Kennebunkport
Maine


The Experience

The White Barn Inn started life as a restaurant so good no one wanted to leave. Now it’s also a luxurious New England guesthouse with more than a hint of English manners, thanks to the slightly formal service (many staff members trained in Europe) and touches like afternoon tea with scones. The common areas showcase the successful marriage between Old World elegance and American luxury: Both the chintzy sitting room with overstuffed couches and the recently added spa feel entirely apropos. Located on the road between Kennebunkport Village and the ever-popular Gooch’s beach, the White Barn Inn is a retreat from the holiday hubbub of each, and still has one of the finest restaurants between New York and the North Pole.

The Rooms

There are six different buildings on the compact, leafy estate to call home (two with private entrances), and all are decorated with rich, embossed wallpaper, botanical prints and layers of intricate drapery. In the main house, the standard rooms retain the original inn proportions (around 300 square feet) but the effect is intimate rather than cramped. Almost a third of the space is devoted to a sumptuous marble bathroom. The result is a comfy, very British New Englander minus the bad plumbing. The suites, also decorated in layers of splendid detail, are double the size of standard rooms and then some, and are always the first to book up. Most requested is junior suite No. 8 for its TV and fireplace, visible from both the bed and gargantuan Jacuzzi.

The Service

Wear a tuxedo to dinner and you might be mistaken for one of the impeccably attired waitstaff. The presentation may be buttoned-up but service is friendly without being obsequious. The concierge’s influence reaches far beyond Kennebunkport, in one instance securing good seats to a Boston Red Sox home game with only a few hours’ notice (the staff are also happy to print Mapquest directions to anywhere).

The Highlights

In spite of the bustling village vibe, Kennebunkport is teeming with wildlife. Watch for whales frolicking in the bays, moose wandering into town and birds nesting directly outside the White Barn Inn sunroom. Afternoon tea is served daily, including egg, salmon and cucumber sandwiches presented sans crust in a parquetry design, along with miniature scones (plus port and brandy to kick off a midafternoon nap). And that’s just a prelude to dinner at the restaurant, where rabbit ravioli, steamed lobster and sautéed guinea hen take their place alongside more unusual offerings like roasted Parma ham-wrapped monkfish on peekytoe crab polenta, artichokes and sea urchin sauce. The rustic barn decor (farm oddments hanging next to great masters) is moodily lit by candles reflecting off the white starched table linens.

-- Adam McCulloch

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