White Barn Inn

Situated by the ocean, The White Barn Inn And Spa is a great choice for a stay in Kennebunk. Guests can grab a bite to eat at one of the 2 restaurants and visit the spa to be pampered with deep-tissue massages, detox wraps, or body wraps. An outdoor pool and a bar/lounge are other highlights, and rooms at this upscale hotel offer up nice touches like rainfall showerheads and down comforters.

Oh, yeah. The inn also has Maine's best restaurant (a $73 prix fixe).

Ask about seasonal getaway packages for lodging and dinner ($264-$492).

The elegant New England décor is unfussy, almost rustic, changing each season with an array of local flora seen through windows and on each table in the restaurant's luxurious dining rooms. You are somewhere special. Quirky sculptures top the white-linen-covered tables at which you’ll encounter classic European service that yields a sense of consummate hospitality. Chef Jonathan Cartwright's...

For a romantic overnight stay, look no further than the exclusive White Barn Inn, known for its attentive, pampering service. No detail has been overlooked in the meticulously appointed rooms, from plush bedding and reading lamps to robes and slippers. Some quarters have fireplaces, hot tubs, and luxurious baths with steam showers. Formally attired waiters, careful service, and exquisite food...

Dining at the White Barn should be on those life-lists that crop up everywhere these days. British-born Jonathan Cartwright, the chef since 1994, oversees a 25-person kitchen staff to create such in-season fancies as English pea soup with a Maine shrimp fritter, or seared local halibut filet on a spring morel. The lobster spring roll is a dazzling surprise; the intermezzo includes Kennebunkport...

Like the varsity athlete who has a good personality and gets straight As, the White Barn Inn is blessed with plenty. The setting near downtown Kennebunkport. The Relais & Châteaux restaurant. Moulton Brown toiletries, a brimming infinity swimming pool, and a spa with outsize treatment chambers. There's even a 44-foot Hinckley for Champagne picnics along the Maine coast (Gooch's Beach is a...

As a young boy Jonathan Cartwright wanted to be a cyclist and win the Tour de France. But at the age of 15 he discovered cooking and became more interested in wearing a white apron than the yellow jersey. These days he is a respected and dedicated chef who has turned the White Barn Inn into a great place to eat as well as a peaceful elegant place to stay and a unique centre of relaxation. In...