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Welcome to Our Video Review of Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, our first post COVID-19 lockdown.
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Inn by the Sea Location
Inn by the Sea's Cape Elizabeth location is just a ~20 minute drive from the Portland, Maine Airport (PWM). If driving from Boston, it takes about 2 hours, depending on traffic. It can be a similar drive from parts of New Hampshire, or as little as 1 hour from Portsmouth, NH, near the border with Maine. Keep in mind that New Hampshire and Vermont residents may freely visit Maine, with no quarantine, and visitors from other states may avoid Maine's 14 day quarantine by either obtaining a negative COVID-19 test no earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival in Maine, or by getting tested in Maine, although in the latter case, one needs to quarantine until receiving negative results back. See Maine's Travel Bubble with Vermont and New Hampshire.
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Virtuoso Benefits for TravelSort Clients include:
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Daily full breakfast for two guests per bedroom in restaurant (gratuities not included, not to exceed $30 USD per person)
- $100 USD Spa Services credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
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Inn by the Sea Beach Suite
Inn by the Sea offers 61 rooms and suites. Rooms are located in the main inn, starting with the entry level Traditional Rooms and Corner Rooms, followed by Garden Suites, bi-level Loft Suites, and then Beach Suites, which are 700 square feet.
After entering our suite, a living room with gas fireplace was on the right. Ours had a sofa bed, convenient for families to use as an extra bed for a child.
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The bedroom had a wooden door that slid shut, and contained a king bed that was one of the more comfortable non-Four Seasons hotel beds we've slept on, thanks to a pillowtop Simmons Beautyrest mattress. The window to the bedroom overlooks one of the inn's parking lots, but it was fairly quiet during our stay and we slept well.
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Just outside the bedroom door is the bathroom, which has double sinks, a large glass enclosed shower (with a regular shower head) and a separate large soaking tub. Note that there isn't a separate door to the toilet, which is across from the shower.
Bath products are Gilchrist & Soames' BeeKind, and are in wall mounted dispensers in the shower, which is a bit awkward when taking a bath if you don't have your own products handy.
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The Beach Suite offers a well equipped kitchen that includes a fridge, freezer, two burners, microwave, toaster, pots, plates, glassware, cutlery, knives and cutting boards. There was even a blender. The one odd omission, perhaps just in our suite, was that there was no frying pan, which would have been useful for making an omelet or fried eggs.
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The Cuisinart coffee maker initially caused us some confusion, since the dial indicator is only on the side of the knob, and hard to see.
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We highly recommend reserving a Beach Suite, as these offer the best ocean views, particularly those on the third floor. Ground level suites, however, are popular with visitors traveling with pets. The private balcony has both a glass door and screen door, to let in breezes, although there's also air conditioning/heating for the suite.
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Here's our Inn by the Sea YouTube Video Review:
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Crescent Beach
Crescent Beach is a short walk from Inn by the Sea, via a wood plank path near the pool.
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The beach doesn't permit dogs or other pets in the summer, which keeps its fine sand pristine and perfect a walk, run, or for the intrepid, a dip in the clear, cold water.
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The Verdict
We enjoyed a fantastic stay in a Beach Suite at Inn by the Sea, and highly recommend staying in this category. Not only did we enjoy drinks and an al fresco breakfast on our balcony, with a view of the sea in the distance, there was ample room in the 700 square foot suite for a small family. The king bed in the separate bedroom was incredibly comfortable, thanks to the Simmons Beautyrest pillowtop mattress top.
While there's a delightful heated pool, what we really enjoyed was taking the short path to walk along Crescent Beach, with its fine sand.
Don't miss dinner at the Sea Glass Restaurant. Highlights for us were the clam chowder and moist, brined chicken with tamarind glaze and herb spaetzle.
If you've stayed at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, what was your experience?
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