The Breakwater Inn & Spa, HCH (ME)
Hay Creek Hotels Travel Series Stay 2 of 6
Written by Stavros
The New England Travel Journal visited The Breakwater Inn and Spa, in Kennebunkport, Maine as the second hotel in our travel series partnership with Hay Creek Hotels (HCH). HCH manages a collection of timeless boutique hotel properties largely in New England. To book a future stay at any of the HCH we visited or any of the many hotels in their portfolio use Promo Code NETJHCH20 for 20% off the best available rates.
The Stay
The Exterior and Grounds
Breakwater Inn and Spa is separated into two buildings that are within walking distance of one another. A small row of beach homes separates the main building (which has the front desk, the spa, and gym) and the Inn which also conveniently has Stripers Waterside Restaurant located on the main floor. Both buildings are located on the scenic Ocean Avenue and are only a short five-minute drive from Kennebunkport center. The inn is also conveniently located right on the Kennebunk River which feeds directly into the Atlantic Ocean merely 100 yards away from the hotel.
From the large spacious yard, you can walk down one of the wooden paths right to the rocky shore that meets the river. It is also perfectly acceptable and highly recommended to take advantage of any of the many Adirondack chairs spread across the great lawn. They are perfect for relaxing as you enjoy craft cocktails and appetizers and watch the lobster boats and sailboats either cruise down the river to the ocean or return back from their day out at sea.
The architecture of the inn is that of a quintessential Colonial House one might find in New England and especially near the shoreline. The grounds are very inviting and meticulously cared for. On a sunny day, they make for a great place to walk around and enjoy the lush greenery with the river and ocean as the backdrop. A wall of blooming Beach Roses lines the property and separates the yard from the shores of the Kennebunk River.
The Room
We stayed in suite number 6 in the main hotel building and enjoyed our stunning view of the Kennebunk River. Immediately as we entered we were greeted with plenty of sunlight and two large windows overlooking the great lawn and river below. The walls were covered halfway with white wainscoting and finished in a royal blue to the ceilings. Wide oak panels spread across the floor and a thick blue rug sat below the king sized bed. The wicker furniture and paintings of sails boats and maritime occasions hanging on the walls were enough to complete the coastal feel of the room. The room’s decor captured the aesthetic of staying in an oceanfront inn perfectly.
To Eat
Perhaps one of our favorite meal locations across all of our trips on the Travel Series partnership, Stripers Waterside Restaurant’s patio is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious meal while watching the sunset. The setting was just right for us to enjoy a lemon, honey bourbon cocktail and glass of rosé as we devoured our mussels and crostini. The golden sun slowly lowered itself right in front of us as we sat on the patio, listening to the waves crashing gently on the bank of the river and the sound of all the guests around us enjoying their meals and company. The cool ocean breeze flowing over the wall of Beach Roses made our meals even that much more enjoyable on a hot July evening. For our main courses, we enjoyed a hearty piece of glazed salmon served on top of noodles and an assortment of fresh veggies. Then a bowl of thick and creamy New England Style Clam Chowder and a house salad with large and plump shrimp. Every bit of our meal was fresh, delicious, and satisfying.
Two of our other favorite restaurants in Kennebunkport are Mabel’s Lobster Claw and Allison’s Restaurant. Mabel’s is directly across the street from the main building of Breakwater Inn. The lobster roll at Mabel’s is our favorite roll of all time. The lobster meat is served cold dressed in the lightest dollop of mayo and drizzled with a little bit of hot butter and served on a buttered and toasted bun. This paired with a large helping of thin and crispy fries and a side of Cole slaw was the perfect and most satisfying lunch to take and eat by the ocean. We took our’s to-go and walked a few minutes to Colony beach and enjoyed our lobster roll while sitting a few feet away from the water.
Allison’s Restaurant is a place we’ve visited every time that we’ve been to Kennebunkport. They have an extensive collection of local and imported beers, but the best part is their lobster options. We’ve enjoyed their lobster pizza, their truffle lobster roll, and two variations of their lobster roll trio. This time around their lobster roll trio had a cold Maine lobster roll, a lobster bisque roll, and a South of the Border roll (served with bacon, avocado, lettuce, and chipotle aioli). Their lobster roll options are always great.
To Do
At the Inn
One of the best things to do when visiting Breakwater Inn is sitting in the Adirondack chairs in the back yard enjoying the craft cocktails and appetizers from Stripers Restaurant. Then, paired with a dinner on the patio this is the perfect spot to watch the sunset making for a spectacular evening. For the ultimate form of relaxation, the Inn offers a full service Spa located in the main building right near the gym.
Away from the Inn
Kennebunkport is one of those places where you need a whole week to enjoy everything that the town has to offer. The center alone has enough restaurants where you can visit a different place for each meal of your stay. There are also plenty of small shops to visit and do a bit of shopping. Some of the ones that we’ve been to during our visits and that have stuck out in our minds are the Copper Candle, the Colonial Pharmacy (the red building at the center of it all), The Emporium which is directly behind the Welcome to Kennebunkport sign on Lanigan Bridge, Digs Divots and Dogs Gift shop, Scalawags Pet Boutique, Dock Square Clothiers, Stadium Gallery, Gibran – Maine Made Foods and Gifts, Federal Jacks and Kennebunkport Brewing Company, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Best of Everything Jewelry, and Zen and Company.
Another favorite thing of ours to do while visiting Kennebunkport is taking a drive down Ocean Avenue past Colony Beach and taking in the views of the Atlantic. We’ve also driven all the way to Bickford Island for another great lunch at Cape Pier Chowder House and views of Goat Island Lighthouse (with the help of our drone).
Highlight
The Breakwater Inn and Spa are really well located in Kennebunkport which offers the most to-do from all of our six trips. The Inn is only a few minutes walking distance from Colony beach and also only a short 5-minute drive to downtown. Kennebunkport is one of our most visited towns in Maine and also happens to be home to our favorite lobster roll of all time (at Mabel’s Lobster Claw).
To read about the rest of our Travel series Partnership with Hay Creek Hotels visit our Season Wrap Up Story.