To add a little excitement to our winter of being holed-up indoors, I’ve been looking into staycations and weekend trips within a short drive of Boston. We finally crossed the local fave Cliff House Maine off our visit list, and wanted to share a review below in case others were interested!
I lived in comfies during the trip, in particular Varley Doublesoft pieces which I may have developed a slight addiction to. It’s very difficult to go back to other sweats after trying these. They’ve been worth the splurge given how often I reach for them, so much that they made it to my 2024 MVPs list!
Best luxe lounge set – Varley 25″ (petite friendly)
Top sold at: Nordstrom, Varley
Bottoms sold at: Nordstrom, Varley
See my review video. They also make various other tops and bottoms in the same fabric and colors for mix & matching.
Fabric: The Doublesoft fabric is buttery smooth and soft against the skin, and has become a little luxury for me when WFH. It’s medium weight, and doesn’t stretch or bag out on me after a day of wear. I throw on a long jacket for running out the door and it feels like a chic, elevated set versus just sweats.
Fit: Their 25″ inseam jogger is perfectly petite friendly for me at 5 ft tall, and I love the wider cuff bottom. Unfortunately, this size goes quickly and is often out of stock. I bought and reviewed this Davidson sweatshirt last spring and didn’t find the matching pants restocked til months later. The joggers also come in a longer 27.5″ length if you’re taller and don’t want a cropped style.
Just FYI, the pant pocket outline shows a little on the lightest colors, but I gave this a pass since everything else was a win. If this would bother you, go with a darker color!
I got these water-resistant Blondo boots last year and they’ve been a great everyday winter boot, even staying dry after sledding with the kids in the snow. The side zipper saves so much time, and they’re comfy for walking around the city without any breaking in. Fit wise, they’re TTS to slightly big. The 5.5 on me has plenty of room for a thicker sock.
Cliff House Maine Review
The Cliff House in Maine has been on my list for years and is very popular in the summertime (Chatham Bars Inn vibes, if you’re familiar), but also looked appealing for a cozy and relaxing winter getaway. The property is perched atop the cliffs of Maine, just a short 1 hour drive from Boston. It looks especially beautiful with a dusting of snow on the ground!
We booked 3 nights and had a nice time, but this was not a trip with a sightseeing itinerary or many activities to do. The nearby Maine towns were quiet with many seasonal businesses closed until summer. We rarely left the property, and the highlight was really just relaxing & spending time together as a family!
Rooms
The rooms were comfortable and clean, with family suites that have bunk beds for kids. I mentioned this in my Baha Mar review, but we usually book such hotels through a travel advisor that’s part of the Virtuoso / Fora travel network (I used Sharon @tsuiadventures), since they can get you hotel perks with no added cost!
The perks are usually a room upgrade (subject to availability), free breakfast for 2, and a hotel credit – similar to what Amex cardholders get. Since it was a slow period at this hotel, our advisor ended up getting us an upgrade to a spacious suite! This was one of our 2 bedrooms with coastal decor.
Room with king bed + sofa bed
Cliff House Activities & family-friendly aspects
As mentioned above, there’s not much to do in the area during off-season so we went just to relax.
Swimming. The kids love pool time so this was a top staycation criteria! There’s 3 pools on property: 1) fun-looking kids pool and splash area that’s open only in the summer, 2) outdoor pool overlooking the cliffs and ocean (for ages 13 and up during summer, open to everyone off-season), and 3) indoor pool.
Spa. Popular with a beautiful view. It was booked our entire stay, so we didn’t indulge.
Hot tub. Overlooking the ocean and cliffs. This was definitely a highlight for the adults.
Theatre. Plays 2 movies a day, usually a more kid friendly one in the afternoon.
Kids crafts. Limited options, but when we went, one day was a free DIY foam sailboat kit, and the next day was a Build-A-Bear style activity my kids enjoyed that was $25 per stuffie.
Live music. Fridays & Saturday nights by the lobby and Tiller restaurant.
Games library. Our kids took advantage of this daily, but the selection on any given day could be hit or miss. There’s also a few games in the cupboard outside of Tiller restaurant that we played while enjoying live music and having a casual dinner in that open area.
“Maine Station.” Behind the front desk and on each guest room floor are complimentary stations with cold/sparkling/hot water on tap, Keurig hot cocoa, coffee, tea, milks and apples. Rio’s little routine was to go get milk + an apple each AM, and hot cocoa each PM.
Large outdoor fire pit. This was on all day and they sell marshmallow roasting kits.
Walking trail. A half mile trail along the ocean side of the property that’s especially nice at sunrise if it’s not too frigid.
The hotel’s social media posts show magical videos of guests swimming outside while snow is falling, so I was under the impression that the outdoor pool would be a fun winter experience. Boy was I wrong! My clumsy self actually ended up falling into the outdoor pool, so I can attest that it is VERY frigid and absolutely no one was using it. The outdoor hot tub, on the other hand, was perfectly steamy. We spent most of our time in the indoor pool, which was nothing special, but our kids enjoyed it nonetheless.
Cliff House Maine Hot Tub in the winter
Indoor pool
Board games library
Views at Tiller Restaurant
For onsite dining, we loved the views from Tiller restaurant where we had our daily “free” breakfast (perk from booking via a travel advisor), and usually did the more casual Nubb’s Lobster Shack for dinner when the kids were tired. Both have kids menus at a reasonable price.
A snap from the nearby town of York, Maine where we stopped by Nubble lighthouse, Ellis playground, and York 54 Pizza. Will def be back to this playground and eatery on our next visit! Homemade flatbread sandwiches (curry chicken is their specialty and it did not disappoint), good pizza, and lots of tasty gelato & custard flavors.
I hope you guys are staying warm! I was super indecisive this year planning for our kids’ spring break, but finally booked something and look forward to checking it out & sharing next month!