Kennebunkport Captains Collection Review

Man sitting on steps of white hotel entrance — ***Kennebunkport, Maine***

This collection of historic mansions in Kennebunkport is the perfect place to stay for summer, a fall getaway, or the town’s Christmas Prelude celebration.

HYATT LOYALTY HIGHLIGHTS

No Hyatt status recognition. This is a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel, meaning typical benefits do not apply. Officially, Globalists are entitled to room upgrades upon check-in, based on availability.

HOTEL BRAND OVERVIEW

The Mr & Mrs Smith brand acquired by Hyatt reflects a collection of boutique hotels across the world. Within this brand, Kennebunkport Captains Collection is part of Lark Hotels, which has boutique properties in New England and California.

Exterior view of yellow mansion with dark blue shutters — *Mr & Mrs Smith hotels, such as Kennebunkport Captains Collection, are boutique properties with a footprint all over the world*

BOOKING

Given that Mr & Mrs Smith hotels do not follow the Hyatt award chart, it rarely makes sense to book them using points. As a result, I opted to pay cash for this stay and booked through Hyatt (instead of directly through the hotel) so that I could earn points and qualifying nights toward Globalist status.
Kennebunkport, like most towns in Maine, is highly seasonal. As a result, the hotel cash rates vary greatly based on the time of year, with the peak being in summer starting at about $500-600 per night. I went during foliage in October and the cash rates were a little lower, starting at $400-500 per night.
Note to those traveling with children: the majority of rooms have a maximum occupancy of two, including infants. Only a few rooms at the hotel accommodate a third person with a roll-away cot and they charge $50 extra per night.

LOCATION

This property is located in Kennebunkport, Maine, which is an easy 30 minute drive south of the Portland airport (PWM). We opted to rent a car, which I recommend as opposed to relying on rideshare services.
The hotel itself is a less than 10 minute walk to downtown Kennebunkport. If you haven’t visited before, Kennebunkport is an idyllic Maine town known for its beaches, excellent dining options, and historical real estate. A number of celebrities spend time here, with the most famous being the Bush family with their large compound.

Kennebunk town welcome sign located on bridge — *Kennebunkport is known for being a summer haven for the wealthy*

PROPERTY OVERVIEW

The Captains Collection is made up of four historic mansions, all located around the same block. When you book a room on the Hyatt platform, the differentiation between them isn’t clear. As a result, I recommend you visit the hotel’s website for more detail. During our stay, I loved that the property encouraged us to visit each of the houses. Here is a brief overview with my observations of the four houses:
- Nathanial Lord Mansion: the main house where reception is located. There are 16 rooms ranging in size, including suites. Being the largest, it has the biggest breakfast spread in the morning.
- James Farfield House: this is the house we stayed in. The aesthetic has more pops of color and some modern twists relative to the other houses. At check-in, we were told that the style was a bit “funky,” which worried us a bit. However, we could only see this in limited examples, such as the dark purple and black leopard print carpet on the stairs. It has 9 rooms in total, with 8 of them having fireplaces, which was the primary draw for us.
- William Jefferds House: for our next visit to the Captains Collection, we will opt to stay in this house. We loved the aesthetic most, which reminded me more of a beach house in the Hamptons with historical touches. There are 10 rooms in this house, plus a carriage house that has 6 rooms.
- Acton Patterson House: this is the smallest house of the four, which makes it popular for families and groups to rent out. The aesthetic is more masculine, with its artwork and darker tones. It has multiple smaller common areas to lounge with fireplaces, plus a screened sun porch.

Map of Kennebunkport Captains Collection property, showing location of four houses — *The property is comprised of four historic mansions*

Yellow historic mansion with dark blue window shades and white trimmings — *Nathanial Lord Mansion - The main house*

Four gold velvet chairs with a light red wallpaper in the foreground — *Nathanial Lord Mansion - Where all guests check in upon arrival*

Brick fireplace with gold wallpaper — *Nathanial Lord Mansion - A cozy living room with a fireplace*

White house with gold lantern in front affixed with "Welcome to James Fairfield House" sign — *James Fairfield House - Known for its relatively quirkier interior*

Entryway of historic mansion, with stairwell leading to second floor — *James Fairfield House - Two stories, with the living room and dining room on the first floor*

Living room with dark blue walls, fireplace, and chess table — *James Fairfield House - A cozy place to read, play chess, or enjoy a glass of wine*

White house with dark blue shutters. Tree with orange leaves in front with foliage on the ground. — *William Jefferds House - The second largest house on property*

Fire place with blue painted brick and white mantel — *William Jefferds House - A lighter color aesthetic with great natural light*

Living room with white sofa and four seats, with brown wooden table in the middle — *William Jefferds House - The rooms reminded me of summer in the Hamptons*

White house with dark blue shutters and three red brick chimineas — *Acton Patterson House - The smallest house on property, making it an fitting option for guests wanting to rent out an entire house*

Old fashioned looking kitchen with wooden furniture — *Acton Patterson House - The aesthetic is a bit more masculine / darker*

Gray couch with two portraits above it, one of a man and the other of a woman — *Acton Patterson House - There are multiple seating areas on the first floor, including a screened-in porch*

CHECK IN

We checked in on a Wednesday in October, when the hotel was not as full (occupancy shot up around the weekend). As we drove down from Portland, we were glad to see there was plenty of parking around the hotel, including an electric charging station for EVs.
Reception is located in the Nathanial Lord Mansion on the first floor. There are steps up into the house - something to note if you have accessibility concerns, as there are no elevators in any of the houses. There isn’t someone outside to help you with luggage, but if you do need assistance, you can ask someone at reception.
At check-in, the room we booked was confirmed. No upgrade or mention of Hyatt or my status. The front desk staff member then gave us an overview of the property and walked us around the first floor of the main house. She described the complimentary breakfast and highlighted the fresh chocolate chip cookies that are put out for guests every afternoon in each of the houses - yum!
They do not sell alcohol on property, but if you would like to buy a bottle of wine to enjoy, there is a shop down the street.

