Higgins Beach Inn — Restaurant in Scarborough

Honest Review of the Higgins Beach Inn|After the price we paid, I feel it's important to share an honest review of our stay at the Higgins Beach Inn.|First, we absolutely love Higgins Beach — it's a beautiful, upscale, well-maintained, and friendly neighborhood. It feels very safe and is a wonderful area to explore. As active senior citizens who enjoy the outdoors and spend little time in our room, we had a generally pleasant two-night stay.|The Inn itself is a historic property that has been updated, though not fully renovated — and that distinction is important. We live in an 1820s home ourselves and appreciate the charm and quirks of older buildings, so we weren’t expecting modern luxury. However, there are some drawbacks worth noting.|Room:|The room was small — very small. There was no closet, and space for luggage was limited. We recommend unpacking into the single bureau provided, as there’s barely room for two small suitcases. A shared mini-fridge is available on the floor. The room was cute in its own way, but it’s starting to feel worn and could really use a refresh. The two wicker chairs looked charming but weren’t comfortable for sitting. On a positive note, the bathroom was clean and nicely updated. The bed was quite firm, which may or may not be to your liking, but the pillows were comfortable.|Common Areas & Amenities:|This is where the experience fell short. The common areas are minimal. If the weather hadn’t been beautiful during our stay, it would’ve been difficult — there’s no indoor space to relax outside of your room, and the porch has limited seating. This is something to consider if you're planning a stay during cooler or rainy months.|There are no coffeemakers in the rooms, and coffee is only available in the lobby starting at 7:00 a.m. For early risers, there are no nearby spots within walking distance to grab a cup — a small but important detail.|Dining:|We ate breakfast at the Inn each morning and found it pleasant. The menu is limited, but the food was fresh and a nice way to start the day. We didn’t try dinner, so I can’t speak to that.|Service:|The front desk staff were approachable and polite.|Final Thoughts:|Would we return? Maybe. We genuinely enjoyed the area and the proximity to the beach, but for the price, we expected more in terms of service and amenities. The Higgins Beach Inn is certainly convenient if you want to be close to the beach, but be prepared for a more rustic experience than the cost...

We stayed here for 2 nights mid-way through our 3wk New England road trip. We have purposely left it until the end of our trip to leave this review so we can compare it genuinely against the other 6 places we stayed …. And we can honestly say it was the worst of the lot. In fact the other 6 we reviewed with 5 stars - this was certainly a curve ball! ||(We agree with a past reviewer that some of these 5 star reviews cannot be genuine or people are paid to leave them!)||It began when the lady who checked us in couldn’t have been more unhappy/unhelpful if she tried! - first impressions really do count! The hotel itself is really old and urgently needs updating. The door to our room perhaps was supposed to be “shabby chic” but looked like it needed a coat of paint! ||The room itself was OK - quite spacious and nice bay window but no wardrobe (just a chest of drawers) and bed side tables were literally bits of wood sticking out of the wall. En-suite was old and small (shower cubicle in particular)||There were workers replacing the guttering outside when we arrived and they were up ladders right outside our window. Repairs need to be done - that’s fine. Would have been good to be warned though! ||Breakfast was so-so, no staff were particularly friendly or helpful. Appreciate it’s coming to the end of “season” but every paying customer is still a paying customer! ||Were woken early each morning (6:30am) with surfers who park in the carpark and then spend the next 20 minutes getting changed into their wetsuits whilst chatting! ||Literally nothing to do locally apart from surf - the beach is realllllly small!!!!! Walked up and down it from end to end in about 5 minutes. Will not be returning.||(The website photos are deceiving - whilst it’s a 5-min walk to the beach, there are no views whilst in the inn, it’s just down a...

Stayed here mid-week for three nights with another couple in June. The property is well kept both inside and out, in an old/historic building. Like many older buildings, the floors are not level, creek, doors to the room are not sound proof, and the rooms were small. Initially, we were a big worried about our choice, but by the end of the trip the charm of the inn made us seriously consider another visit. ||I had read a few reviews regarding the noise levels and was a bit concerned. While you can certainly hear more noise than a typical hotel, we were pleasantly surprised just how quiet things got at 10pm. There seemed to be a mutual understanding amongst the guests to be quiet in the late evening until the following morning. I can see why others may have had a different point of view if there was a loud group staying at the property. ||The property was super clean, which was a huge relief. Although they don’t offer daily housekeeping service, they have a unique way to get fresh towels. The beds were extremely comfortable, and we missed them at our next hotel. We loved sitting on the front porch in the evenings having a drink and people watching. There aren’t a lot of areas to hang out at the property which could have been a bit frustrating if everyone wanted to do the same. The staff was pleasant and very polite. Breakfast at the attached restaurant was delicious, all though we were less impressed with dinner. ||Probably the biggest selling point is the location. It’s in a more quiet area within a 5 min walk to an amazing beach. ||Had I gone in with the mindset that this is an old historic inn with beach vibes, I think my initial reaction would have been different. It’s not a 5-star property by any means, but the overall experience and memories made were 5-stars. By the end of our stay we were sad to be leaving and hope to...