We happened on York Beach quite by accident. It was a happy accident, considering that it was our first trip to Maine. We loved our time in York Beach, and left with a wonderful first impression.

It was October, and my husband, son and I were driving along the coast when we came upon the Katahdin Inn. My husband wanted to go in and inquire about spending the night.

"It’s probably closed," I predicted. "I bet it’s off-season."

"Well, let’s see," he said hopefully and went on in. He soon returned with a big smile. "Very off-season," he told us, meaning that he liked the rates.



So we stayed. Inside it was beautiful and I was pleased – until I saw our room. It was very white. Now I have nothing against white, mind you, the room was beautiful. I was just concerned about keeping it white with a young boy in the room.

Somehow, everything stayed clean, and we enjoyed our stay immensely. The inn was just across the road from the beach, and from the front porch you could look out over the ocean. We walked the beach, built sandcastles, and visited nearby Nubble Lighthouse.

At night, we’d sit out on the porch with innkeepers Bob and Rae and their visiting friends from out of state. One night we all took a walk by moonlight. By the time we left, we felt like friends, too.

Our bedroom window looked out at the ocean – I never tired of that view, whether I was seeing it from our room or from the porch down below. At night, the sounds of waves and the scent of the ocean wafted into our room – and our dreams.

At one point during our stay, our son expressed surprise at hearing that we had paid for our stay. After some questioning, I discovered that he thought that we had simply stopped at someone’s house and asked to spend the night! We still laugh about that, although his impression is testament to the friendliness and warmth we were shown by the Bob and Rae.

We had excitedly made plans to return the next year, but life sometimes gets in the way of the best-laid plans, and we haven’t found our way back to York Beach – yet. Today I dug out the brochure for the Katahdin Inn, and when my husband gets home, I’ll show it to him. York Beach, here we come again!

Note: I recently contacted Bob and Rae Leblanc and happily, the Katahdin Inn is still in business. In fact, the couple recently decided to operate the inn year-round. Visit their website at The Katahdin Inn or call (207) 363-1824 for more information.