Bay Point Hotel in 1902 into a dazzling destination with over 1,000 feet of oceanfront. Such was her allure, the Eastern Steamship Company immediately began direct routes from Boston to the Samoset. The resort ran aground in the early 20th century, only to come back swinging in 1972. It\u2019s been blue skies ever since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Samoset is named for a Pemaquid sachem who welcomed pilgrims from the Mayflower <\/em>in 1620. Weary travelers today can settle into one of the expansive resort\u2019s 178 hotel rooms and start booking spa treatments and golf lesson to the heart\u2019s content<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April 2018
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