The Craignair Inn on the St George Peninsula it is one secluded MidCoast Maine beachfront hotel This is so much more: warm, intimate, historic, unbeatable ocean views, great food, sustainably focused, and not far from many beloved Maine attractions.
Since current owners Lauren and Greg Soutiea purchased the inn in December 2018, they’ve fallen in love with the tiny village of Spruce Head and slowly expanded the inn’s offerings with an emphasis on sustainability – without compromising any of its historic charm. Of course, sitting on the water’s edge across a short path to an island retreat with trails and a swimming hole can’t be beat. Since our first visit in 2020 (during the pandemic), two have also managed to snag some top Maine awards—no small feat in a state with great accommodations.
Picture yourself in that vacation picture now: lounging in an Adirondack chair on Craignair Inn’s sprawling back lawn, enjoying the inn’s homemade ice cream, sipping your favorite beverage from the Clark Bar, watching the ocean waves, or the birds and get ready for the galaxy to make its appearance over the Clark Island refuge.
Forget the busy beaches full of tourists or the streets lined with trinket shops, Craignair has the honor of being the only inn (or business really) within a few miles. You get an intimate, secluded, natural setting, but you’re only 10-30 minutes from lovely villages, ferry landings, towns like Rockland or Camden, lobster shacks, historic business districts, and one of the best lighthouses in Maine (Marshall Point).
The view from outside St George’s Room at the Craignair Inn, looking across its extensive lawn towards the island shelter (Mosquito window screen is essential, hence the mesh you see in the photo).
Cozy atmosphere at this Maine seaside inn
It doesn’t hurt that Lauren and Greg are just some of the best owners who treat guests like family and bend over backwards to make sure you have exactly what you need. In a stroke of bad timing, they bought the MidCoast Maine Inn in time to have a good tourist season (2019) – then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But they pressed on, using the time to begin planning what they wanted the inn to become and begin planning remodeling touches and minor expansions. They also live full-time in one part of the building, so it’s their home too, making the bad luck of the pandemic less of a defeat.
Co-owner Greg Soutiea, left, prepares a drink at the popular Clark Bar.
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Of course, there’s no shortage of inns and bed and breakfasts in Maine or New England, especially with coveted ocean views, so they had their work cut out for them — and I had to come back in 2023 to see them all. They added private balconies to many ocean view rooms. a premium dining service that attracts guests, locals and travelers alike. Re-envisioned the former living room into a sleeker, cleaner space for an additional dining room. renovated the bathrooms and expanded the shared deck overlooking the ocean. They also took steps to transform the business into a sustainable Maine inn, choosing local fare, emphasizing green practices, and adding solar panels to power a large percentage of the inn’s energy needs. Their work paid off: In 2022, Lauren and Greg were named Innkeepers of the Year by Hospitality Maine, a coveted honor in a state filled with beautiful inns. Hospitality Maine noted that the two had “transformed this rustic location into a lush, artistic, culinary retreat on the edge of Spruce Head.” In the same year, they were named one of the state 16 best new or improved inns from Down East Magazine.
The new ‘living’ area has been stripped of much old clutter and has become a stylish yet comfortable hangout, which doubles as an additional dining area.
The Craignair Inn has history, cool breezes, dramatic tides and all the comforts
Originally, the clapboard building (circa 1928) was a boarding school for Scottish quarry workers in what is now the 120-acre Clark Island Reserve across the path. (Note: “Craignair” loosely translates from Scots as “black rock”.) In 1944, the building was converted into an inn, which it has been ever since. Lauren and Greg are 6u owners since then, with three of the previous owners still either in Spruce Head or Rockland!
The main house has 13 rooms, five of which share a hall bathroom with others. In a small house behind the main inn, one finds the ‘Vestry’, which was the community church. In this, there are eight additional rooms, which have decks, air conditioning, and are a little more spacious and are also pet-friendly. A parking lot between the two is convenient for your road trip and also provides space for visitors to the island retreat. Both have also expanded the lot since their inception and added electric vehicle charging stations to more than deliver on their promise of sustainable growth.
St. George’s cozy corner room — no balcony, but windows that allow a breeze in the summer.
For my first stay at this MidCoast Maine beachfront hotel, I stayed in the St. George on the third floor of the main house, a corner room with three windows for superior breezes and endless views of the ocean, tides, stars and island. The rooms are not large suites but have a clean, tidy, historic feel which is all you need. My room had a ceiling fan and all rooms have full amenities, extra ports for USB charging and more plugs, and plenty of plush towels. Oh, and the Wi-Fi worked fantastically (although I certainly wasn’t streaming movies – too many great outdoorsy things!). With wooden floors and vintage wooden chairs, you have to watch out for guests above and below you — it’s an old building, after all.
After returning post-pandemic with Michael to take a look at their hard work, we stayed in the Cobble Beach room on the second floor, which is one with a new balcony and a slightly more modern and sleek feel than the St. room. The balcony is a great addition for a private happy hour or just to read quietly.
One of the newly added second floor balcony rooms. This is the Cobble Beach room.
Breakfast is included in the stays and you can choose from a nicely varied menu, including vegetarian, vegan and healthy options, in part because both Lauren and Greg are vegan and focus on their own personal health and fitness. The breakfast menu changes occasionally: My first stay I enjoyed a breakfast burrito with sweet potato hash may as well have been served over a bed of collard greens (my favorite!), and of course I had to try the Maine blueberry pancakes with local Maine maple syrup . You can also choose from sides, juice and all the locally roasted black coffee you want. They have since added bowls that are easily adjustable to accommodate various dietary needs.
An expanded deck allows for more space for dinner on nice days, breakfast for guests, or a comfortable place overlooking the ocean to relax.
Normally during the high tourist season, the award-winning Craignair Inn serves dinner most of the week in its Causeway Restaurant, although hours may vary during winter. Since dinner service was very limited during my first stay during the pandemic, I took the opportunity of my return to dine at the Craignair Inn Causeway Restaurant. The menu still serves organic, local cuisine, but has a wide variety to suit all tastes, including oysters, crab cakes (and vegan crab cakes), lobster bisque, and a range of dishes from filet mignon and halibut to pasta and lamb. Since his arrival in June 2023, Executive Chef Gil Plaster has transformed the restaurant into a true premium destination, focusing on matching the atmosphere and ethos with their local, sustainable approach, he said. With such great food offerings and a warm feel, the restaurant has gone from being ‘just there for guests’ to a local destination and bringing in almost three times as much business as before.
Dinner at the Causeway Restaurant at the Craignair Inn is very tasty indeed — for the eyes and the taste buds.
New as of late June 2020 is the “Clark Bar,” which is a newly created bar area in the main dining room of this MidCoast Maine seaside inn with a window to the deck for outdoor ordering. Guests, community members or visitors to Clark Island can order soft drinks, hard drinks, ice cream or snacks and alcoholic beverages and take it all out or enjoy on the back lawn, which since my first stay has expanded to include additional fire pits, sitting areas and games.
Overall, the Craignair Inn is a delightful choice for premier MidCoast Maine beach lodging with a personal feel for travelers passing through, running from sight to sight, or simply looking to relax in a secluded setting.
