Visiting Cliff House Maine, a kid-friendly, $500-a-night hotel - Insider

• My household stayed 1 nighttime astatine the super-exclusive Cliff House Hotel successful York, Maine. 
• In debased season, rooms spell for $500 and up; successful the summer, rooms tin outgo thousands of dollars. 
• I was amazed astatine however kid-friendly and accommodating the edifice was.

Even though we've been living successful Maine for years now, we've done precise small to research our location state. Our kids are 4, 2, and 2, and due to the fact that of COVID, we had been a spot shy astir venturing into the world. Having twins besides makes each outing much analyzable and requires truthful overmuch planning, we're sometimes easy discouraged to effort somewhere new.

But I'm determined to marque memories with the kids aft 2 years of missing out, truthful I took my full household to the Cliff House Hotel successful Cape Neddick, Maine. When I told our adjacent friends we were going, their absorption was "you're not bringing the kids, right?," due to the fact that the edifice is known for its luxurious accommodations and activities. We don't person immoderate household to ticker them, truthful we truly had nary option. 

I admit I was a spot acrophobic that we were ruining a perchance fantastic edifice enactment by bringing 3 toddlers, but arsenic soon arsenic we arrived, my fears were enactment astatine ease: It turns retired this fancy edifice is incredibly kid-friendly. Because of that, we each had a blast. 

The edifice is impressive

As soon arsenic we got retired of the car, my kids were acceptable to research and tally around, and my anxiousness kicked successful due to the fact that I didn't privation to disturb those who were relaxing without kids. 

Almost instantly — arsenic if they could consciousness my nerves — the unit gave goodie bags to each 3 kids and showed them a representation of each the things we could research connected the grounds. This made maine consciousness better; we were intelligibly not the archetypal ones to bring toddlers here, and everyone was truthful accommodating. 

To get to our country we had to locomotion crossed the edifice grounds. The buildings beryllium connected apical of a cliff, hence the name, and the views are spectacular. There are respective terraces — immoderate connected to restaurants, others adjacent the hotel's grab-and-go cafe — wherever radical tin eat, and 1 has a precise fashionable blistery tub that was ever occupied portion we were there.

The past of the edifice is besides interesting: It was opened in 1872 by Elsie Jane, a parent of seven, who charged $6 a week per person, including each meals. It rapidly became a favourite successful Maine, until World War II unopen the edifice down truthful it could beryllium utilized arsenic a subject basal to support 24-hour ticker for Nazi submarines. It has since been impeccably remodeled, with 186 impermanent rooms and 40 suites. 

It is precise kid-friendly

Our furniture was truthful comfy and smelled unthinkable — I wanted to ne'er permission it. I astir apt had my champion night's slumber successful years. I was told by everyone who knew we were going to effort retired the hotel's bathrobes, which I present highly urge also. I've ne'er felt thing truthful brushed successful my life, and I privation to bargain 1 for home.  

There are respective restaurants successful the hotel. We opted for Nubbs for meal due to the fact that it seemed similar the astir casual option, and with its large screens and large music, we hoped that would muffle the dependable of our kids successful lawsuit they screamed. That didn't happen, arsenic they were engaged with their goodie bags. The nutrient was truthful delicious, they each ate an full repast — which toddler parents cognize tin beryllium rare. We besides weren't the lone parents of small kids successful the restaurant, which gave maine other bid of mind. 

For meal the adjacent morning, we went to the Tiller, which is decidedly fancier. I felt similar we had made a unspeakable mistake erstwhile we walked into a beautifully carpeted country with cloth chairs. The server rapidly whipped retired kids' menus with crayons, which kept them entertained portion we waited (only a abbreviated time) for our food. The kids' pancakes were truthful delicious, I astir wished I had ordered from their menu. 

There are tons of things to bash successful the hotel

While it's usually a fashionable summertime destination, determination were inactive plentifulness of things to do, and we had a blast during our stay. On our archetypal nighttime aft dinner, we sat with the kids astir a firepit that we had each to ourselves and past star-gazed successful hammocks.

After breakfast, we voted for our favourite carved pumpkins, which the unit had created days prior, and it kept the kids intrigued for a bully 30 minutes. After that, we went swimming successful the indoor pool, which we had to ourselves. 

Then we recovered determination was a crafters' market, hosted by Makers of the US, successful the edifice ballroom, which happens erstwhile a year. We fundamentally did each of our vacation buying without adjacent readying it. This was the lone enactment that overwhelmed the kids a bit, due to the fact that they wanted to interaction everything and bargain each the stuffies. There were besides Halloween movies playing passim the day, coating classes for each ages, and adult-only activities similar yoga. 

We ended our enactment by eating luncheon outside, taking successful the view, enjoying the water breeze, and trying to marque definite the seagulls didn't bargain our food. And by the way, if they bash instrumentality your sandwich, the edifice afloat comps you different meal.