Hotel at a Glance: Craignair Inn and Restaurant

From its elevated ledge overlooking the ocean, the Craignair Inn invites guests to simply sit and watch the tide roll in. It’s a sensational view—Fodor’s says, “it’s tough to find a better waterfront location than at the Craignair.” The inn complements the beauty outside with individually decorated guest rooms inside, each as pretty as the next.

• Start the day with the inn’s gourmet breakfast, which may include fresh-baked muffins, egg-and-vegetable scrambles, or crepes smothered with a berry compote. It’s all served in a dining room with a view of the water.
• Sit a spell on the porch, on the wooden swing, or on the Adirondack chairs on the lawn. Each inviting perch looks out on the ocean.
• Dine onsite: The inn offers dinner at its onsite restaurant on weekends between Labor Day and Columbus Day. Seafood is a staple, including Maine lobster.
• In the press: Yankee magazine named it Maine’s best seaside country inn in 2012, calling it an “unpretentious inn with an enviable location.”
• Nearby town: Rockland, the “lobster capital of the world,” is just 15 minutes away by car. Just head north up Maine’s beautiful coast.

Midcoast Maine: Picturesque Harbors and World-Famous Lobster

Midcoast Maine is a stretch of coastline known for its abundance of charming downtowns, postcard-worthy harbors, and lively seafaring culture. If you’re coming from the south, the gateway to the region is Brunswick, a culturally rich destination anchored by the presence of Bowdoin College, whose alumni include Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Travel up the coast from Brunswick and you’ll hit St. George and Rockland, where you’ll find the Farnsworth Art Museum. The museum is dedicated to American art; among its most treasured holdings are paintings by N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth. Rockland’s harbor is often dotted with handsome windjammer sailboats, making this a convenient spot to begin a coastal cruise.

A little further up the coast is the charming town of Camden, where historical buildings abound. Frommer’s calls it “a quintessential Maine coastal town” and that “no Hollywood movie set could improve on” its harbor. You can dine at European-style bistros and pick up souvenirs in boutiques set in 19th-century brownstone buildings. Along the waterfront, colorful wooden buildings house restaurants that serve fresh-caught Maine lobster and rock crab.

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