Raymond Brunyanszki, owner of Camden Harbour Inn and its Natalie’s Restaurant — two located in mid-coast Maine — had wanted to open an upscale Southeast Asian restaurant ever since he worked in the region as a tour guide early in his career. He knew he found the right place when he walked into The Danforth Inn while scouting Portland for a second hotel location. The building’s brick exterior and white columns exude elegance. Brunyanszki purchased the Danforth in May 2014 and has been renovating each of the 1823 hotel’s nine rooms, one by one, while keeping the property open and setting the service standards on par with those at his Relais & Châteaux–designated hotel farther north.
The inn is a beautiful mansion when we stepped through the back door where guests who are staying here, we see the office then leading to the foyer leads to the living room (which doubles as the inn’s upscale cocktail lounge, Opium), the dining area (serves as the breakfast rooms and Tempo Dulu at night). My friends and I have dined and drank at these establishments and will write about them soon.
After checking in, we walked up the stairs and navigated our way to our Peninsula Family room. The staff set up a lovely welcoming gift of sparkling wine and snacks after our long drive up from New York City. Our room was spacious for all of us. It’s outfitted in a understated, modern furnishings and the bathroom is stocked with the London-based luxury bath and body products brand, Molton Brown.
After a great night’s sleep, breakfast is set in the dining rooms. The best spots are near the windows for a great view and a piece of piece of solitude before the day’s plans start.
The inn does serve a really good breakfast. It’s definitely not the humdrum hotel buffet breakfast that I’m used to seeing in my travels. The breakfast is cooked to order and the main courses changes on a daily basis. After the citrus juices (orange or grapefruit), the required (for me) cups of coffee poured, we shortly receive the amuse dish of tumeric, mango smoothie and a large spoon of fruit salad accented with ginger.
The main courses are very satisfying and I appreciate the creative dishes with eggs. One morning it was a ramekin filled with shirred eggs with bacon, white cheddar and a side of toast and the next morning was a choice between maple smoked sausage benedict with sambal orange hollandaise or gravlax, poached egg, watercress salad with hollandaise.
The stay at The Danforth was everything I hoped for and better. Service was above expectations as I even asked the innkeeper if I could have breakfast outside at the garden since it’s lush with blooms. The room we stayed in was comfortable and spacious. I would definitely come back here when I return to Portland.
For more photos, please CLICK HERE for the complete sets or see below for the dining photos:
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Information:
The Danforth Inn
Website
163 Danforth Street
Portland, ME 04102
Phone: (207) 879-8755
