The Breakwater Inn — Hotel in Kennebunkport

Well, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but the hotel is definitely not a 5star. Location is good, even great, if you want to be just outside the main area, but keep in mind its either a good walking distance (1 mile, 20 min) to Western ave (main street) or short bike/car ride. The view on the bay is good and refreshing as they also have a good size lawn/garden area in front the Stripers restaurant building with Adirondack style chairs. Its a nice place to sit down and enjoy a sunset or early morning fishing boat heading out to sea.

However, because this is a "however", the buildings themselves are far from being "great" and are definitely missing TLC and maintaining considering the asking price for the stay (we were there 4 days). It's all relative, but don't be surprise. We were in the building adjacent to where the Stripers restaurant is and found that although the room has been "updated" somewhat, it was done with minimal investments and still had the very old "gold yellow" toilet and bath (with a curtain). the room size was more than decent, but had very minimalistic furniture (comfortable king size bed, 2 nightstands, 2 armchairs and small dresser). The room looked empty. Because we were in that building, we were overlooking the lawn/garden area, rather then the parking lot.

Maybe is was the season, (week following labor day) but service was poor. I'm not saying the little staff there weren't doing their very best, but they were soo few, they were doing what they could and it had an impact on services provided. Again, for the price, certainly not warranting a "5 star" review. Impossible. Started when we arrived to check in... Nobody at the front desk (because she was alone and addressing another client's need somewhere in the establishment). Had to call a number (sign on the front desk) to reach someone and be told she'd be there in 10 to 15 min! Also, no usher/bell boy for the luggage... that we had to bring to the next building, in the rain, up 3 floors by stairs... (again, not 5 star!). This was our welcoming to this hotel (5pm, after 7hrs of driving). Not what you're looking for.

Next, the included continental breakfast. Very limited, same every day. (yogourts, juices, 3 kinds of pastries (same every day), some fruits, cereal boxes (same every day), some bread slices (with cream cheese, peanut butter and jelly)... same every day. Nothing like the picture on google. Again, might be the time of the year. Can't say. Call me fancy, but I needed to ask for a coffee spoon for the yogourt (only had table spoons) and even bols for the cereal (only had small cups for the fruits). Limited service at the table to clean up and refresh. No ustensiles, or glasses in dinning area... no coffee refill service either in dinning area. FYI, same for garden area. if you want a drink/wine or have coffee there, don't wait up for any service. Bring your own and bring your stuff back inside yourself type situation. (unfortunately, some don't and you end up cleaning up for others).

It's unfortunate because location is very good. But management seems to lack the willingness to bring the service level and overall maintenance of the place to where it should be for what they are charging. Next time (because there will be a next time in Kennebunkport), we'll be looking at another choice of hotels nearby (we've visited the Nonantum resort while there and it seems a better choice).

All that said, we still had a good time in Kennebunkport. Really good restaurants and nice shops to stroll. Took long walks along the sea side. Tide...

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this hotel. The reviews scared me a little when I first read about it. I guess some people are hard to please. I honestly have high expectations for nice hotels such as this one and I felt my expectations were met. I thought the hotel was very clean, beautiful and the staff was excellent. We had a great dining experience as well. The bartender was very personable and also great at her job & professional. The front desk staff and the management were very attentive to my needs and the housekeeping was also very kind and generous. Pros - the location on the water was gorgeous. Breakfast was included which I didn’t realize and was happy about. The saltwater fish tanks were a nice touch. It was a very quiet hotel which we thoroughly appreciated. Very romantic. Not for kids (again, quiet, we loved that). The food was awesome and they made room for us to dine even though it was the 4th of July. Loved sitting out on the lawn. Although it’s designated for the restaurant goers, there’s plenty of time outside of restaurant hours that you can hang out there. We were able to sit and watch the fireworks. Despite it being an old hotel, our room was beautiful and matched the beach vibe. We had a great view of the water just like we requested. It’s also fairly close to down town. Parking was easy. It’s along a nice walking area by the ocean which we didn’t realize until the day we left.

Cons- I was under the impression we would have a deck to ourselves based on the pictures. It was a little deceiving and I recommend clearing that up when you book. It’s part of why we booked this hotel and were disappointed when we didn’t have one. It’s not as close to downtown as we’d hoped. It’s about a mile. The walk wasn’t so bad but it was a lot of walking I wasn’t totally prepared for. We unfortunately got hit with a lot of rain this weekend. Although the bathroom was clean and updated, the toilet and shower need to be updated given it being a 4-star hotel. Those looked straight out of the 90s. Very old. An ice machine somewhere would’ve been nice so we didn’t have to keep calling for some. The pricing wasn’t totally clear when booking. Didnt realize we would be charged half up front. That must have been in the fine print. And getting hit with a resort fee seemed pointless and we weren’t happy about. What amenities are we receiving for $25 a day in addition to our pricy hotel cost? There’s no pool or anything. It was an expensive hotel indeed.

But regardless, we would gladly return. It was mostly what we wanted in this experience and very glad we came. Definitely...

Hugely Disappointing…..

Hopefully this review will help you avoid making the same mistake I made.

I was excited for a last minute getaway to Maine and saw the incredible pictures of the Breakwater Inn on their website. It looked like this amazing hotel that would be the perfect place for a getaway for my boyfriend and I and my sister who was joining us. Do not believe anything you see on their website….it’s a dingy hotel and you’ll be sorely disappointed if you’re expecting what you see on their website.

In addition, I was booking this the day before so called to ensure we could get a room with two beds as there were three of us. The person on the phone, Chuck, told me there were two queen beds and even described the property as a “resort”…..both very untrue. We got there and was checked in and were handed keys to the room and arrived to a room with only 1 bed. This was not at all what I booked. I specifically called the day prior to ensure there were two beds and I was told there were two queen beds. The only good thing was they did give us another room to make up for their error but I was still paying $350 for a hotel that looks like it should be no more than $99/night.

The hotel itself is so severely outdated that every ounce of it seems dirty. I’m not sure how you can ever clean a carpeted bathroom so wouldn’t even go in there without shoes on. I didn’t even shower there because I figured it was only one night and I would be better off showering at home where at least I know it was clean. The bed, sheets, and pillows were just as bad as the room itself. Could not wait to get out of here in the morning and was SO happy I only had to stay for one night. I was so embarrassed that I chose this hotel for our little getaway and was apologizing to my group the entire time for believing what was on their website and choosing this hotel.

For charging close to $350 for one night, this place is a total scam. Do not believe what you read online. My stomach dropped when I saw the sign on my drive in because I was sure this could NOT be the place I booked. The place I booked was a beautiful hotel on the water in Maine…this is NOT what you think it is so beware.

Here are some pictures of what it...