Cliff House Maine — Restaurant in York

I’ll preface my review by mentioning that I am a supervisor at a 2 Michelin Key, AAA Four Diamond, Forbes Four Star luxury hotel in New England. ||Cliff House is an exceptional property. ||Starting from the beginning, the website is clean, alluring, & easy to navigate. The photos of the rooms and the property, as well as the descriptions of amenities & offerings was inviting & exciting. I can add now that they are true to life as well. ||The idyllic, picturesque location in Ogunquit sets the tone for your stay as you cruise along the shoreline past beautiful homes, lush mature woods, and adorable shops, galleries, cafes & eateries—exactly how one imagines a New England getaway.||Arriving to property feels luxurious in an understated way. Meticulously maintained grounds, stonework, thoughtful layout. ||The valet team was polished while being warm & welcoming. Great first impression. Throughout the stay they were friendly & so efficient. There is conveniently located complimentary self-parking if you prefer that, however. ||The front desk team is eager to greet you and welcome you in. They make check-in a breeze, and use the time to familiarize you with additional amenities & offerings unique to their property as well as making sure you’re well-oriented to their layout before you head off on your own. Someone was always ready to assist—and with a genuine smile—throughout our stay.||Our room was an Ocean View King in the main building. The room was playfully decorated in a tasteful nautical theme and color scheme, not to mention absolutely immaculate. Paint, flooring, fixtures, linens, furniture — all spotless and without wear. This hotel looks brand new. The bed was a coil mattress, medium-firmness with pillow top. We slept very well. There were feather pillows on the bed and two extra poly-fil pillows in the closet (I love extra pillows). The HVAC is easy to find & use, the system is quiet. The TV is Netflix-ready which is always appreciated. There was a loveseat sofa, ottoman, and bistro table with seating in the room, as well as a wooden outdoor bistro set on our balcony. There are outlets and usb ports on each side of the bed. A unique & thoughtful feature we liked was the wave-sensor path lighting on the base of the tv/storage console. Perfect for lighting your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night without fumbling for a switch or blinding yourself or your partner with a bright lamp. It’s floor level so it’s also the perfect night light if you’re traveling with little ones. ||The bathroom had a large shower—no tub. I typically like to have a separate tub, however this property offers a year-round outdoor hot tub so I did not miss having a bathtub during this stay. There are rooms on property with tubs, however but our priority was having the view instead. Shampoo, conditioner, & body wash are generously provided in prefilled wall-mounted dispensers. I love how many hotels have moved towards this—you don’t run out or have to fiddle with tiny caps. There is additional personal care items on the sink (makeup remover wipes, nail file, qtips, cotton swabs), excellent vanity lighting, a small makeup mirror on the counter (much appreciated) and a high-quality hair-dryer. ||We dined at Nubb’s for a casual dinner, drinks at Tiller’s bar as well as breakfast there one of our mornings, and had several lattes from Bald Head Coffee shop on property—so good!! ||Nubbs has fcfs seating and counter service. Make sure there’s a table first then order your food. You can also take to go. Nubbs has a small bar which is great for getting a drink to bring to the hot tub!||Tiller is fine dining in an approachable way—dress up or dress down it works for every occasion or for none at all. Tiller will book up and you will be relegated to the fcfs seating in the bar area or foyer without a reservation—at least on weekends and during peak season. This is important to understand to keep one’s expectations managed. It’s a small dining room for a large hotel (& the public) offering exceptional food & ocean views. Expecting to walk-in and get a table is simply not reasonable. If you can’t tell, I observed more than a few parties become upset with the host, who handled each interaction with masterful poise. We dined for breakfast (reservations less important for this meal period). My fiance and I both remarked that our meals were some of the best we’d ever had! He had the chorizo breakfast burrito and I had the cinnamon vanilla overnight oats with blueberry compote. ||One of the small touches I loved at this hotel was each wing has a coffee & water station. The guest rooms have a glass carafe you can refill at these stations with flat or sparkling water. You can fill your ice bucket and make a coffee or tea from their pro-series Keurig & a selection of local dairy milks. There’s even a fruit basket. These touches remind me of the homey thoughtfulness you see at B&B’s and boutique properties. So cute! ||One of the Maine (haha) draws of this property for me was not only the sweeping ocean views but also the outdoor pool & hot tub in the winter season. As a New Englander, I love our winters for what they are and appreciate when properties find ways to embrace that and offer amenities that lean into our climate. It’s easy to just shut things down for the season but the whimsy that this offers is so special & fun! Each room has a plush signature navy blue & white gingham hooded robe. Your Cliff House members jacket, dare I say—that knowing nod you give to a fellow guest who is also in their robe heading out for a post-dinner dip in the hot tub. ||All in all a relaxing, luxurious & fun stay! We definitely have plans to return during different seasons to experience & explore more of what Cliff House and Ogunquit...

