Norumbega Getaway in Camden Maine

The Norumbega is good either in mid-October or any time of the year as Lisa and I can attest to. Lisa and I went up to Camden, Maine and stayed at Norumbega Castle. It’s not a castle in the real sense of the word and would qualify more like a large English manor.

Since Lisa is doing a series of articles on Castles in New England, we wanted to get a few photographs of Norumbega, and the tower on Mount Battie, so this seemed like a good place to stay overnight.

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Norumbega Inn

It’s early April and just starting to warm up as we arrived in Camden, Maine. The day was sunny, if not quite warm in the low 50’s, as we slid open the antique wood and glass entry pocket door to be greeted by Linda, the hostess.

Lisa and I were worried that as beautiful as this place is, it might be a bit pretentious, but our fears were soon allayed. Linda got us settled into our room and then gave us a tour of the inn. I would say the inn reflects history with modern amenities. However, it is not a museum. The inn is bright, the original woodwork gleams, and it has a comfortable lived-in atmosphere, so you do not feel like you have to sit on the edge of the furniture for fear of messing something up.

As we proceeded through the different areas of the building, Linda gave us the background history of the different families who have owned the property since it was first built back in the 1880s.

We explored the first floor with the sitting room parlor with a baby grand piano, if you are so inclined to play, a library, a formal dining room, and the breakfast room. Then we moved upstairs, past the unusual landing with a fireplace and built-in corner seat, in some of the unoccupied bedrooms.

The room that Lisa had picked was in the lower garden level and our outside door opened onto a small deck on the East lawn and facing Penobscot Bay. Our view of the bay was limited though, due to the trees at the far end of the property. Once we got to the second-floor bedrooms and looked out the windows facing Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay, we decided we would be staying in one of those rooms next time.

Dinner is available upon request, but we didn’t provide advance notice which is required so Chef Phil can prepare a meal created with the freshest local ingredients. Linda gave us suggestions for some places to eat downtown.

After we had dinner at Cappy’s Chowder House in Camden (2 min. away), we walked around downtown and did some window shopping. Update 2021-Cappy’s is no longer in business

Camden is a quaint seaside town with many outdoor activities year-round.

When we arrived back at the inn, Linda once again greeted us, and finding it was my birthday, poured a glass of wine for us. We sat by a roaring fire in the sitting room parlor. Soon we headed to our room and slept soundly on the custom-made mattresses and the high-quality Cuddledown sheets and duvet-covered quilt, all made in Maine. The bed was very comfy after a long day of travel.

Nice little touches throughout, such as the Keurig coffee makers in common areas on every floor with shortbread cookies, bath salts for the tub, and super soft bathrobes.

In the morning, we sampled Chef Phil Crispo’s culinary expertise at breakfast (he’s also one of the owners) which is included with your stay, and it was simply one of the best we’ve had. There is a choice of a sweet or savory breakfast and started with a three-grain oatmeal, and pastries which were mini cinnamon rolls and sausage-bacon-onion biscuits.

We chose the sweet selection for the entrée, blueberry and lavender pancakes served with golden Maine maple syrup and bacon on the side. They were presented as you would expect in any high-end restaurant. There was real substance to these pancakes to go with the presentation. In addition, we had freshly squeezed orange juice and French press coffee brought to our table.

As with most bed-and-breakfasts, we conversed with the other patrons staying there which is one of the best parts about staying in a place like this.

Their mission statement is “simple things done exceptionally well” and Lisa and I agree that they accomplished their mission fully. From start to finish, this overnight trip was superb!

The next day we walked to the tower on Mount Battie (a long walk up) seen here from the town.