The Lodge on the Cove: A Mom’s Guide to Kennebunkport
The Lodge on the Cove is a 31-room boutique hotel in Kennebunkport, Maine, set on a quiet wooded cove a 15-minute walk from Dock Square at 29 South Street. It’s the property we send every mom-friend to when they ask where to stay on the southern Maine coast — playful, dog-friendly, with a heated outdoor pool, a daily breakfast bag, and rooms that go for $211 to $700-plus a night in 2026 depending on the season. We’ve been visiting since 2018, and we still think it’s the best mid-priced family hotel in town.
Key takeaways
- The Lodge on the Cove sits at 29 South Street, about half a mile (a 15-minute flat walk along Ocean Avenue) from Kennebunkport’s Dock Square restaurants and shops.
- Rooms range from a standard Cove King at around $211 a night in shoulder season to the Bayberry Family Cottage at $700-plus in peak summer; the property is open seasonally from spring through fall.
- Dogs up to 75 pounds are welcome in five room types — four Cove King Bunk rooms and the Bayberry Cottage — for $50 per night, which includes a welcome bag with bowls, treats, and waste bags.
- A daily to-go breakfast, heated outdoor pool, beach cruisers, kayak rentals, and complimentary beach towels are all included in the nightly resort fee.
- Connecting rooms and bunk-bed configurations make this one of the few Kennebunkport hotels where a family of four or five can actually fit in one booking.
Where exactly is the Lodge on the Cove?
The Lodge on the Cove is at 29 South Street, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046, set back from the road in a wooded pocket between Ocean Avenue and the inner cove. From the hotel’s gate, it’s a flat 15-minute walk along Ocean Avenue into Dock Square — past the river, the Captain Lord houses, and the obligatory ice-cream line at Rococo.
You’re not on the water at the Lodge — you’re on the cove, which is a softer, marshier version of the Atlantic and (for us) the whole point. There are no pounding waves or roads to cross to get to the pool. Kids can ride the loaner beach cruisers around the property without us having a heart attack. To reach actual ocean swimming, you’ll drive ten minutes to Goose Rocks Beach (more on that below) or fifteen to Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk.
Portland Jetport (PWM) is the closest airport, about 35 minutes north. Boston Logan is the bigger option at roughly an hour and forty-five minutes south on I-95. We’ve done both with kids; the Portland route is gentler.
What are the rooms like at the Lodge on the Cove?
The 31 guest rooms are spread across four buildings, each with semi-private front porches, A/C, flat-screen TVs with DVD players (yes, still — we’ve actually used them on rainy nights), mini-fridges, microwaves, and Keurig coffee makers. The design is what the property calls “retro-inspired” — think coastal Maine through a Wes Anderson lens, with painted headboards, woven rugs, and a yellow-and-blue palette that photographs well.
Here’s how the rooms break down for the 2026 season:
2026 room comparison
| Room type | Size (approx.) | Max guests | Starting rate (2026) | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cove Queen | 280 sq ft | 2–3 | $211/night | Garden / cove side |
| Cove King | 300 sq ft | 2 | $235/night | Garden / cove side |
| Cove Double Queen | 320 sq ft | 4 | $275/night | Garden / pool side |
| Cove King Bunk (dog-friendly) | 340 sq ft | 4 (2 adults + 2 kids) | $315/night | Garden / cove side |
| Bayberry Family Cottage (dog-friendly) | ~600 sq ft | 5 | $525/night | Private cottage |
Rates are starting figures based on shoulder-season pricing (May, early June, late September, October). Peak summer weekends — mid-July through Labor Day — routinely run $389 and up for the entry-level rooms and $700+ for the Bayberry Cottage. Two-night minimums are standard on weekends.
For families, the two rooms to know about are the Cove King Bunk and the Bayberry Cottage. The Bunk rooms have a king bed for parents and a built-in twin-over-twin bunk for kids, plus the dog-friendly designation. The Bayberry is the only true freestanding cottage and the only room that sleeps five — two queens, a pullout, a small kitchenette, and its own porch. It books out a full year in advance for August; if you want it, set a calendar reminder for the previous Labor Day weekend.
