While Portland’s new crop of hotels is getting lots of attention, a group of smaller, more intimate places for visitors to stay welcomes guests with far less fanfare. And most of them have been doing so for decades. They are the city’s small inns and B&Bs, eight, well-appointed properties that have their own individual characters and personalities. Three aspects they share, however: all are in the city’s West End; none allow pets; and all are better suited for adults than families with young children. Here’s what you’ll find at each of of them.
West End Inn
146 Pine St. | 207-772-1377 | westendbb.com
Innkeepers/Owners: Scott and Debra Devlin
Rooms: 6, all with private bath — all except one ensuite. Three of the rooms have king beds, the rest have queen-sized beds. Room 1, on the first floor has its own small deck. Furnishings are traditional, while colors and accessories are modern and bright.
Breakfast: Full, served, with fresh juices squeezed in house, muffins, granola, yogurt and oatmeal, plus a selection of sweet and savory entrees made to order. Most ingredients are organic and locally sourced.
Parking: Street.
Details and amenities: Located in a brick townhouse on a tree-lined street in the heart of one the most beautiful neighborhoods in Portland, The West End Inn offers a quiet refuge away from the city’s bustle, but still walking distance from restaurants, shops and the Portland Art Museum. The first-floor dining and sitting rooms are full of natural light, painted in punchy colors and furnished with an airy mix of vintage and modern pieces. Innkeepers Scott and Debra Devlin, who purchased the inn in 2011, have a reputation for being exceptionally accommodating and knowledgeable.
Rates: $189 – $229 per night
Inn on Carleton
46 Carleton St. | 207-775-1910 | innoncarleton.com
Innkeeper/Owners: Leo and Patricia Merritt
Rooms: 6, 5 of which have queen-sized beds; Room Three has a king-sized bed. All rooms have private baths, all except one have been updated with subway-tiled stall showers and new vanities. Furniture is dark and handsome. Four rooms have electric fireplaces.
Breakfast: Two courses, served.
Parking: Off-street
Details and Amenities: Tucked away on a street of gracious row homes, the inn’s atmosphere is one of understated and comfortable opulence. In the front parlor and breakfast room, original light fixtures have been converted from gas, and a plush, bright red sofa faces a marble fireplace. An English-style garden behind the inn is a bonus for guests in the warmer months.
Rates: Jan. 1 – June 1 and Nov. 1 – Dec. 31 $110 – $145; June 1 – Oct. 31 $195 – $210.
The Percy Inn
Entrance to The Percy Inn. Photo by Susan Axelrod
15 Pine St. | 207-871-7638 | percyinn.com
Innkeeper/Owner: Dale Northrup
Rooms: 7, individually decorated guest rooms, all with queen beds, heating and cooling, wifi and a fridge with complimentary soft drinks; 6 out of the 7 rooms have private baths, some with tubs. Some rooms are combniable; the Pine Studio has a full kitchen and dining area, making it popular for extended stays.
Breakfast: Served buffet style: eggs, scones, hot and cold cereals, bagels and bumbleberry pie, baked fresh daily by Valley Orchards in Hebron. “People seem to think that’s extravagant and I say, ‘It’s a Yankee thing, pie at breakfast,’ ” said innkeeper Dale Northrup.
Parking: Off-street.
Details and amenities: Travel writer and innkeeper Dale Northrup divides his time between Maine and Florida, but when you call The Percy Inn, which is named for his father, he answers the phone, wherever he is. The inn is just steps from Longfellow Square, making it especially convenient for guests wanting to walk to restaurants and the Portland Art Museum. The front parlor on the ground floor boasts a baby grand piano and dark, masculine decor. The breakfast room is on the second floor. In the warmer months, the large, brick-paved courtyard behind the inn offers a place to sit with a cup of coffee or glass of wine.
Rates: $129 – $209 May 26 – Oct. 30; $89 – $209 Oct. 31 – May 25. Longterm and last-minute rates available.
