There’s the Kennebunkport that everyone knows: the lobster shacks, the saltbox houses stacked along Ocean Avenue, the Bush family compound that sits just around the bend. Then there is the Kennebunkport that the locals know, the one the right hotelier will show you. That Kennebunkport has forest bathing and a sushi counter that started in the East Village; plus, a luxury resale boutique tucked at the end of Ocean Avenue, where someone just offloaded a pristine Moby-Dick-inspired Thom Browne bag. This is the guide for the tastemakers.
Where to Stay
Hidden Pond
The resort that earns its adjectives. Sixty acres of birch grove and balsam fir, a collection of cottages emerging from a significant renovation, and a programming calendar that reads like a personal wellness sabbatical. The Tree Spa—three treatment rooms suspended eight feet above the forest floor, connected by a catwalk threading through the birches—is a standout, along with daily morning yoga, guided meditation, sound therapy, and forest bathing sessions. New nature programming has made the property even harder to leave, which, it seems, is the point. Couples and solo travelers take the bungalows; families fill the two-bedroom cottages. Dogs are welcome (even encouraged with on-property stick libraries and forest trails). Everyone reconvenes at the fire at dusk (pup cups included). This place has also been voted a Condé Nast Traveler top resort in New England two years running.
Cape Arundel Inn & Resort
Hidden Pond gives you land, Cape Arundel gives you sea. The only oceanfront inn in Kennebunkport proper, sitting on a picture-perfect point of land along Ocean Avenue with Walker’s Point, the Bush property, visible from the front porch. Built in 1895 as a Victorian manor, it has since added bungalows, suites, and a companion clubhouse a short walk away. The views from the dining room are among the finest in town, with the dishes to go along with them.
White Barn Inn
Located a two-minute drive from town center, White Barn Inn is grandmother of Kennebunkport hospitality, and she has aged beautifully. The inn dates to the 1860s and has been welcoming guests to a remodeled pair of barns ever since 1973. Under the Auberge Resorts flag, it received a full design reimagination by Jenny Wolf Interiors: Farrow & Ball paint, sheep-wool throws, and sumptuous velvets that honor the property’s inherent romance without tipping into fussiness. There are 27 rooms, an infinity pool, a spa, and waterfront cottages on the Kennebunk River. The living room converts to a proper afternoon tea salon, and the general manager leads private cycling tours past miles of beach.
Where to Eat and Drink
Earth at Hidden Pond
This is a restaurant that justifies a trip to Kennebunkport on its own. Chef Justin Owen, a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, has built a menu around two organic gardens, local fishermen and foragers, and a reverence for whatever happens to be at its peak that week (mid May, that was Maine’s finest fiddleheads). The prix-fixe format—three or four courses—unfolds inside a woodsy dining room lit by an impressive, inverted tree branch chandelier adorned with twinkle lights, plus plenty of candlelight—or, for something more intimate, inside the Potting Shed (six guests, hurricane lanterns, vintage tools hanging from the walls) or the Painting Shed (twelve guests, vaulted ceiling, panoramic views of the pond). The heirloom tomatoes are pulled from the garden that morning. And don’t skip the doughnuts for dessert.
Ocean at Cape Arundel Inn
Floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the Atlantic and a menu that rotates through Maine’s best seasonal catches make this a must-visit. Lobster Thermidor is a signature here, with wine pairings worth the add-on. It runs on a prix-fixe structure—three courses at $105, four at $125. Arrive early (and stay late) for cocktails on the front porch.
The Boathouse
Behind The Boathouse is chef John Shaw, a New England Culinary Institute graduate, who fuses classic Maine coastal flavors with Asian influences in ways that feel surprisingly coherent. The space is airy and lively, perched on the Kennebunk River with the marina just beyond the glass. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday. Walk-ins only with valet parking available.
Rosella
Unlike anything else in the area (and beyond), New York City’s Rosella has brought its sustainable sushi to Maine. Executive chef Matt Kramer sources from inland farms with recirculating aquaculture systems and low-density offshore operations, and the result is a sushi menu that tastes as fresh as it sounds. Tucked into the Grand Hotel in Lower Village Kennebunk, it’s intimate, intentional in every detail, and a truly bespoke experience. Chef will often offer insights: start with a few sips of the farro miso soup, save the Texas Wagyu Beef for a decadent last bite. There’s more than meets the eye with each of the dishes, including the Bagels-on-Hudson rolls. Supper and a story.
Tides Beach Club
The beachside outpost of the Kennebunkport Resort Collection, right on Goose Rocks Beach, where chef Joe Schafer works with the season’s best Maine seafood and garden vegetables. The dining is casual and the beachside setting is unmatched. Note that parking is for hotel guests only; everyone else takes the Goose Rocks Beach lot.
Boulangerie
A 10-minute drive from town and tucked behind the Waterhouse Center on Nasons Court, Boulangerie operates Tuesday through Saturday, baking in a stone deck oven from early morning: baguettes, sourdoughs, flaky croissants, quiches that sell out before many people have had their coffee. An on-site sommelier handles the curated wine list, which makes a lot of sense the longer you sit on the brick patio.
Mabel’s Lobster Claw
A Kennebunkport institution since 1953, Mabel’s is where to go when you want lobster without ceremony. The Bushes (both of them, repeatedly) ate here at their corner table, and the photos on the wall document the long history of that loyalty. The hot lobster roll is the benchmark. The blueberry pie is mandatory.
KPort Provisions
This is the town’s essential general store, stocked with wine, local gifts, baked goods, handcrafted sandwiches, prepared meals, and barista coffee. It is where you go before the beach, after the hike, and whenever you want to picnic somewhere along the water and need someone to have already thought through the logistics.
Where to Shop
Frances Elle
The arrival of a luxury resale boutique at 30 Ocean Avenue feels like a very logical development in Kennebunkport. Frances Elle carries gently loved bags and accessories from the houses: think of it as Fifth Avenue decanted into a Kennebunkport storefront. The edit is good, and the prices are better than what you’d find in the city. It is the kind of shop where you leave later than expected with something you decided you needed all along.
Seacraft Vintage
Settled into their new home at 11 Ocean Avenue, the charming Seacraft Vintage cottage is stocked by former New Yorkers Jackie Greaney and Paul Havel with the fruits of a very particular obsession: maritime salvage, hand-hewn wooden boat models, antique and vintage oils on canvas, nautical clothing, rare books, and coastal curiosities that the pair has sourced from across New England. The inventory turns regularly. Both owners come from backgrounds in photography, set design, and production, which explains why the shop feels less like a store and more like a very well-curated installation that you can also buy things from.
Snug Harbor Farm
Landscape designer Anthony Elliott has been tending Snug Harbor Farm since 1998, cultivating an English-garden-meets-New-England-farm dreamscape that is, at this point, something of a regional landmark. Martha Stewart has made no secret of her attachment to it; she has visited multiple times and written about the hard-to-find plant specimens she has brought home. The five greenhouses hold topiaries, succulents, perennials, and rare varieties. The grounds are full of decorative peacocks, roosters, and Frillback pigeons that roost outside Elliott’s office. The shop inside the original 1850 barn sells terra-cotta pots, garden statuary, local art, and a range of things you did not know you needed until you saw them. It is located inland from Dock Square, which is a detour worth building time around.
Kennebunkport is roughly 90 minutes north of Boston and just over an hour from Portland, Maine. The season officially runs May through October, though those in the know will tell you that September is the month to visit. Happy travels!
