Inn at Ocean’s Edge

Overall Impression Cold, rainy gray weather made it challenging to enjoy the features, facilities and amenities of the Inn to full advantage. The 22 acre property had pretty green lawns and 500 feet fronting a rocky beach. Perhaps because the 32 rooms were spread across three separate buildings the only time we became aware it was full was at breakfast and when the parking lot overflowed.

We appreciated the spacious and comfortable rooms with gas fireplaces, jacuzzi bathtubs and ocean and lawn views, especially the new looking poolside room. I loved hearing the surf from my main building room. There were facilities such as a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, and fitness and treatment rooms often only available in large properties. We liked the staff’s service oriented attitude and fireplaces in the main building and in the spa lounge (indoor and outdoor in the lounge). Should we return to that coastal area of Maine we would surely consider another stay at the Inn at Ocean’s Edge.

Children The inn welcomed children of all ages. We saw no children during our stay.

Class Of Accommodation Inn

Connectivity There was complimentary high speed internet

General Manager Ginny Ciraldo

Handicapped Access The inn welcomed handicapped guests in two “fully accessible rooms.”

Length Of Stay Two nights

Location The property was miles 89 miles from Portland, Maine.

Owned And Managed Migis Hotel Group

Pets Allowed No

Size There were 32 rooms in three buildings on a 22 acre property with 500 feet of beachfront land. It employed 25 staff members.

Year Opened-Renovated The Inn opened for business in 1999. The following year the Hilltop Building was constructed. Tim and Joan Porta bought it in 2004. Two years later, they added the Vanishing Edge Pool and Poolhouse Suites. It had upgrades and limited renovations in 2004 and 2014, and was scheduled to undergo major upgrades in 2015.

Lobby And Common Areas From the entrance sign on the local two lane road a narrow road led down past a building on the left to the main building where we parked and walked to a reception desk on the ground floor. A wooden spiral staircase behind the reception area led one floor up to guest rooms. A dining area for breakfast and where tea time beverages and cookies were served was straight ahead past reception. It had outdoor seating and an expansive view of the lawns and bay. To the left from the reception a hallway led to a lounge with a self service set up for beverages. A fitness room and common area with a fireplace were one level below reception along with additional guest rooms. From there, it was possible to reach the pool area, to the right, and the beach, to the left, by crossing the lawn. The building adjacent to the outdoor swimming pool and hot tub housed an indoor area with an indoor and outdoor fireplace, a sauna and two treatment rooms. Two pool rooms were above the spa section. The inn staff described its interior design as Boutique Style featuring artwork by local artists and focusing on the natural beauty of Maine.

Bathroom In my room, there was a Jacuzzi bathtub within the sleeping area rather than inside the room. In the tiled bathroom, there was a shower with plastic flooring and a shower curtain, toilet, twin sinks and a large framed mirror. The counter looked like Corian. The light switch turned on the bathroom fan automatically.

In the Poolhouse Suite, the bathroom was divided into three sections. The left area with a door had a toilet, the middle had a sink with a pale stone or Corian countertop, a large built in mirror, and a small vanity mirror. To the right there was a shower with a glass door. There were recessed lights and lights by the mirror. Small tiles covered the floor.

Rooms Although my main building 400 square foot room, C1, was larger and had a desirable view of the grounds, my travel partner’s 350 square foot pool side room, Poolhouse Suite 2, was our favorite of the two. It was the furthest from the reception area of the two. On the other hand, it was newer than my end of the hall first floor room, and more private that time of the year (since it was adjacent to the pool I don’t know if the same was true in warm weather). The only downside to being in one of two pool side rooms was that when it was raining, as it did during our stay, we got wet walking to and from the main building. Such was the case when I went from my main building room to the Spa treatment room for a massage.

Immediately past the entrance to the Poolhouse room there was a foyer with a window high above the door. Dim fall sunlight entered through the window brightening the room. To the right, there was a walk in closet with hanging space and a built in dresser. In front of the walk in closet there was a wet bar with a sink, mini refrigerator, and coffee maker with packets of regular and decaffeinated coffee.

French doors led to the bedroom which had wood flooring, high ceiling, white wood or wood laminate. There was a ceiling fan in middle of the room. A pastel blue rug covered most of the bedroom area floor. To the left, there was a king bed without a bedspread. It had a matching pastel blue cloth headboard framed by twin rectangular wood night tables; one had an alarm clock and the other a phone. Matching night lamps hung on the wall on either side of the bed. Between them there was a framed oil paining.

In the corner, there was a desk and a cushioned rattan armchair facing a window with a bay view. On the other side of the room, there was a Jacuzzi bathtub occupying a mirror space with windows on three sides, one of which, like the desk, faced the bay. On the right side of the room, across from the bed and next to the bathtub, there were two pale blue cloth armchairs in front of a gas fireplace. There was a rattan table between them. A large Panasonic flatscreen television hung above the fireplace. To the right of the fireplace and television there was shelf and storage space which housed a Sony DVD player.