The Inn at Park Spring
135 Spring St. | 207-774-1059 | innatparkspring.com
Innkeeper/Owner: Deborah Hellman/Buddy Marcum
Rooms: 5 — 4 rooms and a 2-story suite with private courtyard and entrance. One guest room has a king-sized bed; the others all have queens. All rooms have flatscreen “smart” TVs.
Breakfast: Served in a bright, modern dining room on the inn’s main floor. Breakfast states with an “appetizer,” which might be pumpkin bread with fresh strawberries and lemon/almond cream or a mix of berries with sour cream, mint and honey. Breakfast “entrees” are either sweet or savory: Italian polenta with light tomato gravy, smoked gouda and poached eggs, or apple fritter French toast with hot maple rum sauce and spiced bacon. Yogurt, oatmeal and gluten-free options are always available.
Parking: Arrangements made for guests.
Details and Amenities: Owner Buddy Marcum is in the process of modernizing and updating the decor of the inn. The parlor has recently been transformed with terracotta walls, sleek gray sofas, an ebony baby grand piano and contemporary accents. “When I welcome people into the Inn, I tell them I want them to think of it as their home away from home: walk around in their stocking feet and come to breakfast in their jammies,” says innkeeper Deborah Hellman. And “every guest gets a special gift,” she said. “Whether it’s Champagne and fresh-baked cookies or a six-pack of Bud and brownies, or cheese and crackers — I want them to remember the night they spent at the Inn at Park Spring.”
Rates: $110 – $225 Jan. 1 – May 31; $185 – 295 June 1 – Oct. 31; $99 – $225 Nov. 1 – Dec. 31
Morrill Mansion Bed & Breakfast
249 Vaughan St. | 207- 774-6900 | morrillmansion.com
Innkeeper/Owner: David Parker
Rooms: 6, and 2 suites, including one on the first floor. Furnishings and colors are traditional; large windows let in lots of light. Every room has a private bath; three have jetted tubs. On the 3rd floor, a pair of adjoining rooms with a small hallway between work well for couples traveling together.
Breakfast: Served buffet style in the first-floor breakfast room, where each marble-topped table is set with an individual Tiffany-style lamp. The menu includes hot entrees, homemade scones and coffee cakes. In the summer, lobster souffle is a specialty. “People can’t get enough of it,” says Parker.
Parking: Off-street.
Details and Amenities: The discreet gray granite sign is your only clue that this large, brick West End building close to Maine Medical Center is an inn. The former home of Charles Morrill, the “M” of B&M Baked Beans, it exudes a quiet calm. Leather chairs, mahogany furniture and rich jewel tones make for an elegant atmosphere, but thanks to lots of large windows, the rooms (some of which still boast original tin ceilings) are full of natural light. On the second floor, a cozy sitting room offers snacks and coffee. Innkeeper David Parker says many of his customers are Australians and Europeans. “Many days in the breakfast room there’s not an American in the house.” Kids 14 and older welcome.
Rates: $159 – $239
Mercury Inn
273 State St. | 207-956-6670 | mercuryinn.com
Innkeeper/Owners: Tim Karu and Jacob Krueger
Rooms: 7, including a 2-room suite. All rooms have private baths, two are en suite, the rest are next door or just a few steps away down the hall. The dominant colors in the rooms are soft grey and bright yellow, with touches of blue, black and white.
Breakfast: In keeping with its overall sustainability mission, the inn serves seasonal, locally sourced food whenever possible — sources are listed on place cards at the breakfast tables. The menu includes fruit, sweet and savory breakfast breads and muffins, hot cereal and egg dishes.
Parking: Street.
Details and Amenities: The newest and most modern of Portland’s inns is funky and bright, furnished with a combination of clean-lined contemporary pieces and vintage finds (a big change from its former life as the Wild Iris Inn.) Designed by innkeeper Tim Karu’s sister, Tyler, of Landing Design & Development in Portland, the Mercury has a distinctive aesthetic that gives it a younger feel than its Portland colleagues. And that’s what it’s youthful innkeepers wanted to create: “Our hope was to make a place where we would go,” Tim said. They were also determined to be good stewards of the environment. All paints used in the renovation were zero VOC; they use natural, homemade cleaning products and disposable goods, such as toilet paper and garbage bags, made from recycled materials. Busy Longfellow Square, with multiple restaurants and bars, is just a short walk up the hill from the inn. Note: No guests under age 18.