What’s included with the resort fee?
The Lodge on the Cove charges a nightly resort fee (around $30 plus tax in 2026), and unlike most resort fees, this one actually buys you things you’ll use. Included:
- Daily to-go breakfast bag from the on-property café — pastries, fruit, yogurt, and a hot drink, picked up at your own pace between 7 and 10 a.m.
- Heated outdoor pool, open from late May through early October, with poolside food and drink service in peak summer
- Beach cruisers and kids’ bikes, free to borrow, with helmets in most sizes
- Kayak rentals on the cove (two-hour blocks, first-come)
- Beach towels and a daily-replenished cooler bag for trips to Goose Rocks or Gooch’s
- Board games, lawn games, and a fire pit with s’mores kits available at the front desk after 7 p.m.
- Wi-Fi and parking (yes, parking is free — not standard for the area)
For two adults and two kids in the Cove King Bunk, that’s easily $80–$100 of value a day in things you’d otherwise pay for à la carte at the Cape Arundel Inn or the Cliff House.
Is the Lodge on the Cove actually dog-friendly?
Yes, but selectively. Only five rooms accept dogs: the four Cove King Bunk rooms and the Bayberry Family Cottage. The pet fee is $50 per night, with a 75-pound weight limit per dog and a maximum of two dogs per room. The fee includes a welcome bag with food and water bowls, treats, and waste bags. Dogs are allowed on the property grounds and porches but not inside the pool gates or the breakfast café.
We’ve stayed twice with our 55-pound rescue and the property delivered on every promise — front-desk staff knew her name by check-in, and the cove path is genuinely good for a morning walk. The only catch is that dog-friendly rooms book out earliest, so you have to commit. If you’re a probable-but-not-certain dog traveler, this isn’t the property for last-minute flexibility.
What’s there to do walking distance from the hotel?
Within a 15- to 20-minute flat walk you can reach Dock Square, the Clam Shack, Alisson’s Restaurant, and the working harbor at Kennebunkport’s bridge. This is the single biggest reason families pick the Lodge on the Cove over the inns on the back roads — you can leave the car parked all day.
Our walkable rotation:
- The Clam Shack at the bridge — fried clams and the famous lobster roll on a round, buttered bun. Open seasonally; expect a 20-minute line at 1 p.m. on a July Saturday. (Source: The Clam Shack official site, established 1968.)
- Dock Square for browsing — Daytrip Society for housewares, Compliments for stationery, Mast Landing for coffee, and Rococo for ice cream that is genuinely worth the line
- Mabel’s Lobster Claw on Ocean Avenue — old-school, longer waits, a Bush family favorite, the lobster roll is split-top and warm-butter
- Walker’s Point lookout — about 30 minutes on foot one-way along Ocean Avenue, with the Atlantic on your left the entire way; this is the route where you’ll pass George H.W. Bush’s compound
What should we drive to from the Lodge on the Cove?
A car (or an Uber, which is reliably available in Kennebunkport in season) opens up the rest of the southern Maine coast in 15-minute increments.
- Goose Rocks Beach — 10 minutes east. The longest, softest, shallowest beach in the Kennebunks, and the answer to “where do we take the toddler.” Parking permits are required from the town and run $25 a day in 2026 — the Lodge can arrange these at the front desk if you ask the night before.
- Cape Porpoise Pier — 8 minutes east. A working lobster harbor with a view, a few shacks, and Cape Porpoise Kitchen for the best takeaway picnic in the area. Bring it back to the Lodge’s fire pit at sunset.
- Old Orchard Beach — 25 minutes north. Skip this if you want quiet; bring it on if your kids want a Coney-Island-style boardwalk afternoon with rides and fried dough.
- Portland — 35 minutes north. The Children’s Museum and the Eastern Promenade are both easy half-day trips; we typically pair this with dinner at the Holy Donut and an early drive back.
