Catch This Woodsy Maine Resort’s Golden Weeks Before It Closes for the Winter

I turn into the Hidden Pond property, past a small guardhouse, onto a narrow tree-lined road. On both sides, a forest of white birch and balsam fir envelops the drive, and I’m taken back to the Maine woods I remember from a childhood trip.

Ahead, I see what appears to be the resort’s main reception cottage. Bright orange pumpkins line the stairs, and I learn it’s just one of many cottages hidden among the trees. The leaves have just started to turn — some golden, some crimson, many still green — and fall one by one as I walk across the street to my cottage, #13, in the afternoon light.

I look around. There are signs of people, such as parked cars, but no crowds. It feels like an adult summer camp, spread across 60 wooded acres in Kennebunkport. It’s the end of September, still warm enough to take a dip in the heated outdoor pool by the property’s Tree Spa or dip my feet into the ocean at nearby Goose Rocks Beach (both of which I do the next day) yet cool enough to feel the crisp autumn air that evening around the campfire pit.

These first whispers of fall usher in the quieter shoulder season after summer’s rush and before the resort closes for the winter at the end of October.

A two-story cottage with a nap nook, a porch swing, and a shower in the trees

I’m staying in one of 16 newly refurbished two-floor, two-bedroom cottages that Providence-based hospitality design firm Superette Studio redesigned in two distinct styles: coastal and woodlands. It’s one of 46 places to stay on the property, which also include one-bedroom bungalows (ideal for couples), one-bedroom standalone cottages, and dog-friendly options with an in-room dog dining menu. (On my walk to breakfast one day, I see a red “dog-stick library” on the side of the road, a box with long sticks instead of books.)

My cottage feels more like a private home than a hotel. The woodland design is moodier and more rustic than its coastal counterpart: mossy greens with earthy brown and bark tones, heritage William Morris fabrics, and dark wallpapers. Nowhere is the aesthetic more pronounced than outside on the screened-in porch, which has a pink daybed swing and is surrounded by birch trees. Out there, I feel deep in the woods.

The front door opens onto a living room with a soft, crushed-velvet couch in front of a gas fireplace with a flat-screen TV above it. Under the stairs is a curtained “nap nook” with soft Boll & Branch blankets. The kitchen has Breville appliances and other staples, such as a milk frother for my morning coffee, and the fridge is stocked with yogurt, bottles of water, mini orange juice containers, and almond milk (regular milk is also available).

Upstairs, each of the two bedrooms has a king bed, Frette linens, and its own bathroom stocked with Malin+Goetz rum-scented bath products. Out back is a wooden outdoor shower with Salt & Stone bath products. On my final full day here, after breakfast, I tiptoe outside in my robe and shower in the mid-morning sun. I look up at the sky through the tall trees, warm water covering my body, and catch a familiar smell. One late summer when I was about 11, I visited Maine with my dad, mom, and brother Jon. It’s the scent of pine trees and crisp air, all wrapped up in one faint breeze.

Lobster rolls with caviar under an upside-down apple tree

On the first evening, my hosts pick me up in the property’s transport of choice, a golf cart, and whisk me up a dirt road to Hidden Pond’s farm-to-table restaurant, Earth. The property is small enough that you don’t need a car; it’s easiest to walk or golf-cart around.

Before dinner starts, we have drinks around the fire pit as the sun sets over the resort’s hidden pond, lit up by various fire torches. I sip one of the signature, garden-centric craft cocktails, Hidden Smoke, made with mezcal, chili-infused Hornitos, ancho chili, lime, and agave. The general manager, Melissa Sheffer, joins my group and explains that the restaurant stays open year-round (the rest of the property closes from Oct. 31 to May 1) and is open to the public.

Executive chef Justin Owen runs the kitchen at Earth at Hidden Pond, which sources food from the property’s on-site farm, when possible, and serves multi-course, seasonal fine dining in a cozy, rustic setting. The space has exposed beams and high ceilings with an emphasis on one of the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water. There’s a wall built of tree stumps, and an upside-down apple tree trunk with twinkling white lights hangs from the ceiling. The room is lit by candlelight, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the grounds.

My four-course meal includes too many choices, but with Sheffer’s help, I pick the honey-glazed carrots with pomegranates, hazelnuts, and local feta; the Maine lobster roll (of course) with uni, caviar, and Portuguese butter; and a Thai seafood stew in a fragrant seafood broth with scallops, shrimp, lobster, and rice noodles. For dessert, everyone at the table orders Earth’s warm, fluffy glazed donuts.

A day on the property and a last walk on Goose Rocks Beach

The next morning, I wake up to discover a warm thermos of coffee and a blueberry muffin hanging in a bag on the front door (my muffin is gluten-free upon request). That’s before my second trip to Earth for an egg sandwich with tomato jam and bacon.

The day turns out to be full-on summer adult camp, starting with a morning outdoor yoga class in the vegetable garden, then a swim in the heated pool after a massage in one of the spa’s treetop rooms and a watercolor class where I learn to sketch and paint a pumpkin. Our instructor, calm and warm, like all the staff, walks us through each step.

I spend the afternoon mostly lounging at the pool, which is heated to a balmy 82 degrees, until I’m summoned for an afternoon mixology class where I learn, to my boyfriend’s great delight, how to make a briny martini (with two olives) and also a bubbly sangria. The classes encourage guests to slow down, enjoy trying something fun, and reconnect with themselves and others.

On my final night, I take an evening stroll on white-sand Goose Rocks Beach, where The Tides Beach Club, Hidden Pond’s sister property, sits. The Tides is an elegant mix of old-world Miami — with its high-top marble bar, Art Deco mirrors, and seashell lamps — and coastal Maine. Seated around a large round table with Sheffer and a group of other guests, we share our day’s adventures — the perfect, slow transition into this new autumnal season, among new friends. We share lobster rolls, laughs, and chowder; trade photos of kids; and swap stories of what awaits us when we get home.

Getting to Hidden Pond

Located in Kennebunkport, Maine, just 4 to 5 miles from downtown, Hidden Pond is easily accessible by car from several major Northeast cities. It’s approximately 1.5–2 hours from Boston, and 5–6 hours from New York City, depending on traffic.

For those traveling by plane, the closest major airport is Portland International Jetport (PWM), 35–40 minutes away. Guests can rent a car from Portland’s airport or arrange a private shuttle transfer to Hidden Pond.

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