Zara Body suit (similar here)
H&M Pants (last season, here’s this years version)
Loeffler Randall Boots
H&M Sweater
As I type, I’m headed back home from a long weekend in Portland Maine. My mom and I decided to do a mini girls trip to celebrate her birthday (September 8th). I knew nothing about Portland Maine before going and because work is super busy right now I didn’t get much of a chance to do my research. Luckily, Portland, Maine is a pretty popular tourist town and they make it quite easy to find things to do. After spending a few days there, I’m pretty confident in my Portland knowledge and wanted to share with you all just in case you we deciding to plan a trip there. Here’s my Weekend Guide to Portland Maine.
Getting There
Traveling to Portland was pretty easy, we drove. It was a 6 hour (5 hours with tolls) drive to get there from New York and it was a super easy, traffic free, ride. I would advise to take the toll route because it saves you an hour of travel and it’s only about $10 in tolls.
We left at about 12pm Friday and got to Portland at 7pm. I’m not huge a road trip fan but a road trip was on my Fall Bucket list, and this one wasn’t too bad of a drive.
Where to stay
We stayed at the Embassy Suite right near the Portland Jetport. The hotel was nice and clean and they also allowed pets which worked for us because we had Kobe with us.
The location of the hotel was also a huge plus because it was only 10 mins away from Old Portland, where we did most of our activities.
Though we thoroughly enjoyed our hotel, we did see some hotels in Old Portland that would be a lot more convenient to stay at, as they were right in the middle of everything. Of course, Hotels like that come at a premium so that’s something to take into consideration.
Where to eat
Eating was our favorite activities of the trip. We had quite a few nice meals while in Portland. One of the best thing about eating out there is that the service and hospitality are A1. We didn’t have one bad experience.
Here are some of my top picks for restaurants to try:
Scale
Scale was the first restaurant we went to and it was an amazing introduction to the Portland food scene. When we arrived, there was a huge line waiting to get in and we ended up having to wait for an hour but fortunately it was worth the wait. The food was excellent. I had some scallops that were to die for and their Corn and Crab soup had my mom feening for more the whole trip.
Fore Street
I was super excited to try Fore Street because it has rave reviews for it’s farm/sea to table concept. The menu also changes daily, so it kind of like a surprise on what you’re going to get. I got the the hanger steak which was cooked to perfection. My mom got the black bass and it was one of the freshest pieces of fish I’ve ever tasted.
The Holy Donut
The holy donut was another place where we had quite a line to wait in to get served. They are famous for their sweet potato donuts and after having the coffee cake version, I can see why.
Where to shop
We didn’t really go to Portland to shop but no girls weekend is complete without a little retail therapy. Portland has a huge mall that has all of your typical stores, which I perused for about an hour but I was really interest in the vintage/thrifting shops. We stopped in a shop, Find, that was supposed to be really popular (judging by the 10 minute line, it is ) but I didn’t really find anything that spoke to me.
On a quick stop at a CVS, we stumbled upon Material Objects and it really had a lot more to offer. They had a far better selection including vintage designer pieces. I ended up getting a cute vintage sweater that I can’t wait to rock this fall.
What to do / see
One of the things that makes Portland so special is it proximities to the water. Casco Bay is the body of water along the Old Portland area and its also where you can take a boat trip to see near by islands and Whales.
Boat Tours/ Whale Watching
On our first night in Portland, we were told that we had to go on a whale watching boat tour. Unfortunately, you need to book your whale watching tickets a few days in advance because they sell out so quickly so we ended up just taking a sightseeing boat right around Casco bay.
Brewery Tour
We didn’t end up going on to a Brewery tour but heard they are a good time if you are into beer
Spa / Southern Maine Massage and Wellness
because it was my mom’s birthday weekend, I wanted to do something special and ended up surprising her with a relaxing Spa day. My goal was for us to do it together but they had very limited availability. From what my mom says, both her massage and facial were divine. If you end up going, ask for Samantha (massage) and Marie (Facial).
Portland Head Lighthouse/ Ft. Williams Park
On the boat tour we went on, we saw three famous lighthouses around Portland, one of them the most famous, The Portland Head Lighthouse. Our tour guide told us that is was situation in a beautiful park and was also a museum. The next day, we ended up taking an excursion to that park to see the light house up close. The park was also beautiful and a great spot for a nice picnic or to just sit and watch the water.
Honorable Mentions
I wanted to add a few notes on our experience. On top of the service in restaurant being exceptional, we found that people in Portland were pretty friendly and eager to give suggestions and help when needed.
The city takes great precautions when it comes to stopping the spread of Covid-19. Masks are pretty much required every where and indoor dining isn’t at full capacity. Clothing stores and shops are also at a limited capacity to allow people to social distance.
I hope you enjoyed this quick weekend guide to Portland Maine. Stay tuned for the Vlog that will go up on my Youtube Channel. Check out more pics and what I did on my instagram.
Would love to hear your feedback or what you experience in Portland in the comments.
