Captain Nickels Inn — Hotel in Searsport

The Inn is beautiful and the breakfasts delicious. The mother and daughter team on the exterior are very nice, but don't let that exterior fool you. I stayed at the Inn around the 1st of June 2022. I was in town for a wedding. The brides family booked 2 suites and 2 rooms for members of the bridal party, 2 to 5 nights each. The brides family let the owners know of the bridal party getting ready at the Inn. One room was not used because of a unfortunate incident causing a member to cancel. (No refund for this room was offered) On the morning of the wedding after breakfast we retired to the suites to begin the wedding day festivities. Other members of the brides family and party arrived for preparations. When the hair and makeup stylists arrived the owners of the Inn went outside and blocked them from entering. The owners wanted to see licenses, which the stylists produced. She also wanted proof of insurance, which the salon owner offered to email right over. The owners still would not let the stylists in, so thankfully the salon owner offered for everyone to rush to the salon and proceed with hair and makeup. After the brides mother was done at the salon she went back to the Inn, where upon arrival the owners went outside and told her to get back in her vehicle and leave. The mother asked what the owners problem was and asked if she was trying to ruin her daughter's wedding day? The owners replied that they were not informed of an event. There was a bridal party getting ready for a wedding, which the owners did know of. Other words were exchanged, then the brides mother was told very sarcastically to just go upstairs. We all pulled together and vowed not to let the owners affect our moods or the excitement of the day. But, the owners were not done, they gave the photographer a hard time before letting her in. The flower girls arrived and we were hollered at that no children were allowed. Then the limo arrived and the super stretch limo upon entering the narrow bend on the drives entrance ran over a small patch of fern. The owners were belligerent with the driver and called the limo company to complain. Lastly, the brides father and brother's arrived for the first look at the beautiful bride, but upon arrival...you guessed it, the owners met them in the parking lot and had more rants. But, all that mattered was the bride and the wedding, not the unprofessional conduct of the owners. With all of that said, I am hoping, there was a miscommunication with the owners and the brides family. An extra fee would have gladly been paid if the owners had communicated and presented themselves more professionally. Instead, there are now stylists, photographers, limo drivers, a sleugh of other local businesses who worked the wedding ,and of course, friends and family of the bride and groom that will NEVER recommend or due business with the owners of the Captain Nickels Inn. Now, when all of this was going on the grooms party was staying next door at the HOMEPORT INN .They were very accommodating for the guys and upon hearing of the chaios with the owners next door they invited the entire wedding party to move over there. They also invited us to have breakfast with them for the remainder of our stay since we no longer felt welcome at the Captain Nickels Inn. There could have been rave reviews and photos posted. A shame. the Inn and the grounds...

Staying at the Captain Nickels Inn has left us feeling pampered and we didn’t want to leave. From the first few minutes of arrival, Dawn greeted us with a tour, and has cared for us like we were long lost relatives that she was thrilled to host.

The home and three acre waterfront property are incredible. The first floor has several shared rooms appointed with antiques and furniture pieces that are truly hand carved art. We stayed in both The Katherine and The David William on our three-night trip to Searsport.

Both rooms were immaculate and beautifully restored. The sheets and bedspreads were of high quality and the bathrooms had been masterfully restored with exquisite tile work and antique style porcelain fixtures. In remodeling they have paid attention to every detail, down to the push button style electric switches. Everywhere you look you see this attention to detail down to the soaps and lotions which my wife loved.

Each morning we couldn’t wait to get down to breakfast in the dining room. Fresh fruit, juices, tea and a carafe of coffee brewed just for us started it off. From there we enjoyed perfectly prepared scrambled eggs, sausages, and freshly baked, straight from the oven blueberry scones. Imagine my surprise after a lifetime of thinking that scones were horrible, to finding that when freshly baked and served right from the oven, scones are the cat’s meow. The first day’s breakfast made me giddy to see what would be served the next day by chef Cassidy. The second day we were treated to homemade wheat waffles with blueberry butter and strips of perfectly cooked bacon. These are the breakfasts that Bilbo Baggins was dreaming of.

Dawn is a leader in the local business community. Her knowledge of local businesses and sights was obvious and helpful. We took her advice regarding several destinations and were not disappointed. She directed us to wonderful things to see and do that many tourists would miss. Acadia National Park is only an hour drive and is a highlight of the area.

Each day when we returned from exploring Dawn greeted us and wanted to know all about our experiences. It is obvious that she truly cares about her guests. Time and again we were treated not just like customers, but extended, cared-for family. Dawn and her daughter Cassidy are the true gems of the experience that took what would be a very nice place to stay and turned it into a time when we were well and truly pampered, cared about and cared for.

To say that this is a five-star bed and breakfast is the understatement of the year. We won’t stay anywhere else when visiting Maine again. Bravo Dawn and...

Beautiful historic home. Fantastic hosts and breakfasts! We stayed there in early October, 2019.

When reading the reviews, keep in mind that this is now under new ownership as of May 2019 and the new owners (Dawn and daughter Cass) provided what is now our favorite B&B experience for us...ever! Don't confuse the earlier reviews with the new owners.

The house is expansive... almost 10,000 square feet of historic Maine victorian architecture.

They are in the midst of planning and working through renovations and restoral, and their plan is to keep it as true to original form as possible. The ballroom area of the home is spectacular. There is still quite a bit of restoration to accomplish, but I have no doubt that they will do a fine job.

Breakfasts are prepared by Cass, and they were wonderful. Eat early, as the portions are substantial and you will likely not have room for lunch otherwise :-) The owners enjoy when you use the downstairs to sprawl out and read / have a glass of wine / use the provided games. Our favorite evening we picked up a pizza and spent the evening in the ballroom enjoying the decor and considering those who might have used that space 100 years ago.

One bit of advice when selecting a room: The very front of the house is not far from Hwy 1, and if you are at all sensitive to traffic noise, you might select a room other than the London room. The noise was not a problem to us, and we would happily spend another vacation there. While there are mini-split heaters on the walls, I don't know if those units provide for cooling in the summer. Also note that the stairs in many of these older homes do tend to be a bit steep.

Best bet is to simply call up and talk with Dawn or Cass and let them help you pick the room which is right for you. We are looking very much forward to our return there! (Wish there were more stars to give!)

Tip : Be sure to take the short drive to Bucksport and tour the Fort Knox facility and go up...