Truly cannot understand how anyone could rate their stay at Cliff House with anything other than 5 stars. My mom and I traveled to Maine from NYC for an end of summer weeklong getaway, and I can honestly say that our 2 night stay here was a top highlight of our entire trip (we went to Bar Harbor, Ogunquit, and Portland) and I will 10000% be coming back! Here is what you can expect during your stay:
Food: I've seen some bad reviews for The Tiller Restaurant on here, and also unsure as to why. Everything from the cliffside views to the food was stellar. We began our experience here during brunch. I ordered the short rib and fried oyster eggs Benedict with chipotle hollandaise which was absolutely delicious and filling (I'm huge on brunch and this was comparable to a NYC brunch). The Bloody Mary was also yummy! For dinner that night we did not make reservations as we had originally planned to eat dinner in Ogunquit, however we literally could not peel ourselves away from this place. The Tiller Restaurant was booked for the night however they allowed us to do takeaway and sit at a table nearby the restaurant which felt very cozy. We ordered the Maine mussels which were hands down one of the best dishes of our entire trip to Maine! They had a bacon-y taste to them which was so tasty. The game meatballs were also great. We ate here the next night as well, and loved the scallops. I will say that the cheese board was so meager that we couldn't help but speak up (which I HATE to do but we love to make our own charcuterie at home and this portion did not fit the price). Our server Rick was so understanding and took care of refunding us immediately. The sea salt caramel ice cream sandwich is also a MUST.
The Spa: A must do. While my massage was very relaxing, one of my favorite parts of the spa experience was the "sanctuary" where you could sit in your spa robes, drink Prosecco, and look out onto the ocean views. Pictures don't do it justice but this view was unreal. My mom also really loved her masseuse, Caitlin! The sauna was relaxing but the steam room was way too hot, so we stayed in there for .5 seconds and jumped out.
The Pool: A great way to meet new people and soak up the sun! I loved laying on the chairs by the cliffside area rather than the pool, but we did meet some really friendly people by sitting at the pool.
Rooms: Fluffy beds, fleece robes, amazing smelling shampoo. Need I say more. The balcony was a nice, quiet place to lounge in our robes drinking the coffee that was included and reading our books.
Staff: Each and every person we came into contact with was incredibly friendly and helpful. Drew from the concierge is probably the sweetest person I've ever met, and was such a nice representation of the place upon check-in! He gave us great suggestions for brunch/dinner in town (The Greenery Cafe/Crooked Pine), and was someone we felt we could come to for anything. When we changed our minds 10x a day about whether we wanted a taxi to go into town or to stay at the hotel for dinner (we stayed at the hotel), Shahlar and Shirin at the concierge were incredibly accommodating to our changing (and probably annoying) needs. Special shoutouts to Nathan, Jana, and Rick at The Tiller Restaurant who provided impeccable service throughout our stay and made us feel so special. I can't stress enough just how friendly each person was!
*I have no relation to anyone who works here, I just really loved the staff and my experience here.
**I used some credit card miles for this stay as it is pricey. Worth looking into and worth every dollar. read more