AWOL Kennebunkport — Hotel in Kennebunkport

I spent a long weekend here in early March with my partner and our dog. It was a wonderful stay. Since there were not a lot of other guests on our first morning there, breakfast was brought to our room, a lovely tray of bagels, breakfast sandwiches, juice, coffee, fresh fruit, muffins. Over the next two days that we were there, more guests arrived so breakfast was served in the main house, a full spread toast bar, which was lovely. Homemade cookies were available in the afternoon. It felt very much like a B&B in that aspect.

We stayed in cabin #1 which is the closest to the road. That was fine with us because it made walking our dog easier. The cabin is very clean and cozy. It's a nice size for two people and our mid-size dog. The in room fireplace kept the cabin super warm - we didn't even need the heat. Blankets for our dog were provided to use on the bed and couch. The king bed is super comfy. The bathroom is spacious and the shower is great in terms of water pressure and design.

We were there during a snow storm, but didn't have to worry about a thing. The staff not only kept the parking lot and walkways shoveled, but they shoveled all around our car. We got to enjoy a winter wonderland without worrying about any of the work (shoveling) that comes with a winter storm. We got to watch the snow fall from the big floor to ceiling window. (A nice blackout curtain helps you sleep in.) Also, the roads were treated there so we didn't have to deal with any of the salt that hurts our pup's paws. It's such a nice place to bring your dog!

I want to give a shout out to Brandi who made us feel right at home. She organizes the breakfast and stayed on top of the snow storm. She checked in with us to make sure we had everything we needed daily. She's fantastic!

The only bad thing about our stay was that we had to leave....

Sadly we were very disappointed with our stay. When we arrived we were shocked the tiny cabins advertised on the website as "private" were basically overlooking the parking lot with absolutely no privacy. Because of this we could never open the blinds to our windows and it felt like we were living in a gray box for three days. To use the "private fire pit" meant waving to each car as it exited and entered the parking lot. Not really what we had in mind for our honeymoon. When asked if there was a room/cabin available with more privacy they said they would check and get back to us (which they never did) and if there was one available we would be responsible for paying the price difference.

On our second day we received an automatic text message asking if there were any issues and we noted the lack of privacy and how we felt the website was misleading (we were paying over $500 a night). Someone didn't get back to us until the following day. We received a call from Patty who reported she ran customer service for some of the Lark properties in Kennebunkport, she was lovely and understanding on the phone and stated she couldn't get us into another room, but would look into getting us a discounted rate and said she would follow-up within 24 hours. We never heard back from her. Following our stay I followed up via e-mail on 9/18 and was never responded to. A week after that I called AWOL directly and was told Patty was out of the office but would call me the following day, again ignored and we have still yet to receive a call back.

I have stayed in many hotels over my lifetime and am generally a pretty easy going person, but this poor level of customer service was unacceptable and no one wants to feel repeatedly ignored. At this price point, I would not recommend staying at this property....

AWOL Kennebunkport is one of those places you don't want to review because you don't want anyone else to find out about it, but it was also such a wonderful experience you HAVE to shout it from the roof tops.

AWOL has a number of super cool cabins out back, as well as a handful of extremely well renovated rooms in the main house. Like, seriously, kudos - new windows that hold heat even in the Maine winter, radiators that throw solid heat without making any noise, a supplemental mini split, beautiful hardwood in excellent condition, new paint and molding throughout - the rooms SCREAM New England charm without any of the downsides. The room was SO comfortable and I did not want to leave!

Lark Hotels is great and you can browse their web site to pick out the exact room that you want, so you are certain what amenities you should expect for your stay, and you can pay a little more or a little less for features you do or don't want.

The breakfast provided is WONDERFUL - fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt and a huge array of toppings, baked goods, toast, toppings, juices, coffee, tea - I could go on and on.

The staff is all super friendly and professional without being stuffy - genuinely all the kind of people you would just want to sit and chat with, even if you're an introvert like me!

The hotel is a short walk from Kennepunkport, 20 minute walk from Colony Beach. You're in an awesome location to be able to drive to the restaurants outside of the city within 10-20 minutes if that's your thing, or just walk into town or to the beach. Quiet side street with great access to everything.

We cannot wait...