Beautiful Maine!

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Last week, we got back from the most glorious trip to Maine! None of us had ever been and since I’m getting close to delivering our 4th baby, I have been on the lookout for simple, east coast vacations that weren’t too far or hard to get to. After asking on Instagram as to where we should go, SO many of you suggested Maine and I can now understand why you did. Nearby, low-key, great weather and charming as ever. We all were pretty darn smitten.

We stayed at Cliff House Maine, a lovely resort in Ogunquit  with a room that was large enough for 8! Normally, the battle is trying to find enough space in a hotel suite, not having too much! The two older kids shared bunk beds and Eddie had a king bed all to himself. It was amazing! We did a few different excursions outside of staying at the resort (see below) but when we were there, we were all in the pool. It was a heated saltwater pool and it could not be beat. Plus since Blake got his goggles, he’s been unstoppable in the water. Jumping in willingly in the deep end and fully enjoying swimming. Eddie didn’t want anything to do with any goggles, but after the first day in his puddle jumper and me casually letting go of him without him noticing several times, he got the hang of kicking and zipping all around the pool. His favorite thing to do was swim over to the ramp until he could touch the bottom, walk all the way up the ramp, then turn around and come back. I could see the gears switching in his mind from being able to touch the bottom of the pool walking down the ramp to reaching a spot he couldn’t touch and starting to swim.

 

At the resort, we also spent quite a bit of time on their grounds eating at Nubb’s Lobster Shack (omg the lobster roll and grilled cheese!!!) staying around the fire pit and playing chess on the lawn. Blake learned chess is Kindergarten this past year and schooled us all. He walked Gordon and I through the pieces again as a refresher and then killed us at several games. That boy surprises us every day. I think he’ll be doing more chess this year too as part of the first grade curriculum. Totally random, but he seems to love it!

Perkins Cove

One morning, we explored Perkins Cove (in Ogunquit) and had breakfast at Cove Cafe. It was fabulous! I got the pancakes (pictured below) and couldn’t finish them. It’s a really great, breakfast spot that came highly recommended. We got there around 9am and only waited 15 minutes. It’s a small place. Gordon got the lobster benedict (when in Rome) and the kids got a variety of eggs, french toast and bacon.

Ogunquit also has cute shopping areas, other great restaurants and ice cream shops we didn’t get a chance to try which was a real bummer because our trip was on the shorter side. Next year!

 

Lobstah!

The Lobster Bake we attended was on the property of Cliff House, but run through a different company. It was really fascinating and fun…even if my boys preferred the hot dogs and chips. Haha!  (I had had a prenatal massage that afternoon and could care less….sure boys. Eat all the chips you want.) Brooke remembers loving crab when we went crabbing in Rockaway Beach, OR (when I was barely pregnant with Eddie and so so sick), so super similar to crab, she loved lobster as well.  I don’t remember having to dig so hard for lobster, but it was so fresh and tasty! The corn chowder and blueberry cake were my favorites.

It was after this dinner that Gordon and I both were sick of Lobster. Haha!

Nubble Lighthouse

One morning, we headed out to York, ME to see Nubble Lighthouse and the kids were able to explore all the rocks with Gordon while I sat on a nearby bench and just took pictures. Sometimes pregnancy doesn’t allow me to do things and this was one of them. Oh well! I got some cute shots. Also, there was a volunteer walking around answering questions and handing out stickers which was just so nice, hospitable and small-town. Something you don’t get in the city.

There were also cute shops and restaurants nearby.

Main Beach

Of course we had to explore the ocean before we left and after dinner one night in Ogunquit (we all got pasta at Caffe Prego and it was glorious because it wasn’t Lobster).  Our kids objected at first because that’s just what the theme seems to be, but once we got there they didn’t want to leave. An observation we definitely pointed out to them as we were leaving. Haha!

Gordon, a born and raised Oregonian decided that the Atlantic ocean was slightly warmer than the one in Oregon, but not by much. I just avoided the water all together and encouraged my kids to do the same. Both oceans are freaking cold.

Blueberry Picking

On our way out of town, we went blueberry picking because that is another essential Maine thing to do. Plus our kids love blueberries. It was such a hot morning, so we didn’t stay long, but for 15 minutes of picking we did pretty well! I’d recommend heading to the blueberry patches earlier than later because they were mostly picked out. We still found some decent berries, but a lot of the bigger, juicy ones were taken.

Overall, we loved our extended weekend stay in Maine and would love to be back for more fun next summer! Besides Ogunquit and York, where are your favorite spots to go in Maine? Have you ever been? One of my old college roommates (and bridesmaids from my wedding) is from Boothbay Harbor and I’d love to head up further north to check out that small town for sure. We just didn’t have time.

Recommendations

Cliff House Maine – in Ogunquit. This resort is a little higher end but oh so lovely! Right on the ocean with tons of amenities and things to do. We loved the pool and things to do on the property. I had a prenatal massage which was the bomb and we were able to attend the Lobster Bake there as well. Lots of little restaurants on the property too, like Nubb’s.

Cove Cafe – in Perkins Cove. Cutest little breakfast spot with boats and the ocean nearby to explore. Pancakes and french toast were great!

Nubble Lighthouse – in York. Came highly recommended because it was nearby. A fun stop in the morning before it gets too warm. Enjoyed lunch and shopping in downtown York and hit up a cute little candy store and Hawaiian shaved ice store right next door!

Caffe Prego – in Ogunquit. When you’re sick of lobster, head here for Italian! Haha! We got in right away on a Monday night.

The Friendly Blueberry Patch – in York. Run by really nice people…just get there early to make sure they aren’t all picked out.

Shopping Outlets – in Kittery. SO many good ones here! Hanna Andersson, Crate and Barrel, Nike, New Balance, Baby Gap, the list goes on. Also, there’s a McDonalds here which was a dream come true for our kids who literally haven’t had McDonalds since we left Idaho nearly 3 years ago!

These goggles were the ones we got for Blake that have been such a life saver. And these puddle jumpers are also quintessential for our boys.