Walking through the front door gives you an immediate feeling of New England bliss -- warm and welcoming in every respect. We spent two wonderful days and nights there in late September.

De and Mike Kennedy are precious people who are among the lucky few in this life to truly have found their calling. Their inn is so inviting, so relaxing, so peaceful, you don't want to leave.

Although our room (#3) was on the small side -- we knew that going in -- it was quite comfy, and the fireplace certainly compensated for the lack of real estate. The bed was to our liking, and the fact that there was no television was to our liking even more. Vacations are for releasing from life's everyday clutches, and being forced to get away from the TV is one of the best ways to escape.

Breakfast on the porch overlooking Linekin Bay is a postcard experience. Mike's food is wonderful and it is served with a smile.

The sherry and port, along with cholocate, made early evenings a memorable experience around the fireplace.

The inn sits on the quiet side of Boothbay Harbor -- and if you are staying in the area for any length of time, you'll appareciate that. It's a quick 8- to 10-minute drive to the "action," and a good walk to the quaint country store and a good seafood restaurant nearby.

Our next trip to Maine will include a stay at The Five Gables Inn. That is, if we can get a room. They can be tough to come by. We now know why.

While we only spent one night here in July 2004, we would highly recommend this Inn. The location is tranquil - the Inn has a gorgeous wrap around porch overlooking the harbor. The interiors are very pretty and well maintained -- it oozes New England charm. The innkeepers are lovely, friendly, and so helpful. The breakfast was delicious, and one feels very comfortable just hanging around the inn. We had two rooms - both were cozy, clean, and very comfortable. This part of Boothbay is the quiet side, and much nicer in ambiance than the main town.

We have dear friends of long standing in the Boothbay area and have been visiting for thirty or more years. However, when our friends passed 80, we realized that we were should no longer accept their invitation to stay at their home. So we began hunting for other accommodations.

None of our choices was bad; but nothing drew us back for a second season ... until we discovered the Five Gables Inn.

I am not sure if this will be our fifth or sixth, or perhaps seventh, visit. And I did not write this review until I was sure that we had our reservations for this summer nailed down! In other words, we love this place.

The rooms, except for #14, which we have named the penthouse, are rather small but beautifully decorated; several have fireplaces, a nice touch on a spring or fall evening. The beds are quite comfortable; the baths are very nicely done. (Many) guests, including us, have been known to hoard the cucumber soaps: it goes like this -- after the first night, you put the used item in your kit bag; the next day a fresh soap appears, which you put in your suitcase; then you fish out the one from the night before, which has lots of life left in it, and continue the cycle until you have a nice stash to take home. Or, alternatively, you can purchase extra bars at a very reasonable price .. but what's the fun in that?

And fun is Mike's breakfasts (inventive and delicious) and De's teapots. On our summer days, I don't think we have ever not been able to take breakfast out on the porch.

And the evening sherry is also appreciated.

For several years, there was a TV in the living room -- but that has disappeared: as my husband remarked, "Within two hours of checking in, we are checking out." Not physically; we just go into another (calmer) gear.

My only complaint is that the orange juice is not freshly squeezed. I really don't understand this, given the quality of the rest of the breakfast. The OJ is not "from concentrate," but it is out of a carton.
This is the only negative of the Five Gables Inn that I have been able to find after all these years.

No dinner is served but there is a good restaurant within (long) walking distance, and many others are only a short drive away.

In other words, Five Gables is a great place with great people, and it is great fun. Since we discovered it, we have not looked elsewhere in the area. Mike and De, the owners, have not only become our hotelliers, they have become our friends.