by Eric J. Hurwitz
VisitingNewEngland Hotel Guide

Hotel names within coastal regions can be misleading. Pick a place blindly out of a travel guide advertisement with the words “mist,” “ocean,” or “sea,” and you could very well find yourself located right next to an endless highway of strip malls and fast food chains, miles from the ocean.

Of course, the remedy is to research your potential lodging destination before falling to these misleading monikers. After some trial and error, we found the Katahdin Inn in York Beach, to be the “real deal,” a place with a “wide screen tv view” of the ocean as opposed to a “14-inch screen,” or no view at all.

Beautifully situated on Short Sands Beach in the heart of York Beach, Maine, the Katahdin Inn resides majestically across from a great stretch of sand beach and the rocky Maine coast in a well-maintained yellow, 19th-century Victorian home. With an inviting front porch with rockers and, inside, nine cozy small-to-modest-sized guest rooms (some with private baths), the Katahdin Inn serves as the perfect vacation getaway whether it be for a romantic weekend, or a family vacation.

The Katahdin Inn has a cozy common room and a side sun room with sweeping views of the ocean.
More of a “bed and beach” than a “bed and breakfast,” the Katahdin Inn not only has the quarter-mile Short Sands Beach in the “front yard,” but also close proximity to all shops, restaurants with delicious lobster dinners and New England clam chowder, and attractions in family-friendly York Beach. The famous Nubble Lighthouse and the landmark Brown’s Ice Cream are also within walking distance, as well as spectacular sea captian’s homes along the way. York Beach, in southern Maine, really proves that you don’t have to travel far into Maine to get a true “Downeast” feeling.

Innkeepers Bob and Rae LeBlanc are very friendly, accommodating people — the perfect couple to run an inn. They always go the extra mile to create a nice lodging environment for you.

The bottom line, however, is that you won’t have to go the extra mile to experience the marvelous ocean views on your Maine vacation. At the Katahdin Inn, you can go to sleep with the gentle roar of the ocean and, then, after a peaceful night’s sleep, walk out the front door and enjoy nature’s perfect coastal playground. It’s certainly better to get mist in your eyes from the ocean here, than be misty-eyed about ending up at a motel with a “mist” in its name — right next to a strip mall on a commercial “anytown USA” road. We’ll take the Katahdin Inn any day!

Katahdin Inn
, 11 Ocean Ave. Extension, York Beach, Maine 03910. Tel. (207) 363-1824