Chebeague Island Inn

I have been coming to Portland since 1999. I have wanted to stay at the Inn for about the past 10 years, but I have never had the chance to do so. I follow them on Facebook and have read about them in Downeast magazine. I was so excited when my beau had the chance to come up with me to Portland. I immediately looked to see if the Inn had availability! I booked at 2am! I was so excited. I wrote to my beau and reminded him to pack sneakers so we could borrow the bikes and explore the island. We got a call from the Inn and they asked which ferry we would arrive on. We boarded the ferry, saw a gorgeous clipper in the bay, enjoyed ice cream from cliff island and were met on the landing by a driver. He mentioned several routes we could explore via bike and foot. The shuttle driver is really the only employee of the Inn who I can wholeheartedly recommend. When you first arrive at the Inn it’s hard to know where the entrance is. If our driver had not gone through the green door I would have had no clue. The door has no indication that it is the entrance. If we had walked from the ferry I would have gone through the porch I suppose. Our driver carried our bag up to our room on the third floor. We signed the waivers for the bikes and went up to check our room. Our room was lovely. Very bright and and had views of the water and the side yard. So, we went back downstairs and decided to go for a bike ride. Well, gentle reader, there is a reason they have you sign a waiver. They really should not have people riding beach cruiser bikes on a hilly island. I wound up nearly plummeting to my death and unable to brake my bike and gave myself a concussion. We decided to turn back and perhaps have a cup of tea and celebrate that I was in fact not splattered on the rocks for seagulls to pick at. Once back at the Inn, we asked for hot water, which our host told us was hot, it was lukewarm, so he brought us two cups of piping hot water a few minutes later. We enjoyed these on the porch and watched the sunset. Yes, the sunset and the views are the only things this place has going for it. We then went inside to sit by the fire and warm up. It was nearly time for our reservation for dinner so we went over to the hostess stand and they told us we could sit wherever. Well the dining room was so cold that I kept my coat on and my beau brought me a lap blanket. It does not help that the tables are made of copper. I ordered an old-​fashioned, to which our waiter asked if I wanted it made with bourbon or scotch, should have been the red flag, but I replied bourbon. He brought me a rather red/​pink drink and demurred that they were out of cherries for the season. Reader, I don’t know what he brought me, but it was not an old-​fashioned. I have had many an old-​fashioned sans cherry, and it did not taste like the dreck before me. I told him I did not want the drink nor did I want anything else in it’s stead. If you can’t make an old-​fashioned, I doubt you can make a sazerac or a manhattan properly. On to the bread. Which would be the only thing I would really eat except for the ice cream on cliff island, a pilfered apple from someones front yard and bag of chips from cliff island. Praise to you cliff island! The bread was o-​k. Not hot, not warm, but edible. Served with cold butter. Sustained me for 48hrs. Our clam chowder, had a 3 clams in it, 4 potatoes, a baby carrot, and a whole lot of cream. It really should be called cream with clams. It was good, but a stretch. Our lobster risotto was inedible and a complete waste of two beautiful lobsters. When we complain every, we can hear every word back in the kitchen. Extremely unprofessional. They doused it in pernod and you could only taste anise. I was freezing and my appetite had completely disappeared. We went upstairs and to bed by 9:30, so we were up at 555. My beau decided he would take a shower. Well two minutes in the shower and he shouts to me that there is no hot water. So, he must rinse off in freezing cold water. What do you do at 6am at an INN with NO Phones and NO hot water? Well call the front desk from your cell phone. The guy at the front desk was completely befuddled and there were moments of dead silence when he finally admitted he had no idea what to do. So, about 45 minutes later a man knocks on our door and asks if he we have any hot water. Boyfriend runs it again, after a minute it returns to cold. He gives us the key to a room 6 doors away incase we would like to shower there. He does tell us that this has happened before. So, breakfast is included in your stay and starts at 7:30. So there we are. Breakfast is even worse than dinner. Imagine burnt bacon, burnt undercooked oily pancakes. Unfortunately Unilocal is limiting my characters here, in closing I urge you to NOT to stay here.

1 star is too much for this place. I have gotten food poisoning here 3 times this summer. The management is rude, and does not handle the restaurant well. The lack of islanders working there or eating truly drives home the point of division that the inn has created. By trying to appeal to wealthy clientele they have alienated the local population. Never again.

Just back from a Fantastic stay. The food was top notch. The service was friendly, and efficient. The room was very well kept. The grounds, and amenities were on par. Will get there again.

Terrific place for a «dolce far niente» getaway (the sweetness of doing nothing). Great views, manicured lands, polite staff, and a super relaxing environment. Rooms are small but clean and simple, mostly white with just hints of Maine color. The lobby and fireplace room are quintessential Maine coast, with books to read and games to play alongside a crackling fire. The long patio overlooking the harbor is postcard-​perfect. We lounged around, drinking ice tea (or cocktails in the evening) and watching the sunset. Read our books, even dozed off. Played some «corn hole» and walked and biked the island. No AC, but fans and a nice breeze made it decently comfy at night. For a mellow, chill couple of days, this is a great spot!

Very, very disappointing due to terrible service and poor value. We are normally huge supporters of local businesses and dine out frequently. This was our go-​to place via boat for dinner with out of town guests; however, it is now under new management and we won’t be back. The dinng room service is terrible. Dinner took two hours and we didn’t even have time for dessert as their launch service was shutting down, something we had to ask since no one was going to bother to tell us. One of the many servers did come by to say that the wait was because kitchen was backed up and that our meals were being plated and it took another 20 minutes for the food to arrive. While the food was good, the portions were laughably small, especially relative to the price point. You can’t charge $ 30 for lobster and then serve only the tail. Furthermore, none of the entrees were served with sides, nor were sides available separately on the menu. In summary, when Chebeague Island Inn was initially sold and renovated, it had a terrific views friendly service and great food at reasonable prices. It now appears to be left with only the views. I strongly recommend waiting until the next management change before we go back.

We stayed in an ocean-​view room w/​private bath on the 3^rd floor. The room was lovely. It was smaller than some hotel rooms, but very comfortable with great linens and amenities in the room.
What was lacking on our stay was the customer service. They staff are friendly, but don’t have the polish one expects when paying this much. We had to beg to be served at breakfast. I would have let this slide, as there were a lot of guests, and I only saw one server. Perhaps she was overwhelmed. However, the next day, we had to wait about an hour for our bruschetta on the porch. We weren’t in a hurry on either occasion. However, they told us they would give us a ride to the ferry, and then forgot us, leaving us to run down to the ferry with our luggage just in time to catch it and make our flight. Overall, it was hard to get the staff to remember to take care of us, and this final detail was harder to overlook than the slow service.
Also, the WiFi isn’t the strongest /​best. Just a warning for guests who want to be connected. Being disconnected can be great — when it’s a customer’s choice.
Beautiful location. Gorgeous grounds. Just needs a better customer service for the price.

The most romantic weekend getaway! Overlooking a bay with the most beautiful sunsets, Chebeague Island Inn is perfect for escaping a busy life and getting back to basics: good food, good wine, and great company. Sitting under blankets on the porch or biking to the local Clam Shack, the Inn makes everything easy. The staff couldn’t be nicer and although the rooms are small, the details are what make the hotel shine. Beds are extremely comfortable, shared bathrooms are spotless and not a hassle to use. The Frette bathrobes and l’Occitaine products made my girlfriend happy, too.
All in all, an excellent inn that I’d highly recommend to anyone and everyone.

Impeccable! Everything was lovely on our trip out to brunch.
I had heard that the Inn had reopened recently so we decided to try brunch while on a trip to Portland. We enjoyed a leisurely ferry ride out to the island. Upon arrival we learned that the inn was 4 miles away from the wharf — oops. I hadn’t expected that! When I called to let them know that we were going to be late, without waiting to learn why the woman immediately offered to send out a driver for us. What a luxurious and unexpected touch! We happily watched the ferry unload, then rode to the inn with a nice kid named Pete.
Upon walking in, I fell in love with the great room, which was full of comfy, but not scruffy, furniture. There was a fire burning, which was perfect for the foggy weather. We ate on the veranda overlooking the water. The food was great!
I took the opportunity to get a tour of some of the guest rooms, and they are all lovely and so clean! Next year we will stay here instead of in town.

I have had the fortune to stay at this Inn, and also spend time there. The Restaurant is excellent. The Executive Chef has done a wonderful job of putting together a menu, that will keep you coming back.
The Inn is awesome. Its like stepping back in time. We played cards on the deck. A few games of scrabble. Bocce on the lawn. Croquet on the lawn. Watched the sun rise, and the sun set. Suffice to say it was wondeful.
One thing you née to be aware of. If you are planning on staying out late. Let the Inn know, or you might get locked out. I almost had this happen. Why they even feel they need to lock the doors is beyond me.
A real treat.

Season by season, things can change. Looks like they have kept the 2010 mojo to 2011. I’d still recommend it.

Between the food and the Inn itself, you really can’t beat this place. We were on the water with friends and decided to go here for lunch. Called the Inn and they told us to hook up to a mooring. They sent a nice college kid in a small tender to get us. He then drove us up to the Inn. They took our names for lunch and we waited in the nicest waiting room ever — a few Adirondack chairs on the lawn overlooking the golf course and Casco Bay. A round of drinks here and then to our table on the screened in porch. To be honest, they could have then served us McDonald’s and I would have been happy. Instead, we had some excellent food. Oyster Po’Boy was filling, crispy, and done perfectly. One had the mussels which he loved and two had very nice steak salads. If you have a boat, or a friend with a boat — go here! Or… take the ferry for a wonderful experience. Oh yeah, another round back on the lawn. Decided to walk back to the dock. Just let the owner know we’d be ready for the ride back to the mooring in 10 minutes. The kid met us as we got to the landing and took us back out to our boat. Life really is good.

Quintenessential Maine Coast. It doesn’t get better than this. The food is excellent, service attentive and setting to die for. I dined here with my parents and aunt and we enjoyed every minute of it. The hotel, under new ownership, is a diamond in the ruff and I have no doubt is about to take off. I can’t wait to go back for another delicious meal while watching the Maine sun set. The Lobster Risotto w/​Marscapone was perfectly creamy and decadent with tons of lobster. My families meals of the swordfish and hanger steak were also exceptional. The trip out there requires some logistical planning, but the Ferry ride either from Portland or Yarmouth is well worth the trip. Can’t wait to see what the new owners have done by next summer!