Brass key with a chain that has the letters "KCC" enscribed — *The hotel provides guests with traditional room keys, something I haven’t experienced in a long time*

ROOM

We stayed in the Fairfield Deluxe King with Fireplace. Immediately when walking into the room, I loved that you could see a beautiful, colorful tree outside of the window. It felt perfect for a fall getaway.
A little welcome gift of chocolates was in the room, which was a nice touch.
One of the reasons we reserved this room was for the fireplace. While it was lovely to have, the room got too warm for our liking with it on, so we didn’t keep it on for very long at any given time.
While the bathroom was small, it felt clean and looked renovated. My only real issue with the room was that the shower pressure was very low during our stay.
The bed was very comfortable, with sheets that felt extra soft!

Two blue chairs with one decorative pillow each, white table in between them, and a window in the foreground — *The view from our room was of a beautifully colored tree - perfect for our fall getaway*

White king sized bed with gold accent blanket and two lamps on either side — *Our room had a king sized bed with extra soft sheets*

Tall and narrow modern black fireplace — *The modern fireplace worked well, but felt a bit too warm for the space in fall*

Bag of Bixby chocolates — *A lovely welcome gift of Maine chocolates greeted us in the room*

Hotel room with gold wallpaper and white accents, two blue chairs, a window, and a white bed — *The deluxe room size felt comfortable for two people (which is the maximum occupancy, including infants/children)*

White bathroom sink with mirror above it — *Not a lot of room to store toiletries, but the bathroom felt nicely renovated*

Shower with white tile and glass door and white toilet seat — *My only real issue with the room was that the shower water pressure was very low during our stay*

Lather lavender lime moisturizer and a bar of face soap — *The Lather products in the bathroom were lovely*

Two white robes hanging and a luggage rack on the ground of a closet — *Two robes were in the room, plus one luggage rack*

Window with a large tree full of orange leaves outside — *From the hallway of the second floor, you can look out and see your parked car*

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is included for all guests and served outside of the kitchen of each house. The spread was small, but quality was good. Consistent items included coffee, tea, juices, yogurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, baked goods, and fresh fruit. Each day they had a different homemade quiche, with my favorite being the bacon gouda. There was plenty of space for people to sit in the dining room, but you could also take plates to your room, if you prefer.

Bacon gouda quiche in a clear circular baking pan — *A different quiche was served each morning*

Coffee in a thermos with bowls of sugar — *Freshly brewed coffee was set out each morning*

Art of Tea bags on wooden shelves — *An assortment of teas was available*

Long wooden table with blue chairs and a red carpet — *Guests can choose from a variety of seating options for breakfast, with this being the largest table*

Two gold velvet chairs with white marble table in between — *My wife and I opted for this smaller table - we loved the beautiful chairs*

NEARBY ACTIVITIES

The most accessible activity from the hotel is the few minute walk to downtown Kennebunkport. It’s a charming area to explore, with many cute shops, including a candy store for any sweet tooths. Given that the town’s peak season is summer, a small minority of businesses, such as The Clam Shack, were closed for the season.
One of my favorite things to do in a new city is a walking tour. I signed us up for “A Walk Through Time in Kennebunkport - Celebrating 200+ Years!” It was a wonderful way to explore the area, with so many beautiful old homes highlighted, and learn about the history.
To complement the walking tour, we also did a trolley tour. It picked us up at a stop that was a 5 minute walk from our hotel. We were able to see much more of the area this way, including the Bush family compound and the entrance to Patrick Dempsey’s summer house (for any Grey’s Anatomy lovers out there). The driver pointed out one mansion on the water that is only used once per year by the family, just for the 4th of July - it shows you the kind of wealth that can be found in the area.
Given that we had a rental car, we also explored outside of town. If you’re looking to do a little outdoor activity, we took a stroll around the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge. This was about a 15-20 minute drive away from the hotel. The autumn leaves made it a beautiful place to visit!
As foodies, we checked out two of the top restaurants in Maine: Earth at Hidden Pond and White Barn Inn. Both are farm-to-table restaurants that offer multi-course meals. I loved the meals at each of them, as well as the ambiance. Tip: definitely make a reservation weeks in advance for both.

Walking tour group standing in front of historic white house — *If you’re a fan of history and walking tours, we enjoyed “A Walk Through Time in Kennebunkport - Celebrating 200+ Years!”*

Pumpkin decorated with face paint and affixed with arms and legs — *The town had fun decorations starting to pop up in preparation for Halloween*

Man sitting on bench surrounded with orange foliage — *As an outdoor activity, we took a lovely stroll around the nearby wildlife refuge to enjoy the foliage*

Giant pumpkin in window of dark lit barn — *We enjoyed some amazing meals in Kennebunkport, including this one at White Barn Inn - you can see the giant pumpkin in the window!*

SUMMARY

Kennebunkport Captains Collection is a wonderful couple’s getaway, whether to enjoy a Maine summer, to see the beautiful foliage in fall, or celebrate Christmas Prelude in December. Looking forward to returning!

Man's face in "greetings from Kennebunkport" sign with cut outs for photo op — *Looking forward to visiting Kennebunkport again!*

Kennebunkport Captains Collection

The Beekman

Thompson Chicago

Follow me on Instagram