Rates: $149 – $259 (for the suite) per night.
Pomegranate Inn
49 Neal St. | 207-772-1006 | pomegranateinn.com
Innkeepers/Owner: Erin and Henry Leiter/Kim Swan
Rooms: 8, including 7 in the main house and 1 in the carriage house. Each one is decorated completely differently, with whimsically hand-painted or wallpapered walls, an eclectic mix of “shabby chic” and English manor house-style furnishings, and plenty of eye-catching detail. Five rooms have gas fireplaces; all have private, en suite baths. Mattresses are double pillow-top.
Breakfast: A creative, three-course breakfast is served in the dining room: fruit, pastries and a choice of sweet or savory entree.
Parking: Street.
Details and Amenities: The distinctive rooms at the Pomegranate owe much of their look to interior designer Isabella Smiles, who owned the inn in the 1980s. Current owner, Maine realtor Kim Swan, has made a few changes, bringing in more comfortable beds and high-end linens. The colorful mashup of art, sculpture, antique and contemporary furniture, and quirky objects makes the inn feel like the stylish and slightly eccentric home of an artist. On the ground floor, two spacious living rooms, each with wood-burning fireplace, are sunny and bright by day, glowing with warm colors by night. There’s also a cozy sitting room on the third floor. Kids age 16 and over welcome.
Rates: $149 – $229 off-season; $299 – $379 in-season
The Danforth
163 Danforth St. | 207-879-8755 | danforthinn.com
Innkeepers and owners: Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest
Rooms: 9, including the Peninsula Family Room, a two-room suite with twin beds and a convertible sofa. Six of the remaining rooms have king-sized beds; the other two have queen-sized beds. Furnishings are mix of antiques and contemporary. All rooms have private baths, some of which have recently been renovated to include spa-like features such as walk-in showers. Most guest rooms have working fireplaces.
Breakfast: Full, cooked to order, with fruit, breakfast breads, granola and yogurt always available.
Parking: Off-street
Details and Amenities: The largest of Portland’s inns and the closest to downtown began its life as a stately private home. It retains that feel, with rooms decorated in a classic, elegant style and works by local artists as focal points. Built in the early 19th century, the house was extensively expanded by famed architect John Calvin Stevens in 1901 by then-owners the Thomas family, bankers who were known for entertaining.
The Danforth boasts substantial public space inside and out: a wide, gracious entrance hall, double parlors, dining room, three-season sun porch, brick-paved garden and in the basement, a paneled billard room rumored to have once been a speakeasy. The second and third floors each have sitting rooms; on the second floor, the light-filled room leads to a sunny deck. Guests also have access to the inn’s charming cupola, offering a birds-eye, 360 degree view of the city. Handpainted with stars and a crescent moon on the ceiling, the cupola is a perfect place to watch the sunset.
Experienced innkeepers Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest, who own Camden Harbour Inn in Camden, a Relais & Chateaux property, purchased the inn in May. At the end of the tourist season, they are planning a major renovation, including the addition of a restaurant.
Rates: $289 – $350 per night
For a list of things you should to in Portland, check out our full guide:
Things to do in Portland
So you’re visiting Portland, eh? It’s a cool city with lots of amazing food — but you know that.
Congress Street is a hub of art, shops and life. A quick walk toward the ocean will bring you to the Old Port (which is probably what you imagined when you said, “I’m going to Portland, Maine!”) with it’s cobblestone streets, salty breezes and lots of ice cream and touristy stores. ou could stay in a 1-mile radius and feel like you saw the whole city or you could explore the dozens of gems hidden in neighborhoods. Portland is also a great launching point for lots of other Maine adventures to places that are unlike anyplace you’ve ever seen (think mica mines, swimmable steep-cliff quarries, Acadia’s purple seaside mountains …).
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