Sliding glass doors led to a covered balcony with metal railing that looked onto the pool area and the bay beyond. Two armchairs and a square table furnished the space. Thick curtains with a small blue and ecru flower pattern covered the sliding glass doors. White wood shutters covered the windows.

Room C1 was on first floor of the main building, the last unit on the left side of the building. To reach it, I climbed up a spiral staircase behind the reception desk or took the elevator and walked left to the end of the hallway. During the day, there were strong food smells in the hallway and some sounds of guests and staff too. I loved that when the windows were open I could hear the sounds of the surf. I walked toward the window often to enjoy the side view of the lawn and pool area with fall foliage covered trees in the foreground and Penobscot Bay in the background. At night, easy pull down blinds provided privady.

The room had blue flower wallpaper, putty carpeting with some stains, flat screen television and DVD player atop a wood dresser, gas fireplace, three windows, two with water views, a ceiling fan above the bed, and an individually controlled air conditioner and heater. Near the entrance, there was a wood vanity with a mirror and a stool, luggage rack. There was a comfortable wood framed two poster king bed with six feather pillows and a pretty bedcover. On either side of the bed there were matching round glass top wood tables and lamps, an alarm clock and phone. Near the fireplace and the bayside window there were two comfortable armchairs with a stone top table between them.

Food The only meal service available at the inn was a complimentary Full American breakfast served between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. We noticed guests arrived at the lawn facing Breakfast Room early to select a table. There was a cold breakfast buffet with fruit (sliced cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries), bowls of yogurt and granola, individual size cereal boxes, and milk. There were bread and beverage stations with sliced bread, bagels and salmon at one, and regular and decaffeinated coffee, powdered cocoa and tea at the other. The a la carte hot dishes available were eggs any style with sides of bacon or sausage. There was also a frittata special of the day with goat’s cheese, spinach and tomatoes.

Amenities There were bathrobes, tea candles by the bathtub, iron, ironing table and toiletries: one Gilchrist & Soames exfoliating Sea Salt soap, 1.35 ounce bottle of sea fennel body lotion, bath salts, shower cap and a Diamond Cleansing & Make Up Remover Towelette. In the shower, there were three 250 milliliter containers of Gilchrist & Soames body gel, shampoo, and conditioner. In the afternoon, there was coffee, tea and cookies in the lounge next to reception.

There was an honor bar for wine, beer, and soft drinks. There were complimentary 15.9 ounce bottles of Poland Springs spring water and two individual size Lindt milk chocolates per person each day. There were multi brightness lightbulbs on night table lamps. Ice was available in the Guest Pantry of the Breakfast Room, on the first floor on the south side of the Hilltop Building, and in the pool area. There was computer for guest use in the Garden Level Lounge. A four color bound Guest Book in the room explained the property features and amenities. The bedlinen was high count bed linen. There were cotton swabs and balls. The Poolhouse Suite had Gilchrist & Soames mending and shaving kits. Each room had Fiore Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars sample size bottles of raspberry balsamic and organic Chemali Evoo. There were massages by appointment on offer.

Facilities Infinity edge pool, outdoor hot tub, cedar sauna, and two massage rooms. There was a fitness room with treadmill, elliptical machine, stationary bike, and yoga mats. There was a breakfast dining room with a view.

Fitness Center And Spa In the main building, there was a Fitness Room open between 7 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. I took advantage of the treadmill in the morning in case the rainy weather made walking unappealing during the day. Next to the pool and outdoor hot tub, there was a 450 square foot spa facility with treatment rooms, waiting area, and sauna on the bottom floor (the upper floor housed two hotel rooms). The Spa building had indoor and outdoor fireplaces with cushioned and comfortable furniture.

Pool The bean shaped pool had a salt chlorine extractor system. It was 65 feet long at its widest, 35 feet at the narrow end, and approximately seven feet deep. There was a hot tub by the pool. Because of the daylong rain and chilly fall temperatures it was too cold to enjoy the pool area.

Conference Facilities The Inn could accommodate meetings of up to 40 attendees.

Other Check in started at 3 p.m. and check out at 11 a.m. at the non smoking property. In the bathroom, there was a note inviting guests to reuse their towels to conserve resources. The parking lot adjacent to the main building ran out of parking spaces in the evening. The staff suggested we park in one of the lots next to the Hilltop Building and walk back. They kindly offered to park the car there for us. The distance was relatively short, but given the rainy weather we preferred to park nearby. There was no laundry service. A staff member suggested I go to a laundromat in Camden.

The inn had received a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence. It was a AAA Four Diamond Property. The property participated in the Green Hotels Program, and used environmentally responsible cleaning products. Several sister properties in Maine were listed in the informational materials: Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake (see our profile), Black Point Inn on Prouts Neck, The Colonial Inn and The Sparhawk Oceanfront Resort in Ogunquit.

Cleanliness Poor, Good, Excellent (if poor consider whether the property is a fit for our audience. Take into account whether it’s an urban property or rural or bush, etc.

Date Of Review October 2014

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Gary Cox

Service Our rooms were serviced daily between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Scott and Ashley at reception were friendly and service oriented.

Would You Stay There Again? Yes, in the pool side room especially.