Kennebunkport Captains Collection

Style

Captains’ fable

Setting

Inn-dotted old quarter

Ahoy there, history lovers: four storied inns with a seafaring legacy constitute Kennebunkport Captains Collection – timbered homesteads originally built in the 1800s by sea captain Daniel Walker for his children, and now offering luxurious lodgings one block back from the river. Rooms retain their generous original proportions, period features and fireplaces. There’s a laidback bed-and-breakfast set-up, with room to lounge indoors and out. This restful, home-from-home retreat is an idyllic foil to days idled around Kennebunkport’s antique stores and cafés, hiking the coastal trailheads, hopping on a vintage trolley, or sampling craft brews on the local beer trail.

Facilities

Rooms

45, including six suites.

Checkout

11am; departing guests are welcome to linger in the hotel’s common rooms and grounds. Earliest check-in, 4pm.

More Details

Rates include breakfast: a continental spread is on offer at each of the houses, with hot dishes cooked to order for all guests at Nathaniel Lord Mansion.

Also

The historic architecture of the hotel’s four homesteads means it’s not ADA-compliant, so sadly cannot accommodate wheelchair users.

Free Internet Access

Pet Friendly

At the Hotel

Gardens with lounge furniture and fire pits; bicycles, yoga mats and beach chairs to borrow, and free WiFi. In rooms: air-conditioning, smart TV, mini fridge, wine glasses and corkscrew, waffle kimono robes, and Lather bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

You won’t need us to tell you which of the houses in the Kennebunkport Captains Collection is most to your taste: whether you favour the flamboyance of James Fairfield, the masculine cosiness of Acton Patterson, the period opulence of Nathaniel Lord Mansion or the soft-hued crispness of William Jefferds is down to personal preference. Premium Kings in Nathaniel Lord Mansion impress with square-footage, lounge space and four-poster beds. Of the Studio Suites in William Jefferds House, room 10 is one of our contenders, with a deep-soak tub and a central gas fireplace dividing bathroom and bedroom. Also at William Jefferds, the River Green King is light-filled and cosy in the eaves. And the William Jefferds Suite has a private entrance and the hotel’s only real fire.

Packing Tips

It’ll depend on whether you want to mess about on the river, wheel around town on bikes, hike the trailheads or mooch around Kennebunk, but we’d recommend a light homage to your coastal setting via stripes, cotton knits, Wayfarer shades and deck shoes.

Also

The green expanse by the hotel towards the Kennebunk was once home to houses, which were removed by the original owners to improve the panorama… The lawn may still be there, but development over the decades now obscures the river view.

Children

Extra beds can be added to larger rooms on request and connecting rooms are available: outside of summer, buyouts are a low-season option, with four-bedroom Acton Patterson House particularly suited to families.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Nathaniel Lord’s drawing room is an undeniably handsome spot, but breakfast on the deck is idyllic in summer, and the conservatory-like lounge of green-velvet banquettes and Ghost chairs at William Jefferds House is just as enticing.

Dress Code

Kennebunkport Captains Collection has a home-from-home feel that does away with any need for dress code, especially as it’s breakfast-only.

Hotel Restaurant

Dining at Kennebunkport Captains Collection revolves around the first meal of the day only. For breakfast, each house has its own set-up, serving a continental spread of fresh fruit, yogurt, cereals and pastries you can help yourselves to. For hot dishes, all guests are invited to head over to Nathaniel Lord, where pancakes, eggs, bacon and other classics are cooked to order – yours to take back to the comfort of your homestead’s lounge or a spot in the garden, or you can linger in Nathaniel Lord’s gold-wallpapered drawing room.

Hotel Bar

The hotel doesn’t have a liquor licence, but rooms are stocked with a mini fridge, corkscrew and glasses, and Maine & Vine in Kennebunk offers kerbside pick-up for bottles ordered online.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served 8am until 10am.

Room Service

There’s no room service at Kennebunkport Captains Collection, but tea and sweet treats are set out in the house lounge spaces each afternoon, and there’s little to stop you taking your breakfast back to your room.

Planes

The gateway airport for Maine, Portland International Jetport, is a 40-minute drive north from Kennebunkport Captains Collection; to the south, Boston Logan International is around 90 minutes away by road.

Trains

Inter-city Amtrak will take you as far as Boston South Station: from there, you want its regional Downeaster service to Wells Maine, which is around 10 minutes by road from Kennebunkport.

Automobiles

There’s free parking onsite at the hotel (one space for each room), and car hire from Portland or Logan airports, although for pootling around Kennebunkport, you won’t need wheels – a car’s only necessary if you want to explore further afield in Maine.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Kennebunkport Captains Collection has the kit to help you make the most of your Southern Maine sojourn, with helmets and bicycles to borrow: cross the river and head south along the bridle path that follows an old rail bed through wooded countryside edging the Mousam River. Or north of the river, take Ocean Avenue and pedal to Cape Porpoise and dramatic coastal panoramas. The nearest beach is shingle-shored Colony Beach; Kennebunk Beach is sheltered and sandy. A little further away, Parson’s Beach (to the south) and Goose Rocks (north) are picturesque Atlantic-lapped options. At Kennebunkport, you’re in Bush country – not the wild scrubland variety, but the summer home of the presidential family: three miles south of Kennebunkport, if you stroll the scenic peninsula at Walker’s Point, you can glimpse their coastal residence. In town itself, there’s a handful of antique stores worth a browse, including the Old House Parts Company and Antiques on Nine; or unearth the Kennebunks’ past at the Brickstore Museum. If you prefer your adventures to be ale-based, the Maine Brewers Guild has an online tool to help you build your own beer trail. Water-based thrills come in many guises in Kennebunk: for sailing cruises, try the Pineapple Ketch or Schooner Eleanor; Coastal Maine Kayak has kayaks and SUP for hire; for surf lessons, sign up at Aquaholics.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .