Planning a coastal winter getaway to Maine? Book a room at Cliff House in Cape Neddick and then get our picks for the best bonus things to do and places to eat!
By Amy Traverso
Jan 05 2024
The Tidemark Lounge, where soaring windows are paired with a two-story fireplace made from local bluestone.
Photo Credit : Carley RuddThe stark beauty of the Maine coast in winter is something not many of us travelers get to see up close. You might venture out on a sunny January day, marveling at the swirls of frozen sea-foam at the water’s edge—then an arctic wind blasts through your reverie, not to mention the tight weave of your best winter hat.
But nestled in my bed at Cliff House, propped up on fluffy pillows and perched a few meters from the ocean, I savor the pale pink midafternoon light that illuminates the roiling sea outside my window. I look out on striated rock formations stacked perpendicularly, evidence of some long-ago cataclysm that heaved the whole mass out of the earth before slamming it down on its side. Who needs TV or the Internet when you have geology? I don’t ever want to leave.
Fortunately I don’t have to, at least for now. At Cliff House, a sprawling complex of modern buildings that hugs the contours of Bald Head Cliff, I can walk from one end of the resort to the other without ever leaving climate control. There are two restaurants, bars, and a cinema, plus a spa, gallery, art studio, games library, gym, indoor pool, and hot tub. Also: shops, live music, and a big fireplace in the lobby perfect for sipping and chatting or curling up with a book. Everywhere, the view beckons.
Most of New England’s top vacation destinations—the White Mountains, New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Cape Cod—were established on the heels of railroads, and Cliff House is no different. It has welcomed visitors since 1872, when the Boston and Maine Railroad expanded to York. As I make my way to the spa from my wing (called “The Cove,” and known for having the best views), I see a wall of photographs outlining the resort’s history, beginning when Elsie Jane Weare, mother of seven, saw an opportunity in the rail lines and persuaded her husband to invest.
All around, the decor reads modern-nautical, thanks to an extensive 2016 renovation that added more guest rooms and suites (for a total of 226) and the 9,000-square-foot spa. A fountain fills the spa’s reception area with the burble of water on stone, and a plush waiting room gives wide views of the ocean. In one of the treatment rooms—which are cut lower into the slate cliffs so that the crashing waves leap just outside the window—I submit to the skilled massage team. My therapist identifies the deep knot in my wonky shoulder, kneads it into submission, and sends me off with a few practical suggestions to keep the peace. All of which is to say: Whatever resort premium you’re paying here for spa services, it’s worth it.
Also worthwhile: Bald Head Coffee Company is an on-site café by the firepit terrace offering a great casual companion to the resort’s fine-dining restaurant, The Tiller, with espresso drinks, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, snacks, beer, and wine. At night, the terrace is bedecked with party lights and warmed by a blazing fire, so you can soak up some heat while listening to waves below. (The nearby hot tub may well be the most spectacularly sited of its kind in New England.)
Speaking of The Tiller, plan to have dinner at sunset, when the views are most spectacular. The menu has delicious options from land and sea, but here in Maine, the cod with celery root–potato puree and the scallops with lobster fried rice are particularly alluring. And be sure to order the homemade bread.
At some point, you will have to reenter the world, if only to take a walk on the famous waterfront Marginal Way, just a short drive away. Walk to the highest point and look south for one more view: the grandeur of Cliff House, perched like a beacon, calling you home. —Amy Traverso
Nightly rate for typical room option: $579 winter vs. $899 summer. cliffhousemaine.com
BREAKFAST SPOT: Among the highlights at Ogunquit’s Greenery Café, a locally owned, from-scratch eatery: the perfectly done “Bennys” (offered in original, Irish, lobster, crab cake, smoked salmon, and Florentine variations), the classic breakfast sandwiches, and the pastry case full of just-baked scones, muffins, cupcakes, and more. Ogunquit; Facebook
NATURE OUTING: The Marginal Way is iconic for good reason: Extending a mile-plus along the rocky seaside cliffs from just below downtown Ogunquit to Perkins Cove, it rises, falls, and curves enough that the views are ever-changing, and there are benches installed at key vista points for those who want to contemplate the same view that inspired artists from Edward Hopper to Walt Kuhn. Ogunquit; marginalwayfund.org
RETAIL THERAPY: You could easily while away an hour amid the fine art and crafts at Abacus Gallery, best known for the Maine-themed calendars created by owner Dana Heacock. Her art prints, framed and unframed, are also on offer, as well as entrancing eggshell dioramas made by J. Brooke Patterson and other unexpected treasures. Ogunquit; abacusgallery.com
DINING PICK: The married team behind Walkers Maine, Justin and Danielle Walker, has been elevating southern Maine’s dining scene for two decades now. Wood-fired cooking is at the heart of the menu, and the kitchen’s large hearth will warm your soul. Wood-roasted haddock with warm potato salad sings, as does the pork chop with Meyer lemon–onion mostarda. Save room for dessert: Pastry chef Matt Jauk is a star in his own right. Cape Neddick; walkersmaine.com
DINING PICK (BONUS): Water views are stunning in every direction at local favorite MC Perkins Cove, and the peninsula on which it stands—packed to the gills in summer—is perfectly peaceful in the off-season. Start with the Bangs Island mussels and fried artichokes, then finish with the terrific burger or duck confit. Ogunquit; mcperkinscove.com
CULTURE HIT: For live music with (or without) drinks and dinner, head to Jonathan’s, an Ogunquit institution that has welcomed national acts such as Judy Collins, Paula Poundstone, and Tom Rush—plus a long list of Maine artists—to its stage for nearly 50 years. The vibe is as cozy and friendly as the town itself. Ogunquit; jonathansogunquit.com
DON’T-MISS STOP: Walking into Harbor Candy Shop is the olfactory equivalent of slipping into a bath of warm chocolate. Since the 1950s, the Sotiropoulos family has produced a deep catalog of bonbons, truffles, fudge, bark, cordials, turtles, caramels, and toffees. All the chocolate is made in-house, and the Victorian mercantile decor makes this one of the prettiest candy shops in New England. Ogunquit; harborcandy.com
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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