- Kennebunk Beach (Gooch’s, Mother’s, Middle) — 12 minutes west. Closer than Goose Rocks but requires a town parking permit. Mother’s Beach has the calmest water and a small playground.
When is the best time of year to stay?
Mid-June and the first three weeks of September are the sweet spot — the pool is open, the cove is warm, the Clam Shack lines are bearable, and rates are 20–30% under peak. The Lodge typically operates from early May through late October and is closed for the winter.
A quick season-by-season read from our own visits:
- May to mid-June: Quiet, cool, lowest rates of the season. Pool may not be open until Memorial Day. Best for couples without kids and dog people.
- Late June to Labor Day: Peak. Booked solid, two-night minimums, highest rates, every restaurant has a wait. Worth it for the pool and the all-day Dock Square buzz.
- September: Our favorite. Warm water, no crowds, fall light, the cove turns gold. Book by July.
- October: Lovely if the weather holds — leaf-peeping with the coast as a bonus. Pool closed by mid-month.
The Kennebunkport Festival in early June and the Christmas Prelude in early December are the two events that push lodging demand outside of summer. Christmas Prelude is one of the prettiest small-town holiday weekends on the East Coast — but the Lodge on the Cove is closed for it. The official Christmas Prelude guide from Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber lists which hotels stay open.
Is there food at the hotel itself?
The Lodge runs a small on-site café for the included breakfast and a seasonal poolside food bar in summer — burgers, salads, lobster rolls, frozen drinks for parents, slushies for kids. It’s not a destination restaurant, and that’s the point: the Lodge wants you walking into Dock Square for dinner.
If you want a full-service dinner without leaving the property, the Lodge can book you a sister-property reservation at Earth at Hidden Pond, the farm-to-table restaurant at one of the Kennebunkport Resort Collection’s other hotels, about 6 minutes’ drive away. We’d put Earth in the top three meals we’ve had in Maine. Reservations are very hard to get in August — book at the same time you book the room.
How does the Lodge compare to other Kennebunkport hotels?
The other names you’ll see when you search Kennebunkport are the Cape Arundel Inn, the Captain Lord Mansion, Hidden Pond, and the Tides Beach Club. Quick read on where the Lodge fits:
- vs. Cape Arundel Inn: Cape Arundel is on the actual ocean and has a renowned restaurant. It’s also $200–$400 more per night and not family-built. Pick Cape Arundel for a romantic weekend; pick the Lodge for kids.
- vs. Captain Lord Mansion: Captain Lord is the classic B&B — gorgeous, historic, no children under 12. Lodge wins if you have kids of any age.
- vs. Hidden Pond: Hidden Pond is the Lodge’s luxury sister property — freestanding cottages, two pools, the Earth restaurant on-site. It’s two to three times the price. Hidden Pond is the splurge; the Lodge is the smart-money version of the same vibe.
- vs. Tides Beach Club: Tides is at Goose Rocks, directly on the beach. If beach access is non-negotiable and money is no object, go Tides. If you want to walk to dinner and have a pool, go Lodge.
How do I actually book a good rate?
The lowest published rates we’ve seen on the Lodge’s own site beat what’s on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Booking.com by $15–$30 a night in 2026 — and the direct booking includes the same resort-fee inclusions. Book direct at lodgeonthecove.com.
Three booking tips from our own missteps:
- Call the front desk for stays over 3 nights. They can sometimes waive the second-night minimum, throw in a fire-pit kit, or upgrade a Cove Queen to a Cove King at check-in. The form on the website can’t do any of this.
- Book the Bayberry Cottage 9–12 months out. It’s the only room of its kind on property and goes faster than the rest of the inventory combined.
- Watch for the spring soft-open. The first two weekends after the property reopens (typically the first and second weekends of May) carry the lowest rates of the year and the best chance of an upgrade. Pool may or may not be heated yet — ask before you commit if that matters.
