ducks goose

Travelers have options, another byproduct of the digital age. There is the standard hotel with its two square beds, circulated air smell, and requisite ice bucket and coffee maker atop a dorm-sized fridge. You can easily rent someone’s home or go the luxury route with a resort. All venues were considered when planning a last minute quick getaway to Ogunquit, Maine. Here’s how it went:

• Hotel: Too impersonal and claustrophobic.
• Renting a private home: Too personal, staying among a stranger’s belongings feels like an intrusion.
• Resort: Rather not spend our annual travel budget on a few nights.

Farm style kitchen at the Beauport Inn, the center of hospitality.

We then thought of B&B’s and this is why: Bill and I have an annual one-week window a year to travel without kids. This eliminates all family friendly places. We are good parents but a vacation from being cannonballed while reading poolside ranks as a luxury. We both work long hours so we chose a place within driving distance. We also wanted to test out Maine considering that in our combined lifetimes we have been to every East Coast vacation spot aside from the “vacation state.”

There were many no vacancies but we stumbled upon Ogunquit’s Beauport Inn, which caught our interest from the farm style kitchen and breakfast food shots.

We chose the Moulin Rouge room, a red-painted suite equipped with all the B&B trappings of 4-poster bed, closet padded with robes and linens, shelves with readable titles and two separate couches so we can both doze off without a kicking match. The terrace led to the pool, hot tub and first floor that has a steam room, library of DVDs and selection of board games.

The innkeepers, Linda and Ellen, love their job, Ogunquit and treat visitors as houseguests. In fact their kindness extends to their private part of the home where they take care of rescue birds (also appearing on the toiletry packaging). They gave good advice on restaurants and the use of bikes for riding into town, which was a highlight as it takes ten minutes to move two miles on a typical August summer day.

You can connect with other guests or retreat into your room. Another unique quality to Beauport is the space was designed as a B&B so your rooms are private and solid. By day two we were Beauport veterans, understanding the breakfast routine and what to do in town. In a gesture we’d expect from a family member or close friend, Ellen thought to serve Bill’s eggs with his beloved hot sauce. Holiday Inn this is not.

When you are over 40, lived on the East Coast for most of your life, and have not traveled to an entire vacation territory on your own coast the prospects of a new discovery excite. Ogunquit, Maine, was the chosen destination.

A typical August Ogunquit beach day.

Maine is the most eastern point of the East Coast, which is why I have neglected it for so long. Seasoned Maine vacationers reminded that just over the state border, a four hour drive from NYC metro area Connecticut, are fantastic coastal towns to rival touristy Cape Cod or the sleekness of the Hamptons.

Local color seen when passing through Ogunquit.

Ogunquit is just before Wells and Kennebunkport, the tony enclave of Bush family notoriety, and has as much to offer. It is laid back, caters to family SUVs loaded with floats and coolers but refined. Refined meaning this is a friendly community that promotes flying kites, playing outdoors till dinner is served and going to town for a block of fudge or hand-crafted ice cream.

Double dark chocolate ice cream, a traditional choice over Rococo’s artisan offerings like rhubarb sage and sweet avocado cayenne.

The state mascot, I will safely assume, is lobster. The bright red crustacean is seen on license plates, games, kid’s hats and definitely on the brain. In fact once we arrived we forewent showers for a lobster dinner. This does not involve research, just hit the main road and everywhere serves it. Even the local McDonald’s advertised their $8.99 lobster meal.

Choosing a lobster restaurant was simple, our hunger trumped waiting an hour for waterviews and dinghy art.

Waterside restaurant with a long waiting time but loads of touristy charm.

We chose Capt’n Hooks, which has it down with its seasoned summer employees who helped us choose our own lobster, offer a thoughtful recommendation of the house root beer and hastily interrupted our order so he could holler at a kid standing on the lobster game. For less than $30 Bill and I enjoyed a meal that he inhaled while I was too busy snapping photos. The lobster was tender, perfectly steamed, while the picked-that-day corn and potato sides was the ideal accompaniment.

Simple lobster meal: inexpensive and delicious.

A vast selection of fresh choices.

Lobster American Style.

Easy takeout for stomachs on the go.

More lobster kitsch.

Ogunquit is crowded but understandably so. In fact it’s good to compete for beach space with fellow visitors who appreciate a classic summer.