I’ll preface my review by mentioning that I am a supervisor at a 2 Michelin Key, AAA Four Diamond, Forbes Four Star luxury hotel in New England. ||Cliff House is an exceptional property. ||Starting from the beginning, the website is clean, alluring, & easy to navigate. The photos of the rooms and the property, as well as the descriptions of amenities & offerings was inviting & exciting. I can add now that they are true to life as well. ||The idyllic, picturesque location in Ogunquit sets the tone for your stay as you cruise along the shoreline past beautiful homes, lush mature woods, and adorable shops, galleries, cafes & eateries—exactly how one imagines a New England getaway.||Arriving to property feels luxurious in an understated way. Meticulously maintained grounds, stonework, thoughtful layout. ||The valet team was polished while being warm & welcoming. Great first impression. Throughout the stay they were friendly & so efficient. There is conveniently located complimentary self-parking if you prefer that, however. ||The front desk team is eager to greet you and welcome you in. They make check-in a breeze, and use the time to familiarize you with additional amenities & offerings unique to their property as well as making sure you’re well-oriented to their layout before you head off on your own. Someone was always ready to assist—and with a genuine smile—throughout our stay.||Our room was an Ocean View King in the main building. The room was playfully decorated in a tasteful nautical theme and color scheme, not to mention absolutely immaculate. Paint, flooring, fixtures, linens, furniture — all spotless and without wear. This hotel looks brand new. The bed was a coil mattress, medium-firmness with pillow top. We slept very well. There were feather pillows on the bed and two extra poly-fil pillows in the closet (I love extra pillows). The HVAC is easy to find & use, the system is quiet. The TV is Netflix-ready which is always appreciated. There was a loveseat sofa, ottoman, and bistro table with seating in the room, as well as a wooden outdoor bistro set on our balcony. There are outlets and usb ports on each side of the bed. A unique & thoughtful feature we liked was the wave-sensor path lighting on the base of the tv/storage console. Perfect for lighting your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night without fumbling for a switch or blinding yourself or your partner with a bright lamp. It’s floor level so it’s also the perfect night light if you’re traveling with little ones. ||The bathroom had a large shower—no tub. I typically like to have a separate tub, however this property offers a year-round outdoor hot tub so I did not miss having a bathtub during this stay. There are rooms on property with tubs, however but our priority was having the view instead. Shampoo, conditioner, & body wash are generously provided in prefilled wall-mounted dispensers. I love how many hotels have moved towards this—you don’t run out or have to fiddle with tiny caps. There is additional personal care items on the sink (makeup remover wipes, nail file, qtips, cotton swabs), excellent vanity lighting, a small makeup mirror on the counter (much appreciated) and a high-quality hair-dryer. ||We dined at Nubb’s for a casual dinner, drinks at Tiller’s bar as well as breakfast there one of our mornings, and had several lattes from Bald Head Coffee shop on property—so good!! ||Nubbs has fcfs seating and counter service. Make sure there’s a table first then order your food. You can also take to go. Nubbs has a small bar which is great for getting a drink to bring to the hot tub!||Tiller is fine dining in an approachable way—dress up or dress down it works for every occasion or for none at all. Tiller will book up and you will be relegated to the fcfs seating in the bar area or foyer without a reservation—at least on weekends and during peak season. This is important to understand to keep one’s expectations managed. It’s a small dining room for a large hotel (& the public) offering exceptional food & ocean views. Expecting to walk-in and get a table is simply not reasonable. If you can’t tell, I observed more than a few parties become upset with the host, who handled each interaction with masterful poise. We dined for breakfast (reservations less important for this meal period). My fiance and I both remarked that our meals were some of the best we’d ever had! He had the chorizo breakfast burrito and I had the cinnamon vanilla overnight oats with blueberry compote. ||One of the small touches I loved at this hotel was each wing has a coffee & water station. The guest rooms have a glass carafe you can refill at these stations with flat or sparkling water. You can fill your ice bucket and make a coffee or tea from their pro-series Keurig & a selection of local dairy milks. There’s even a fruit basket. These touches remind me of the homey thoughtfulness you see at B&B’s and boutique properties. So cute! ||One of the Maine (haha) draws of this property for me was not only the sweeping ocean views but also the outdoor pool & hot tub in the winter season. As a New Englander, I love our winters for what they are and appreciate when properties find ways to embrace that and offer amenities that lean into our climate. It’s easy to just shut things down for the season but the whimsy that this offers is so special & fun! Each room has a plush signature navy blue & white gingham hooded robe. Your Cliff House members jacket, dare I say—that knowing nod you give to a fellow guest who is also in their robe heading out for a post-dinner dip in the hot tub. ||All in all a relaxing, luxurious & fun stay! We definitely have plans to return during different seasons to experience & explore more of what Cliff House and Ogunquit...

