fiance and i managed to sneak away last week for a night away in portland, maine which was exactly what we needed. no work, no chores, no stress, no cooking or cleaning, no responsibilities... just wandering from one brewery to the next, a delicious dinner on the ocean, yummy snacks, bed early, and, most importantly, time together with zero distractions.
we used to try planning some sort of getaway on nearly a monthly basis.. ranging anywhere from a plane ride to aruba, to a road trip to washington d.c, to a quick night away in boston.. thank god for blessing me with a man who loves to explore and travel as much as i do. mostly, my favorite part of getaways are the moments we get to spend together without a care in the world. please don't get me wrong.. i LOVE our life at home, it truly is amazing.. but with our crazy busy schedules and most days seeing each other in passing if we're lucky, nights away keep us sane and give us something to look forward to.
with that being said, over the last year we have not had the chance to get away AT ALL.. we snuck away to boston as our christmas gift to each other for one night and THAT WAS IT! my wanderlust soul was struggling. but now that we've both finally starting to settle into our new schedules (sort of), we've been booking away. maine. disney world. nantucket. punta cana. probably hawaii. yay!!
okay, lets talk portland. what a charming little city with an abundance of breweries, quaint restaurants, cozy cafes, and cobblestone streets. i typically prefer to visit destinations like this during off season when everything is a little less busy, hotels are cheaper, and traffic is at a minimum.
how to make the most of 24 hours in portland
where we stayed:
we stayed at the portland regency hotel and spa which is centrally located in the old port and to so many restaurants, shops and the waterfront. since we typically prefer to walk to dinner, this was the perfect location. the hotel was clean, rooms and bathrooms large and they valet park your car. they even give you an umbrella when you forget yours and it's raining! the hotel has an awesome bar called armory lounge with a "mile long" martini list and cozy seats. last trip to this hotel, ben and i grabbed two oversized chairs and sipped on late night cappuccinos.
where we ate:
we basically ate our way around portland.. my kind of vacation! we arrived around lunch time and headed straight to duckfat for their infamous poutine topped with duck confit. OUT OF THIS WORLD.
after feeling a little tipsy from our brewery/winery hopping (see below), we needed a snack before heading to the hotel to get ready for dinner. bam bam bakery is an exclusive gluten free bakery we tried and were definitely not disappointed.. lets be honest, i'm really hard to disappoint if you feed me sweets! we sipped on espresso and munched on coffee cake and gingersnap cookies.
i usually do research for restaurants to check out before we go away but we almost never actually go to them. we've found the best food by word of mouth. we ask everyone where they recommend to eat. once again, we found an amazing place for dinner on the waterfront called scales. from the front door, it looks like you're walking into a hole in the wall.. then you get through the doors and enter a rustic and open atmosphere with floor to ceiling windows and THE BEST seafood. we started with oysters.. probably my favorite food (minus cookies).. which were uniquely served in a divot on the bar. for dinner, ben got a scallop dish and i got the seafood stew - SO GOOD. and dessert was some sort of cartelized banana sundae. my mouth is watering.
we really just wanted donuts for breakfast the next morning but last time we tried this plan we ended up with bellyaches. this time we decided to eat a real meal before donuts. breakfast was another word of mouth recommendation at the porthole. this restaurant is also on the waterfront with mostly your typical breakfast menu. the home fries were delicious and the rest of the meal was underwhelming. try to avoid the bar and sit at a table instead- the barstools are too small and too close to the bar.. i had to get up to straighten my knees a few times (getting old).
finally, donuts! holy donut is a little shop with amazing donuts, all made from maine potatoes. prepare to wait in line but the donuts are completely worth it! i got a gluten free version of their bestseller the dark chocolate sea salt donut. you're safe with any flavor - they all melt in your mouth.
things to do:
allagash brewery offers beer flights but also have a large variety of beers you can buy by the glass. ben and i each got a different brew and shared them. i loved their new james bean beer with its subtle coffee and bourbon flavors. also, the people that work there are super nice. i think it's maine, everyone is nice! ben wanted to try a beer that was not on the tasting list so they just cracked open a bottle from the to go section!
next we headed to bissell brothers.. well, that was the initial intention.. except i found a winery next door and convinced ben to take me there first. cellar door winery was easily the most beautiful building i've ever been in. tall ceilings, multiple massive stone counters for tasting, walls filled with wine bottles, pink chairs, sparkling chandeliers. and of course, yummy wine! my favorite was their blueberry and maple syrup dessert wine called "treasure." after our tasting, we made our way to bissell brother.
bissell brothers is an IPA lovers dream brewery. they have a large taproom and offer beers by the glass. they also have cool apparel and a limited selection of cans to purchase for later. we tried 4 small pours in the taproom.. i've been loving stouts lately except i'm not sure the name of the one we tried here. but, every beer is worth sampling! oh my goodness, i almost forgot! if you visit this brewery or the winery, MAKE SURE YOU PAY FOR PARKING! we didn't see the sign (it was posted high up on a lamp post) and ended up with a parking ticket as a souvenir.. ugh.
the lighthouse at fort williams park called portland head light is a lovely place to visit.. i imagine a great place to walk puppies too! the scenery is beautiful.. so beautiful, in fact, that my friend is getting married there this summer!
please share your favorite spots to visit in portland!
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