Stay: The Chadwick Bed & Breakfast

Earlier this month my mom and I took a mother / daughter road trip to Portland, ME. Though I have been to several other towns in Maine, I have never explored Portland. 

You may remember that in 2015 traveling to Portland was on my list of new year's resolutions. I made 15 resolutions for 2015 (the marketer in me couldn't resist) and I accomplished 13 of them. Visiting Portland was one of two resolutions I didn't achieve (the other was taking a cooking class at BCAE). 

When my mom suggested we visit Portland together, I was thrilled. She had been many times before, so I knew we wouldn't be totally lost and that she would veto anything she already knew was underwhelming. 

Our game plan was to leave for Portland from my office (in Cambridge, right by the entrance to 93 near the Museum of Science) at 1:00pm on Friday in hopes of getting ahead of the rush hour traffic. In my mind, I kept telling myself, "This may take four hours, but it will be worth it." In my past experience driving to a friend's house in Biddeford, ME twice a year (which is 15 miles closer to Boston) traffic on 95 toward Maine is brutal. Always.

In what can only be described as a road trip miracle, we made it from my office to our B&B in exactly two hours!

The Chadwick Bed & Breakfast would be our home base for the weekend. My mom had been in charge of researching hotels and at one point we thought we might be bringing Scout. Once I decided to have him stay home with a dog sitter, my mom was overjoyed she could book us at The Chadwick. 

As you can see, The Chadwick has boat loads of charm. 

There are two rocking chairs on the front porch where can sit with your morning coffee and watch the world go by. 

We also noticed a sign by the front door indicating the building is a protected Portland landmark! 

When we opened the front door to the B&B I knew I was going to love it because the very first thing I saw was a table with maps and brochures that was also home to a giant jar of M&Ms. 

We were greeted by a member of the B&B's staff, who gave us a tour. We started in the living room which was bathed in natural light. 

The nautical theme runs throughout the entire home, but was especially noticeable in the living room. 

In the far corner is a bookcase packed with games. I saw a few of my childhood favorites including Rummikub and Pictionary. 

On the side table next to the couch I found more chocolate! I was falling more in love with this place by the minute! 

On the opposite side of the couch, the table was topped with a book called Lighthouses: A Pop-Up Gallery.

The book was incredible. I really want to get it for my three year old cousin Max who is very into building, construction and trucks. I think he would be mesmerized by the height of each pop-up. 

On the other side of the room was a sitting area with two leather chairs. Another great spot for coffee or reading the paper. 

In front of the chairs was a spread of Maine-centric magazines. These were all over the B&B, in all the communal spaces and in our rooms. It was really fun to read up about the neighborhoods we'd be wandering through. 

The Chadwick also offers a computer for any guest to use. I had decided not to bring my laptop on this trip, so I was grateful for the access to a computer when we wanted to quickly check the closing time or menu of a place on our list. 

Next to the computer is a patterned arm chair that has one special purpose - to look at menus. In the binder to the left of the chair is nothing but local restaurant menus. I mean, is this my kind of place or what? 

Perhaps the most important feature of the living room is the wine cabinet. The B&B works with a local sommelier on their wine offerings. If you want to enjoy a bottle, simply take it up to your room and tell a staff member at breakfast the next morning so they can note it. 

In true Maine fashion, there is a lobster wine opener. 

Across the foyer is the dining room. As a bed and breakfast implies, The Chadwick does serve breakfast every morning between 8:00am - 9:30am. 

If you are hungry earlier or need a snack later in the day, there is a fully stocked area with two fridges and a cornucopia of treats. 

This is nicer than my kitchen at home! 

The Chadwick had a litany of tea choices. You could also grab a granola bar or a piece of fruit. 

There are jars with ground coffee and hot cocoa powder. You can make a cup anytime you like.

The Chadwick puts little sweaters on all their tea cups. How cute! 

The best and most important item in the snack station is the cookie jars. They are baked fresh daily in the B&B's kitchen. 

All of the snacks and drinks in this area are complimentary for guests. We were pretty amazed. 

That concluded the tour of the downstairs area, so we headed upstairs to see our rooms. 

My mom would be staying in the Longfellow Room, which was gorgeous. 

Her bed was fit for a queen! 

The nautical touches continued upstairs, including this painting over the headboard. 

And of course there was lighthouse themed decor as well. 

Her room had a sitting area, which she used to read or scroll on her phone while it was charging. In between those two chairs is an electric fireplace. 

All of the rooms at The Chadwick have smart TVs, meaning, you can watch Netflix, Hulu and more. I was pretty excited about that. 

All the rooms also have fresh flowers, a very lovely addition. 

Surprise, surprise - more chocolate! We each had four Lindor truffles in our silver tray on our dressers. The Chadwick also offers discount Uber codes for first time riders. 

In the Longfellow Room, the bathroom is attached and is painted a margarita green. 

It gets lots of natural light. 

The bathroom is quite spacious. The walls in here were also decorated with boats and shorelines. 

My room, the Baxter Room, was down a private hallway. I had my very own reading nook with a beautiful leather chair and ottoman. 

When I opened the door I was a bit shocked to see that my room was so much smaller than my mom's . . . until I realized I had a balcony! #winning 

The French doors allowed light to come pouring in, which made the room feel much bigger.

I kept the curtains open at all times of day, only closing them when I was ready to go to sleep. 

The balcony had two wicker chairs and a table that could easily fit two glasses of wine (and maybe some more chocolate). 

My bed was outrageously comfortable. Whenever I was in my room I was lying on the bed reading or watching Netflix. 

As I mentioned before, all of the rooms have smart TVs, which was amazing. I finished the last two episodes of a series I had been watching all month and then my mom and I started watching The Chef's Table on Netflix (which I had been hearing about, but never saw). You'll notice in the photos below that like my mom's room, my room also had an electric fireplace. 

When I went to hang up my dresses and jackets, I discovered two white fluffy robes on the door. You better believe I wore that robe all weekend! 

The Baxter Room does not have an attached bathroom, but the bathroom is just three steps across the hall. Since it's a totally private hallway, you don't need to worry about running into anyone.

The bathroom is enormous! It's almost as big as the bedroom! 

This bathroom has a shower and a tub (the Longfellow Room has a shower only). The Chadwick also has the fluffiest bath towels I have ever experienced. I never wanted to get dressed! 

My bathroom was decorated with bright paintings of beach cottages. 

My only complaint about the bathroom was that it had zero counter space. As someone who likes to spread out her toiletries and makeup, that was a bit of a challenge. 

As you can easily see, The Chadwick is charming and cozy in every single room. As an added bonus, the B&B also has a lush, green backyard. 

If you walk down the brick path it leads to a fire pit. The fire pit is available to all guests at any time.

There are so many reasons why we loved our stay at The Chadwick. First of all, there is one parking spot for every room, so you don't have to worry about paying a fortune in a downtown garage. The team that runs the B&B is wonderful. We met Scot, the owner, and he was so kind and friendly and offered us great tips for our stay. The assistant innkeeper, Erin, was the happy face that greeted us every morning at breakfast. The first day she made banana bread pancakes, the second day eggs benedict with home fries. Carnie, the team member who checked us in, gave us really helpful suggestions for when to walk, when to drive and when to Uber. She also let us in on a local secret - the Portland Art Museum is free on Friday afternoons. We absolutely took advantage of that! 

The B&B's location is also great. It's about a 10 minute walk to Congress Stree which has the Portland Art Museum, the Children's Museum of Maine and tons of restaurants, including the highly Instagrammed Nosh. 

If you are planning a trip to Portland this fall, I highly recommend The Chadwick.