Cape Arundel Inn & Resort — Hotel in Kennebunkport

I have been to Ocean many times for special occasion dinners with my family. There was a time when I could recommend this restaurant but no longer. We went on Thanksgiving and our party of 6 spent close to $850 which included their prix fixe menu, 2 bottles of wine and 3 cocktails. The chef here used to be good but there are no excuses when you only offer only three entrees on your menu. One of which was a filet mignon, the only thing that was done right. Salty, as were many items, but tasty. Everything else was NOT GOOD. There were hors d’oeurves provided to the table: duck rillet nuggets, goat cheese on stale toast, over salted mussel. None of these were good. No one at the table liked any of them. Half of us ordered the lobster veloute as a starter. I have had this at Ocean before but it was nothing like what was served to us. It looked and tasted like clear lobster/chicken broth. I think they forgot to add the cream. It was awful. And the presentation, as usual, included a bowl placed at your table with two pieces of lobster into which they pour the soup. Again, I’ve had this before but not like this. The amount of lobster in the bowl could have fit into a thimble. It was almost embarrassingly small. That with the salty inedible broth… none of us ate it. I mentioned to the waiter, when he cleared the bowls, that it was NOT good. Others at the table had the salad. A big plate piled high with greens. Nothing special. One person in our party had the scallop appetizer. One scallop. Fast forward to the entrée, 3 in our party had turkey. Tough turkey which appeared to be a turkey roll. They were not happy with their meals. From the time they cleared our dishes, it took 35 minutes before our desserts arrived. Three in our party ordered a poached pear dish. Unfortunately, the pears were not ripe and inadequately poached. Two people had to ask for sharp knives to cut into their pears. My pumpkin tart appeared to be piped into a preformed, tart shell, the frozen kind. No cuisine here. Lastly, I woke up at 4:30am the following morning vomiting.Food poisoning?? Too much salt?? I don’t know. What I do know is that no one in our party enjoyed our meal. We contacted management the following day and asked what happened to the chef. How could he let food out of the kitchen that tasted like that? They said the chef was there. We never heard back from anyone from Oceans. We are locals. We know what to expect. The food was substandard. PROCEED AT...

Wanted this to be as great as many reviews said it would be but instead the bad reviews were correct.This was an overhyped, overpriced meal and the total experience left us totally disappointed. We were greeted by a friendly enthusiastic waitress who was to serve us cocktails out on the lawn while we took in the stunning view.She was lovely and tried her best but the bar didnt have pineapple juice or the rum that I wanted.By the time I was able to figure out another drink to order our table was ready so off we went to sit.Our server was either just unfriendly,undertrained or both ! No warmth or interest in showing us a special time.Two different cocktails were ordered and we both said these drinks are bland and seem to be lacking the alcohol. We mentioned this to our server who did not say im sorry let me replace them for you- instead she said ill take them off the table for you.At $13 each we said to leave them - figured if we were going to be charged for them we might as well drink them.Dinner is a choice of 3 course for $85.One guest decided to get 1 course of vegetable risotto which was a lovely presentation but was extremly bland and undercooked and priced at $45 ! First course 2 orders of foie gras with duck.Bland and lacking in any flavor. The octopus was better 2nd course 2 poached lobster with truffle risotto. Lobster was delicious but the risotto was undercooked,bland and had no hint of truffle taste at all. 1 steak- this was the best dish of the meal 3rd course 1 cheese plate -3 similar looking soft cheeses- the waitress told the names of 2 said she forgot the name of the 3rd- and never returned to say what it was. Peaches and cream dessert was good but we had to get a knife to cut it as it was tough.The chocolate cake was enjoyed. Those who know me know im a foodie who was a waitress for many years before becoming a pastry chef and caterer- so I take dining out seriously . Tonights experience was off in so many ways. This restaurant is billed as fine dining at its best and just did not come close. This server needs better training and a better attitude towards guests The bartender needs to put some booze in the drinks and the kitchen needs to up its game. Also surprising there was no host or manager anywhere to be seen much less walking the dining room checking in on guests experience. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and would not return. Overpriced, underwhelming food.The best part was the view...

My husband and I stayed at Cape Arundel (in the Clubhouse quarters) for our Babymoon over Memorial Day Weekend and I truly looked forward to coming home and writing a review. It was an absolutely stellar experience for a few reasons.

The property is gorgeous! It is split into two sections which would be accessible via foot for a longer walk, but bikes are also provided free of charge. The clubhouse where we stayed had a very private feel to it and was a stone's throw from the pool which we appreciated. The clubhouse has it's own bar and lunch service which made our day by the pool perfection. We also made out way to the main house in the veranda for breakfast one morning and then drinks on the deck after dinner, both of which were lovely. Everything felt luxurious but homey - like you could put your feet up and stay awhile.

The staff was incredible and so helpful. They made check in a breeze, were super communicative ahead of time in helping ensure we got the most out of our stay, and provided wonderful turn down service each day. I got the impression the staff does their best to get to know the guests and I felt like I could ask them anything and they would have done their best to oblige.

The location was also great. We weren't RIGHT in downtown Kennebunkport, which was actually perfect. It was quieter and very scenic, but no more than a 5 minute drive to downtown which had ample parking every time we went. Between the Inn and downtown there was a small shopping/restaurant area that we wouldn't have seen otherwise which proved to be a hit! Mabels' was delicious for lunch, there was a mercantile with lots of local fare and coffee should we have wanted to take snacks back to the hotel, and there were a few stores that has really wonderful retail.

Overall we had a lovely experience that felt laid back, relaxed but very luxurious and I would absolutely...