George
Kennebunkport’s Captain Lord Mansion combines history, elegance and art with comfortable and intriguing features that bring guests back year after year. In fact, one couple has stayed here more than 100 times. And don’t we wish we could.
On the front walkway and the memorial garden are stones with the names of guests who have stayed here more than 10 times, something we now aspire to. They’ll have to start a new walkway soon because the existing one is filled with names. And for good reason.
From the welcome and tour we received from Savin, to the wonderful breakfast conversation we had with Sue and Lisa, all the staff here are terrifically personable. Owners Bev Davis and Rick Litchfield, who have owned and cherished the inn for 37 years, have filled it with art and collectibles while maintaining all the historic features, including antique furniture and fixtures. Lest you think this is not a modern place, please know that they do have WiFi, cable TV and individually controlled heat and air conditioning. I’ll bet the folks who stayed here in 1802 would have loved those features! Honestly, I do not know enough adjectives to properly describe this inn. Our room was described as an “extraordinarily luxurious deluxe room” and it was all of that.
What did I like the most? Well, everything. Besides the food, which Linda tells you about, there was the delightful store in the basement, the many works of art including the framed piece of the inn’s original wallpaper, the comfortable sitting room with blazing fireplace, the cupola with a view of all the magnificent homes and inns in the neighborhood and the Kennebunk River beyond. I could go on and on because there is a lot to love here.
It is not surprising that the Captain Lord Mansion earned the only AAA Four Diamond Award for bed and breakfasts in Kennebunkport for 35 consecutive years. Or that Bev and Rick were awarded the prestigious Masters of Innkeeping award in 2014.
Linda
When I heard that we were slated to stay at the Captain Lord Mansion, I raised an eyebrow. I don’t consider myself a mansion-type girl. My fears were quickly put to ease, as the approachable staff could not have been nicer. The architectural details of this enormous inn are very interesting.
There are 16 rooms in the main inn and four more in the Garden Cottage. Both buildings have many unusual antiques and artifacts. Bev and Rick have had a hand in virtually everything — kitchen makeover, enhancing the decor, painting, wallpapering. They do it all. Bev also made all the curtains for the inn and the Captain Jefferd’s Inn across the street. They are rock stars in this business according to Sue, one of the inn’s chefs.
When we entered the Ship Excelsior room on the second floor, it was the bed that gathered immediate attention. A king-sized four-poster bed loaded with pillows was certainly the focal point, with its mattress more than three feet off the floor. Two step risers on each side of the bed were the only way to get in or out of it. And of course it was beyond comfortable. Conversation at breakfast the next morning included everyone commenting about the extraordinary sheets, which you can buy in the shop downstairs.
Lots of natural light comes into this corner room and it faces The Green, a town park right across the street. High ceilings, a gas fireplace, antique tables and dressers and an Oriental rug announce the luxury of this deluxe room. Elegant doesn’t even begin to describe the bathroom. A large Jaccuzi tub, including an overhead or personal shower wand, heated marble floors, double sinks and the most luxurious towels you can imagine give pampering a new meaning.
More pampering and nice touches here included: a bottle of chilled Prosecco, a plate of cookies, cheese and savory crackers and dessert bars in the kitchen, the fanciest espresso coffemaker imaginable and large jars of iced tea or water. Turn-down bed service is available on request, chocolate raspberry wine is set out each evening and guests are free to lounge in the living room where a gas fire awaits.
Patrons choose an 8:15 or 9:45 a.m. breakfast time and may eat at the large table in the dining room or at one of the two long farmhouse tables in the kitchen. We chose the kitchen, where the aroma of bacon and other goodies drew us right in. The table had been set for the first course of yogurt, granola, coffee, orange juice and fresh fruit.
Both Sue and Lisa doted on the two rooms of guests at the first seating. The breakfast entree that day was Belgian waffles served with steaming hot blueberry sauce and maple syrup. The blueberry sauce was really special with the addition of orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. And those small round Belgian waffles, hot off the grill, were light and delicious. The tricolored potatoes (amazingly tasty), and bacon rounded out this hardy breakfast.
The inn is within walking distance of downtown shops and restaurants. So if you are looking for a special getaway in a romantic setting, you will want to put the Captain Lord Mansion on your list.
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