Norseman Resort - The Original Ogunquit Collection — Hotel in Ogunquit

This was our second year visiting Ogunquit, this time with two young kids so we decided on the Norseman purely for the convenience of being right on the water. While it was certainly worth it in that sense, this resort didn’t have much else going for it. We were in what could be the most premium room on the entire property, the skipper’s deck king apartment with separate living and sleeping areas and a large private patio. Literally right on the sand and right next to the restaurant wall.

The good– Absolutely cannot beat the location with two littles. The convenience alone is worth its weight in gold.

The bad–

The room was super outdated, which in itself isn’t really a problem, but combined with the other issues, it really could use a facelift.

To start, the front door was jammed and didn’t close properly without being slammed, which was not exactly convenient with sleeping kids.

The blinds on both the windows and the door were broken, either missing pieces or weren’t able to open and close entirely or at all.

The TV in the main room was pretty old and the remote was visibly broken and held together by scotch tape. It just looked kind of gross but more importantly it didn’t work and we had to call maintenance so our oldest could use it during our downtime from the beach.

We also had to call maintenance to fix a couple other larger issues. The main room AC/heat unit didn’t work properly, and the light in the bathroom flickered nonstop and never came to a full “on”, so we had no light in a room with no windows the entire first day. After they came, they left a couple small parts laying around the room knowing full well we had two small kids that could have potentially gotten to them. An oversight i’m sure but we were bothered by it nonetheless.

There was what looked like an electric fireplace, which would’ve been great to use bc it was surprisingly chilly at night, except it had zero controls so I guess it was just for decoration.

There was a small kitchenette which was great to have and we did use it, but there was a sort of funky smell from the fridge and it was pretty rusted and had even a little bit of mold on the outside edge. Thankfully we had brought Lysol wipes with us.

All of that said, I will note that they were incredibly accommodating and came right away each time we called with issues, and resolved them quickly.

But overall, our general feeling was for the amount of money that we paid (which was pretty astronomical, we could have gone to an all-inclusive in the Caribbean for the same price) we were hoping for a bit better accommodations and amenities. They don’t even offer free coffee in the lobby. Yes there are Keurigs in the rooms, or you could buy coffee at the restaurant (for $5 a cup!), but still. We previously stayed at their sister resort up the road, The Sparhawk, and while the location wasn’t as convenient, overall we had a better stay at that property. They included free coffee, free breakfast and we had zero issues with the room. I also reviewed that stay last year if anyone wants more details.

So all in all, it seems that the Norsemen takes full advantage of their prime beachfront location, and while I don’t think they’re deliberately taking advantage of their customers, I do think they’re not in a rush to update anything simply because they don’t have to because customers will keep coming for the location no matter what. To be fair, I know they have started renovations on other rooms and other buildings, and with a large property and multiple properties, I’m sure it takes time to get to everything. But this is my review of things as they stand.

I’m not sure if we personally will return to the Norseman or not but fresh off our stay I’m inclined to say that IF we do, it would be in a much less expensive room, or hopefully they will have renovated the apartment by then and increase their amenities to make it worth...

Horrible experience. I Had it narrowed down to a few oceanfront hotels to stay with my family, spoke to Raymond on the phone and he sealed the deal. super nice and accommodating, and offered to upgrade us to earn our business as we've never stayed here. I asked if I should book the room or just head up there, he said head up and ask for him. Arrived after driving 2 hrs through traffic, Raymond had left for the day, so I explained what we had agreed to to Phil at the front desk. He told me he wouldn't honor the arrangement we had agreed to and genuinely couldnt appear to care less. I was about to ask for a manager when dave, some super grumpy old guy sitting in the background chimed in that "yeah if he said that you should have booked it with him"I explained again that he said to come up and they'd honor it when we got here, to no avail.These guys showed zero people skills, compassion for the situation,or any courtesy to my family and i. also had to wait listen to them try to locate their maintenance guy who was outside arguing with a cop as well over a parking ticket. not a good look for the front desk at all, unprofessional. Finally agreed to pay $379 ($59 more than agreed to) out of sheer frustration and an ansy 4 year old, as well as just not wanting to deal with phil and dave anymore.Ive worked for Marriott properties for years, and worked hospitality, and know what the jobs entail; so I tried to give the benefit of the doubt.but the service was so bad I legit thought I might be on a hidden camera show like punkd.nope. real life. went to the room to see what my almost $400 got me, and my girlfriend put it best. "it looks and smells like my grams camp.."very dated (not a big deal I guess) but stains on the couch and floor, spare change and some gum wrappers and a tiny shower stall, green and weird smelling.To put this in perspective I've stayed several time in york at the meeting house by union bluff, in a bridal suite with granite and walking rainfall shower, fireplace and 2 private balconies overlooking the ocean for $150 less.. The value for my money i got here, or lack thereof, is offensive. I'm not one to leave reviews, especially negative in nature, because I realize hospitality is a tough job, and a thankless profession. this was too much though. tried not to let the terrible start with being overcharged and brushed aside by phil and dave ruin our trip, but it didnt end there. never had anywhere near such an unsatisfying experience , and payed a king's ransom for the pleasure.. to sum the experience up in one word:...

We stayed for 6 nights, beachfront, at the Norseman. It was pricey. Our room was on the 2nd floor of the Skipper Deck above the Splash Restaurant. You couldn't hear anything from the restaurant nor see anything down there, because there's a huge orange awning over it. Noise was NO FACTOR at all. Our entire room, including the bathroom, was recently/nicely renovated. Great tiled shower area. There was a table and 2 chairs near the sliders. The beds were comfortable. The maids did a great job & were very flexible about the times they could clean your room. Suggestion: The table area near the sliding glass doors really needs a ceiling light over it.

Our room had a large, dumb LG TV with a basic cable package. Suggestion: For the amount charged for this room, premium channels should be included. If that's not done, perhaps Norseman should consider offering video on demand/premium channels for an additional charge OR get rid of the dumb TVs and switch to smart TVs, that way guests could use the streaming service of their choice.

The rooms all open on to a big common deck/porch area. Suggestion: Adding 3-foot wide floor to ceiling dividers between each room's deck area would offer a small measure of privacy/cozier environment.

One thing about staying at the Norseman in late June/early July, is the beach is PACKED. In the morning, the amount of people coming in to the beach by foot/car reminds me of a scene from the movie Jaws. The GREAT thing about the Skipper Deck 2nd floor deck/porch is that you're above the fray and you can just look out over all the "let's get to the beach" frenzy and relax.

Parking at the Norseman can be painful. The parking slots are small. Alot of people drive SUVs & Pickups. Space is TIGHT. With so many people going to the beach, I think a few spots may have gotten mooched by non-guests and if you go somewhere with your car, you may have to wait to get another space. The front desk was willing to help find you a spot.

In all, the Norseman is a very nice, clean, well staffed/maintained hotel. Ogunquit is a fun/happy place and while there's alot of people in town this time of year, everyone was quite friendly/sociable & we had a really good time. I'd recommend making the trip to Ogunquit and staying at the Norseman, IF you can afford it. Be sure to walk the Marginal Way,...