George

After decades of camping in tents and a VW van, Linda and I are now into pampering. And boy, do you get pampered at the beautiful Inn at Ocean’s Edge in Lincolnville. The drive down the short paved way to the inn’s oceanside location is even more beautiful, and we birded those woods the next morning, seeing a dozen species in a half hour.

The pampering started for us with a warm welcome and tour by Alex at the front desk. There is comfortable seating throughout the inn’s three buildings, as well as outside on the deck and around the heated infinity edge pool and hot tub. Yes, you can sit here all day long, relaxing and enjoying the view. You can also relax with the inn’s massage therapy at their poolhouse spa.

Entering our beautiful and large room with a great ocean view, the first thing I noticed was the bottle of wine. Nice! Each of the inn’s 32 guest rooms includes a king-size bed and fireplace. From the Egyptian cotton bathrobes to the morning newspaper to the afternoon tea to the guest bar and sauna, you will really enjoy this place.

Later in the afternoon, we sat in the comfy chairs in our room enjoying a glass of wine and the view, before heading to dinner at the Whale’s Tooth Pub in “downtown” Lincolnville.

The next morning, we were treated to a fantastic breakfast at the inn with lots of choices, served by the delightful Lattie, from Jamaica. We let her know how pleased we were that she was working in Maine this summer.

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At the Whale’s Tooth Pub, Rob and Dorothee have been offering remarkable meals for 26 years. Chef Eddie has worked here for 24 years, starting out as a dishwasher.

The restaurant is in a beautiful brick building. The entrance room features a bar, while the room to the right is ringed with ocean view windows. Dorothee told us the locals prefer the bar while the tourists all sit in the ocean view room. Of course! You won’t be surprised to hear that we joined the tourists in “their” room! The place was packed on a Wednesday night.

I started with a porter ($5.25), brewed locally by Andrew’s Brewing Company. My appetizer of seafood chowder ($7.95) was packed with delicious haddock, shrimp and scallops. While you can get pub fare here, including shepard’s pie and mac and cheese, I focused on the lengthy list of seafood dishes.

Our server, Vanessa, helped me sort through it all, and I chose the British-style Fish & Chips ($16.95), which she said a couple from Britain told her was exactly like they got at home. Fries and coleslaw came with the fish which was huge and delicious. I enjoyed half of it the next day for dinner at home.

Linda

The three buildings at Inn at Ocean’s Edge are surrounded by beautiful grounds full of blooming rhododendrons, apple trees and tulips in all shapes and sizes. Walkways wind around well-kept gardens and lead to the ocean’s edge.

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An infinity pool and hot tub sit just outside the towel room and lounge. And there was a wood fire going in this relaxing room on the cool evening we were visiting.

Our room was spacious, with a sitting area of comfy chairs and a gas fireplace as well as a stunning view of the ocean. White wainscoting and crown moulding accent the light blue walls to create a very peaceful space. A king bed, refrigerator and an elegant bathroom make this inn a place you don’t want to leave.

A full breakfast is served each morning, and you can choose to dine inside or out on the deck. Both have a spectacular view of the ocean. Lisa Adelberg, guest services manager, had given me a heads-up that the chef’s omelets were amazing. One bite of my veggie and cheese omelet assured me that she was certainly right.

The Whale’s Tooth Pub has a down-home atmosphere. Dorothee explained the lengthy menu choices, then went on to point out the specials menu where the chef enjoys using his creativity to offer a dozen or so more home-cooked dishes. In fact, servers bring the large chalkboards up to your table so you don’t have to squint across the room to try to read it. I took it that the chef and the staff really are proud of these specials, and that is where I was tempted by a wide variety of choices.

I began with a cup of extraordinary onion soup ($5.95). Its rich broth topped with french bread and melted cheeses was served piping hot. Just the thing for a cool evening.

I was immediately drawn to the Roast Turkey Dinner special ($16.95). Yum. Thanksgiving in May without all the work. What a brilliant idea. And this was not a dull plate of food by any means. Plenty of white and dark meat was accompanied by great stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and maple flavored squash. It really was a Thanksgiving dream as gravy was spooned over everything.

George got up to talk to Dorothee, who helped him decide to “share” the housemade blueberry cobbler. Cleverly served in a deep coffee mug, the tasty cobbler stays warm without melting the whipped cream and ice cream. I did get a couple of spoonfulls.

Visit George’s website — georgesmithmaine.com — for book reviews, outdoor news and all Travelin’ Maine(rs) columns, found listed by town in the “Best of Maine” section.


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