You can’t judge a book by its cover… My husband and I recently returned home after a three-night stay at Cliff House, Maine. The past 5 years has been a roller coaster ride due to significant “medical challenges”, so we decided we both deserved some pampering- a good dose of rest and relaxation. Cliff House Maine came highly recommended by our neighbors. In 2024 it was awarded a Michelin Key, a distinction reserved for “the best hotels in the world.” As a luxury class resort, nightly room rates are high- even in the “off season.” When one makes plans to stay at a luxury resort, one expects the best. The property is beyond magnificent, rooms are well appointed, and the staff is friendly. Unfortunately, the outside “cover” is not what makes or breaks a vacation, it is what is inside “the book” that leaves a lasting memory. When booking our stay, we requested that we have a room without feathers, as I am highly allergic to feathers. Upon arrival, we discovered our room had feather pillows, a feather duvet, and a decorative pillow filled with feathers. We requested the bedding be swapped out for foam pillows and a hypo-allergenic duvet. Until the change was made, I could not be in our room, as just a short time spent in the room, started me wheezing. It took multiple requests and over two hours to finally have the bedding replaced. That evening, we ate at Nubb’s Lobster Shack. It was convenient and quick. My husband and I both had lobster rolls and fries. The lobster was eh, not the sweetness of fresh lobster I was expecting. Within about 2 hours, my husband got sick, and I followed shortly thereafter. Given the symptoms (I’ll spare you the details), and the fact that we both ate the exact same thing, we are 99.9% sure that it was the lobster that made us ill. We reported the incident to the front desk in the morning. My husband received a call from the chef who apologized and comped the meal. Though my husband recovered relatively quickly, I remained queasy during the rest of our stay and tried to restrict myself to lighter fare. We spent the following day in Kennebunkport. When we returned to our room late in the afternoon, it had not been tended to. It was exactly the way we left it in the morning. I requested that housekeeping come make up the bed and change out the towels. After three requests, they still had not come- so I asked that the order be canceled and that we just be provided with clean towels. By this time, my husband was furious, he needed time to rest, undisturbed. Justin (very welcoming and bubbly), at the desk, was quite apologetic and said he wanted to make things right. After a short rest we decided to head out for dinner. We left the Do Not Disturb tag on our door. When we returned - much to our surprise and liking - the bed had been made, the room cleaned, our electrical charging cords neatly coiled and secured, honey sticks left on a nightstand, and our toiletries arranged neatly on mats in the bathroom. This is the kind of “pampering” one expects from a luxury resort (despite the fact the room was entered with a DND tag on display). We had wonderful massages at the Spa the following morning. I was surprised we were able to get appointments calling only a week in advance. The staff was quite friendly and took the time to show us around. Our breakfast selections at The Tiller each morning were great – generous portions, fresh, beautifully presented, and delicious! On our last night we decided to have dinner at the Tiller. Still trying to be cognizant of my queasy stomach, I selected the pasta dish- Butternut Squash Lasagna. There was very little butternut squash to be found. The dish was dominated by a very thick layer of ricotta cheese and smothered with an outrageous amount of cheese on the top. I pulled out the lasagna noodles- scraping away the rest of the contents. My husband selected the pan seared day boat scallops- expecting, buttery melt-in-your-mouth scallops. They were seared a bit too much and the scallops were on the dry side. I don’t think we’ll be returning...