The Cliff House Maine extended its
operations beyond its traditional Oct. 25 seasonal closing date, officially
making the resort a year-round property for the first time in its 144-year
history.
Traditionally open between
Memorial Day weekend and late October, the Cliff House is most of the way
through a $100 million renovation and expansion that's slated for completion by
next summer. The resort, which operated with 166 rooms before shutting down
last October, reopened on Aug. 15 with 132 rooms. It will expand to 227 rooms
next year.
Located on 70 acres of oceanfront
property in Ogunquit -- about 70 miles north of Boston and 40 miles south of
Portland -- the resort features what it calls a "coastal chic" décor.
Cliff House has a nautical design and has integrated about 46,000 square feet
of pine that was reclaimed from houses in northern Maine.
The resort has an upgraded spa; fine-dining
restaurant The Tiller; the casual Nubbs Lobster Shack (named for the landmark
Nubble Lighthouse in nearby Cape Neddick); a new indoor pool; and 25,000 square
feet of meeting space.
Wintertime activities will include
beachfront snowshoeing. The resort plans to add an ice rink next year,
according to John Bradway, Cliff House's director of sales and marketing.
The Cliff House was opened by
Maine's Weare family in 1872. The family sold the property in 2014. Today, it
is operated by Two Roads Hospitality (the new name of the merged Destination
Hotels & Resorts and Commune Hotels & Resorts).