When I found out Ryan would be home for Valentine's Day I knew I had to try to find us somewhere special to go! After a ton of research I found out that Kennebunkport, Maine has a month-long event in February called "Paint The Town Red." I immediately reached out to the Tourism Board to get the scoop on what events they were having and found out that they completely deck the town out in Valentine's Day themed decorations! We luckily had the opportunity to stay at Captain Lord Mansion, the only AAA, Four Diamond Bed and Breakfast in Kennebunkport, Maine. Captain Lord Mansion is an authentic Shipbuilder's Mansion, built by Captain Nathaniel Lord in 1812, and the largest home in the historic village. Not only was it so romantic and serene, but the staff was incredibly kind and accommodating. Bev and Rick, who have been the innkeepers for over 40 years, even left us a special Valentine's Day treat of chocolates and Prosecco!
We arrived into Kennebunkport at around 6:00PM and checked in to the Harvest Room. We walked in to find a beautiful four-poster king bed, fireplace, and garden views from the room's two window seats. It even had Ryan's favorite amenity - AN OVERSIZED JETTED TUB! After a lovely tour of the inn we came to find that much of the inn is authentic or was inspired by the original home. We even learned that the floors were made of Pumpkin Pine which is now extinct! My favorite part of the inn was the spiral staircase leading up to the 8 sided Cupola, which allowed the Lord family to see when their loved ones were coming in on their ships. The antique touches throughout the inn and the stories behind them really made it that much more romantic!
We decided to head to our Valentine's Day dinner at On The Marsh Bistro at the recommendation of Bev and Rick. Not only was the restaurant absolutely beautiful, but the food was AMAZING! We shared some Oysters and Tenderloin Carpaccio for an appetizer before our DELICIOUS main course. Ryan had the 8 oz. Grilled Tenderloin with butter whipped Mashed Potatoes while I opted for the Seafood Roma featuring fresh picked Maine Lobster, Jumbo Shrimp, Day Boat Scallops and Garlic Marinated Tomatoes in a White Wine sauce over Angel Hair Pasta. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
At breakfast the next morning I was able to chat with a couple that was celebrating their 90th stay at the Captain Lord Mansion! They told me of so many amazing memories that they had had in Kennebunkport over the years and even about how Bev and Rick had put a personalized engraved stone in the walkway to tribute to their frequent visits! I can't wait to go back in the summer when the gardens aren't covered in snow to truly appreciate all of the hard work they have put into the perennial gardens and tributes to their guests. You can see how much hard work the staff puts in to making their guests feel at home during breakfast - that is for sure! We had a family-style breakfast made by Kayla at the antique Lord-family dining table in the Gathering Room joined by other guests featuring organic french-vanilla yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, lemon-poppy seed muffins served right from the oven and french toast served with applewood smoked bacon! It was absolutely delicious and a great way to start the long day of sight seeing!
Luckily, Captain Lord Mansion is only a short walk from the port's Dock Square, where many of the shops and restaurants are located. We headed into town to check out the decorations and the igloos at Kennebunkport Inn. They truly transformed their patio into a Winter Wonderland with four igloos decked out in fur and cozy throw blankets. We got to have the whole place to ourselves to enjoy before heading to Cape Porpoise! Our purpose of going to Cape Porpoise was to see the Goat Island Lighthouse and Lobster Trap Tree, but much to our surprise we ended up stumbling upon the Ramp Grill, a lunch spot that was recommended to us by some guests at breakfast, just in time to quench our hunger and thirst! We enjoyed the stunning views of Cape Porpoise harbor and the working lobster boats before stepping inside to enjoy some Oysters (do you think we love Oysters enough?!?!) and Crab Cakes! After getting full we decided to hit the beach - just in time for a little bit of ice rain! It was still so beautiful and we had a nice romantic walk on the beach before heading to see the Bush Compound at Walker's Point. The property has been a Bush Family retreat for over a century and is absolutely gorgeous with incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean!
For our last dinner in town we followed another recommendation and ended up at Bandaloop, which prides itself in using organic and locally sourced ingredients! PS: I would highly advise following recommendations because ALL of our meals during our trip were absolutely delicious! Anyways, we enjoyed their signature Bandaloop Eggrolls featuring caramelized red onion, walnuts, and spinach-danish blue cheese (YUM!) and Vermont Cheddar and Cavatappi with Andouille Sausage as our appetizers. After getting ALMOST too full we decided to share the Herb Grilled Maine Salmon and I was so thankful we did because we finished every last bite!
We had such a wonderful stay at the Captain Lord Mansion and I cannot recommend it enough! Every detail of the inn, the staff, the suggestions for sight seeing and restaurants - it all made us have a truly memorable Valentine's Day celebration! I can't wait to visit in the summer!
xoxo. Alexandra
Our stay at Captain Lord Mansion was comped in exchange for the blog and social media coverage we provided for the bed and breakfast. However I am not being compensated for this post. Thank you to Captain Lord Mansion for hosting us!
