The delightful Cape Arundel Inn doesn’t have a presidential suite because it doesn’t really need one. Stay in one of the inn’s signature ocean-view guest rooms and you can claim not one, but two former Presidents of the United States as neighbors. Perched on a rocky bluff, a few minutes’ drive from the picturesque Maine township of Kennebunkport, the inn boasts a dramatic view of the Bush presidential dynasty’s summer vacation home – a grand, sprawling and imposing estate gracing the next headland.
Being able to peer into a president’s backyard (I admit I pulled out the binoculars more than once during my stay) is just one of many surprises at this classic New England coastal retreat.
The jewel in the crown of the Kennebunkport Resort Collection, comprising eight hotels and seven restaurants in the same town, Cape Arundel Inn offers a wonderful weekend away or longer vacation.
The inn is actually two retreats in one, with 15 cozy and comfortable rooms and suites in the main oceanfront building and another 15 rooms in the Old Fort Estate, set on private grounds a third of a mile from the inn.
The inn’s clever sister act allows guests to move between the hotels: Cape Arundel Inn’s luxurious ocean home setting with its stylish living room, bar, dining room and deck complements the Old Fort Estate’s heated lap pool and private club lounge.
The accommodations at Cape Arundel Inn are in three separate units, with eight rooms in the main Seacrest house, six rooms in Rockbound overlooking a sculpture garden and another room in Crowe’s Nest at the inn’s rear. Crisp white linens, fluffy towels and bathrobes blend successfully with more classic coastal furnishings to create rooms that invite you to relax and take in the panoramic (and presidential) views.
The most pleasant surprise is Ocean, the inn’s award-winning restaurant helmed by acclaimed Canadian chef Pierre Gignac. His seafood-inspired and seasonal menus offer capital city dining in a beautiful seaside setting.
The inn is a five-minute drive away from the cafe?s, restaurants and shops of leafy Kennebunkport, making it a thoroughly pleasurable escape – with or without an actual presidential sighting. capearundelinn.com
Image Credits: Photo courtesy of the Cape Arundel Inn.