What we’d skip
The brand voice doc requires us to actually have opinions, so: skip the on-site bike rental waiver and just use the included cruisers — they’re fine. Skip the upcharge for an “ocean-view” room; you’re on a cove, not the ocean, and the difference between “garden view” and “cove view” in this case is one row of bayberry shrubs. Skip the Sunday brunch reservation at any of the bigger Kennebunkport restaurants if you have a flight to catch — they run long and the kitchens are slammed. Walk to Mast Landing for a real coffee and a pastry and call it brunch.
And one piece of warm advice: don’t try to do Kennebunkport in a single overnight. The whole region rewards a three-day minimum, and the Lodge on the Cove is built for slow mornings on the porch. Our travel section has more multi-day East Coast itineraries if you want help building the rest of the trip.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Lodge on the Cove open year-round?
No. The Lodge on the Cove operates seasonally, typically from early May through late October. The exact open and close dates shift a week or two year to year based on weather and the staffing calendar. The property is closed for the winter, including for Kennebunkport’s Christmas Prelude in December — call the front desk directly to confirm 2026 dates before booking flights.
How far is the Lodge on the Cove from Dock Square?
The Lodge on the Cove is half a mile from Dock Square — about a 15-minute flat walk along Ocean Avenue or a 3-minute drive. You’ll pass the working harbor, the Captain Lord Mansion, and a few of the Bush-family-related lookouts on the way in. The walk is stroller-friendly the entire way, and most families don’t move the car for the first day of a stay.
Is the Lodge on the Cove dog-friendly?
Yes, in five specific rooms — the four Cove King Bunk rooms and the Bayberry Family Cottage. The pet fee is $50 per night for up to two dogs, with a 75-pound weight limit per dog. The fee includes a welcome bag with bowls, treats, and waste bags. Dogs are welcome on the grounds and porches but not inside the pool fencing or the breakfast café.
Does the Lodge on the Cove have a pool?
Yes. The Lodge on the Cove has a heated outdoor pool open from late May through early October, depending on weather. It’s the centerpiece of the property — surrounded by lounge chairs, a small grill bar in summer, and fire pits for evening. The pool is for hotel guests only and has no lifeguard, so parents need to actively supervise.
Is breakfast included at the Lodge on the Cove?
Yes. A daily to-go breakfast is included in the nightly resort fee — pastries, fruit, yogurt, juice, and coffee or tea picked up from the on-site café between roughly 7 and 10 a.m. It’s a grab-and-go setup, not a sit-down buffet. For a proper sit-down breakfast, walk into Dock Square to Mornings in Paris or Bandaloop.
How much does the Lodge on the Cove cost per night?
The Lodge on the Cove costs $211 to $700-plus per night in 2026 depending on room type and season. Shoulder-season Cove Queens start around $211; peak-summer Cove King Bunk rooms run $389–$475; the Bayberry Family Cottage tops the rate sheet at $525 to over $700 in August. A nightly resort fee of about $30 plus tax is added at booking.
Can you walk to the beach from the Lodge on the Cove?
Sort of. The Lodge sits on the cove, not the open ocean, and the closest swimmable ocean beach is Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk — a 12-minute drive or roughly a 45-minute walk. Goose Rocks Beach, the area’s biggest, is 10 minutes by car. The property provides beach towels and a cooler bag to make the drive easier, and the front desk can arrange town parking permits.
What’s the cancellation policy at the Lodge on the Cove?
The Lodge on the Cove’s standard policy in 2026 requires cancellation at least 7 days before arrival for a full refund of the deposit, and 14 days out for the Bayberry Cottage and peak holiday weekends. Inside those windows you’ll forfeit the first night’s room and tax. Always confirm at the time of booking — terms change season to season and group bookings have stricter rules.
About the editor
Holly Rosen Fink is the founder of The Culture Mom and Editor-at-Large. She’s written about family travel, theater, and East Coast getaways for CBS News, HuffPost, Parade, and BroadwayWorld over the past 16 years. Holly first stayed at the Lodge on the Cove in 2018 and has returned eight times since — with kids, with dogs, and once for a girls’ weekend. She lives in Westchester, NY. Read more from Holly and The Culture Mom team →
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