If you’re visiting Portland Maine, one of the best places to visit is the Old Port district. Loaded with locally-owned boutique shops, art galleries and a plethora of food options, it’s the perfect place to wine, dine, and shop. And if you’re looking for a place to stay, you’ll find the Portland Harbor Hotel in the center of everything.

This was our second visit to the hotel, and we were excited to take advantage of their Portland shopping State of Mind package that’s running through December 24, making it a perfect place to shop for the holidays. Many of the shops offer high-quality artisan gifts and handmade wares from Maine, tucked in the heart of the historic Old Port district, just a block from the waterfront, and within walking distance from shops. The package includes a discount on your hotel stay and at many of the local shops. A few of our favorite stops are Deans Sweets, FatFace, and Sea Bags!!

As we’ve showcased in the past, the Portland Harbor Hotel is a cozy hotel in the heart of the Old Port District, and the city has something for everyone. You won’t want to miss strolling down Exchange, Fore, and Wharf Street to take in everything the city has to offer.

As for rooms, there are several styles to choose from. On the top floor, the eastern facing rooms have bay views and the courtyard is reminiscent of European luxury properties, especially at night with a glowing firepit that sits in the garden.

Portland Harbor Hotel

The courtyard view rooms offer well-appointed décor and an added amenity of a built-in sound system. Junior suites are spacious with large separate seating areas and a large bathroom with deep soaking tub and a separate granite glass-enclosed shower. The hotel showcases local artist’s works in the hotel rooms with a focus on sleek yachts from days gone by, and serene ocean scenes. The themed nautical rooms were comfortable with all of the amenities you would expect.

One surprise this time around was to find out that they offer executive suites. If you’re interested in an upscale experience, you have to check them out. The rooms are offered at a higher daily rate, but are well-appointed and beautifully decorated. We plan to book one of them the next time we visit.

BlueFin Restaurant + Bar

Our trip would not be complete without a trip to the hotel’s Bluefin Restaurant. We’re always looking forward to breakfast each morning, and the dinners are deliciously prepared. This visit, we sampled the fruit board which came with sliced fruit, local berries, maple yogurt, and granola, which is a perfect start to your day if you’re looking for something on the lighter side.

Bluefin Portland Maine

Another delicious option was the avocado toast, made with local heirloom tomatoes, poached eggs, cilantro, and chili oil. They offered jalapeno on this dish as well, but I decided to forgo the pepper since I’m not fan of spicy breakfast items.

Marc enjoyed the eggs benedict, with crisp Canadian bacon and a chive Hollandaise sauce, served with a side of breakfast potatoes.

Dinner is always a fun experience, so don’t miss out. We shared a Tuna Poke, served on crispy wontons layered with fresh tuna, Asian slaw, avocado, charred scallions, spicy mayo, and Macadamia crunch. They were light and flavorful bites with layers of flavor.

We also sampled the Maplebrook Burrata, with Heirloom tomatoes, baby arugula, EVO, balsamic glaze, and micro basil. What made the dish interesting and unique is the crisped prosciutto, which added another layer of complexity. The high-quality burrata was fresh and delicious.

BlueFin Maplebrook Burrata

For entrées, you can’t go wrong with a classic Delmonico Steak, well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. It’s served with creamy Boursin, charred Vidalia, potato puree, local seasonal vegetables, drizzled with duck fat butter. The pan-seared Halibut was well prepared, served with asparagus, poached potatoes and a citrus beurre blanc. It was quite lovely.

Bluefin portland

Bluefin Portland Maine

If you’re heading there for the holidays, they offer a traditional Thanksgiving feast, and added a few surprises to the menu, like halibut and Gnooci (yum).

Hope to see you there!!!

Portland Harbor Hotel
468 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101

Looking for casual restaurant options in the local area? Check out Highroller Lobsters and Black Cow.