Honeymoons: Honeymoon Nearby

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Kennebunkport, Maine

We’d been on the road for hours with an audiobook that had failed to enthrall. Then we got a little turned around and had to call for directions. It was dark, and we were hungry. But as soon as we stepped into the warm, welcoming lodge at Hidden Pond, our cares evaporated into the cool night air.

Set on a secluded 60-acre parcel of birch and balsam, Hidden Pond is composed of 14 one- and two-bedroom cottages strung along a couple of lanes surrounding a main lodge. Right away this spells privacy of a kind you rarely have in a hotel—no running into other people in the hallway, or late-night revelers upstairs to keep you awake. You can hole up in your little home as much as you please.

And the cottages are wonderful, each individually decorated with an artful marriage of rustic and contemporary decor: beadboard walls, wood floors and stone fireplaces, along with a gleaming open-plan kitchen, two flat-screen TVs, a DVR and Bose radio. There are lots of natural touches—a bit of driftwood here, a bowl of pinecones there and lots of birch accents. Among the nicest features are the large screened porches with ample room for dining and a comfy wicker sitting area. You’ll be spending a lot of your time here. (Another place we’re betting honeymooners will spend time: the rustic, utterly private outside shower, a throwback to vacation cottages past, just steps from the back door of your bathroom.)

Our cottage, Silent Pine, was a two-bedroom, which was more space than we strictly needed but turned out to be great. The other bedroom became our staging area, the place we kept our suitcases, errant shoes and most of our stuff. This enabled us to keep the rest of the place a little tidier than usual.

Each morning there was a canvas pouch on the front porch containing a Thermos of hot coffee, fresh OJ, muffins and The New York Times. And a “Hidden Pond Ledger” with suggested activities for the day. (Every evening there’s a big bonfire for roasting marshmallows and s’mores.)

If you’re envisioning tennis at the crack of dawn or a zip line across a raging river, Hidden Pond’s probably not for you. For our much less ambitious purposes, however, it couldn’t have been more perfect. There’s a very nice pool and outdoor lounge at the lodge, hiking trails through the woods—and anytime you want, you can head over to the Bicycle Barn, pick up a bike and go exploring. Or the concierge can arrange a beach safari (there are four beaches in the vicinity), with umbrella, towels, picnic and sunscreen. Goose Rocks Beach, only 10 minutes away over blissfully flat terrain, was lovely, and not at all what we’ve come to expect of Maine beaches: that is, it was beautiful, powdery-white sand—not rocks.

The lodge has a good DVD library where you can pick up a movie to take back to your little lair, as well as games and puzzles. (There’s an on-property fitness center, but we gave it a wide berth, choosing to get our exercise the old-fashioned way—on foot or bike.)
A short hop away is downtown Kennebunkport, a truly lovely village with more than its share of interesting, artsy shops, and lots of good restaurants—and one great one, The White Barn Inn.

Hidden Pond has its own casual restaurant/pub that serves burgers, cheese plates and terrific lobster rolls, and there are personal chefs who will come and prepare a meal just for you in your cottage.

The big news is that when the resort reopens in May, there will be a lot more of Hidden Pond to love: 20 smaller bungalow-style cottages designed with romantic getaways in mind (one large room with vaulted ceiling, screened porch with outdoor fireplace, no kitchen), another swimming pool, an alfresco restaurant and treehouse spa-treatment rooms. —V.S.

For more info on Hidden Pond, call (888) 967-9050 or visit hiddenpondmaine.com.