Portland Maine is the perfect getaway for Bostonians who love good food and friendly people. Just over two hours from Boston by car, bus, or train, it offers a change of scene at a reasonable cost.
We spent Memorial Day weekend in Portland and will give you a series of reports over the next couple of weeks.
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Portland Downtown Waterfront hotel. Right in Old Port, it is located in the heart of Portland's fine dining area. Fore Street restaurant and Standard Baking Company are next door. Hugo's and Duck Fat are two blocks away.
What's more, the hotel not only allows pets, it welcomes them and makes your stay easy with a straightforward and reasonable pet policy.
Small to large dogs (up to 200 pounds) are allowed. There is a $50 pet fee. You sign a pet agreement, provide them with a cell phone number where they can reach you, and promise that you'll return to the hotel if your pet is causing a problem for other guests.
This meant that we could enjoy leisurely dinners in the city's finest restaurants and not worry about our Westie, Maggie Mae. After walking all over town, she was ready to nap in her "PupTent" while we went to dinner.
The room she where she rested was beautiful. We treated ourselves to one of their waterfront corner rooms and had views up and down Portland Harbor.
Each room has a small kitchen set into hutch. With a microwave, refrigerator, coffeemaker, and work area, we enjoyed a picnic in our room one rainy afternoon. We also kept breakfast supplies and snacks on hand saving a bit more on the trip expenses.
The hotel staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating. We had always stayed at another hotel in Portland but last year found ourselves stood up by their limo service after a late meal at Fore Street.
We stopped into the Hilton and asked if they could find a taxi for us. They were so helpful that we returned the next day, took a tour and decided to change hotels for this trip. This Hilton will now be our home away from home in Portland.
Here's The BostonZest Amazon Selection of the Day
This was our first trip since we bought our Kindle. Our Kindle edition of the Boston Globe arrived in our hotel room each morning.
When I finished the book I was reading, late at night, I purchased a new one on Amazon and was reading it moments later.
Details:
Hilton Garden Inn Portland Downtown Waterfront
65 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine
