The Kennebunks
Bufflehead Cove Inn

Gornitz Lane, Box 499
Kennebunkport, ME 04046

Past a lily pond at the end of a long dirt road is this hidden treasure: a gray shingled, Dutch Colonial manse right beside a scenic bend of the Kennebunk River . Owners Harriet and Jim Gott have turned their family home since 1973 into a stunning B&B – the kind of waterfront home we’ve always dreamed of.

The public rooms, the setting and the warmth of the welcome are special here. A wide porch faces the tidal river and downtown Kennbunkport in the distance; there are porches along the side and a huge wraparound deck in back. A large and comfy living room contains window seats with views of the water. The dining room, which is shaped like the back of a ship, has a dark beamed ceiling, paneling, stenciling and a carpet painted on the floor. There are a dock with boats, and five acres of tranquility with which to surround oneself.

All bedrooms are bright and cheerful. The spacious Balcony Room is perhaps the most compelling of those in the main house. It offers a wicker-filled screened balcony overlooking the river, a kingsize bed dressed with a plump floral comforter, a fireplace, a window seat and a chaise lounge. Its large bathroom has a shower, refrigerator/wet bar and, most spectacular, a corner jacuzzi for two, positioned dramatically beneath hand-painted pots of apple blossoms stretching overhead.

Reflections of sun on the river shimmer on the ceiling of the River Room, which has a queen bed and a balcony overlooking the water. The Cove Room has a queen bed, a jacuzzi beside two windows that look out at the river, a sitting area with a tiled gas fireplace, and an open-air balcony with a water view. Although it lacks a river view, the Garden Room in back is ever-so-engaging with its own entrance and patio, a wicker sitting area, gas fireplace, a handcrafted queen bed and grapevine stenciling that echoes the real vines outside the entry.

We enjoyed the secluded Hideaway, fashioned from the Gotts’ former quarters in the adjacent cottage. Mostly windows, it holds a kingsize bed, a tiled fireplace open to both the bedroom and the living room, rattan chairs, and an enormous bathroom with a double jacuzzi surrounded by a tiled border of fish. Pears seem to be a decorative theme, showing up on the fireplace tiles and at the base of a huge twig wreath over the mantel. Outside is a private deck where early-morning coffee was provided and we would gladly have spent the day, had we not been working.

The latest treat is the deluxe River Cottage with a cathedral-ceilinged living room with a soaring palladian window onto the water, a wood-burning fireplace and a small kitchen with a cozy eating area. A curving staircase leads to a loft with a library and entertainment center, a bedroom with a kingsize sleigh bed and a large bath with two-person whirlpool tub, separate glass shower and a dressing area. Outside is a large deck with a water view.

Breakfast at 8:30 on the inn’s front porch brought fresh orange juice and an elaborate dish of melon bearing mixed fruit and homemade pineapple sorbet. The main event was a delicious zucchini crescent pie, teamed with an English muffin topped with cheddar, tomato and bacon, and roasted potatoes with onions and salsa. Lobster quiche, soufflés, asparagus strata, green apple-stuffed french toast, waffles and popovers are other specialties. Jim often cooks breakfast when he’s not out on his rounds as a lobster fisherman.

Wine and cheese are served in the early evening. Decanters of sherry and bottles of sparkling water are in each room.

(207) 967-3879. E-mail: info@buffleheadcove.com

For more information: www.buffleheadcove.com

(207) 967-3879. www.buffleheadcove.com. Four rooms and two cottages with private baths. July-October: doubles $165 to $315, cottages $310 to $375. April-June: doubles $135 to $250, cottages $245 to $350 Closed November-March.


Material excerpted from Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2006.

Wood Pond Press
365 Ridgewood Road
West Hartford, CT 06107
Phone: (860) 521-0389
Fax: (860) 313-0185
© Copyright 2009
All rights reserved.

E-mail feedback to:
woodpond@ntplx.net

Home page | Full destination index |
About Wood Pond Press | Ordering Information | Restaurant of the Week | Inn of the Week |
Book of the Month | Getaway of the Month |