The Lincolnville Motel
4 Sea View Dr
Lincolnville, ME
On Penobscot Bay. Record players, books, no TVs. Sally the golden retriever. Open mid-May through mid-October.
About The Lincolnville Motel
Alice Amory grew up in Camden, spent more than a decade in New York working in galleries and cooking in fine-dining restaurants, and returned to Maine in 2015 to acquire and reopen a 1950s motor court on Sea View Drive in Lincolnville. Her renovation philosophy was reduction rather than addition: white paint, natural light, and the elimination of everything unnecessary. No TVs. No phones. A record player in every room, with a curated book collection guests can exchange with the house library. Malin+Goetz toiletries. 100% cotton sheets. Fresh flowers. A golden retriever named Sally. Every unit has an ocean view of Penobscot Bay. Lincolnville sits between Camden, seven miles to the south, and Belfast, ten miles to the north, on the water where the Maine State Ferry departs for Islesboro.
What The Lincolnville Motel Is Known For
Alice Amory made a deliberate choice in every direction: what to remove, what to keep, what to replace with something more specific. No TVs replaced with record players. The parking lot kept as lawn with ocean views. Malin+Goetz instead of generic hotel toiletries. A golden retriever instead of a lobby. The result is a 10-unit motor court that has been featured in New England publications, on design sites, and in travel press as an example of what happens when someone with a genuine design sensibility takes a 1950s Maine motel seriously. That combination of simplicity and specificity is exactly what a Boutel is.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- WiFi
- Record player and curated book exchange collection in every unit
- No TVs (intentional)
- Outdoor swimming pool with Penobscot Bay views
- Charcoal grills for guest use
- Lawn games including inflatable animals
- Common area: coffee/tea, shared library, sea-view decks
- Malin+Goetz toiletries
- 100% cotton sheets
- Mini-refrigerator in every unit
- Sally the resident golden retriever
- Pet-friendly (pet fee applies)
- Free on-site parking
What Guests Love
- Every unit has an ocean view of Penobscot Bay and a private entrance: the original 1950s motor court arrangement preserving the form that makes it work
- No TVs: record players and books in every room, the pool, the bay, and the grounds are the program, and it is a complete program
- Alice Amory's reduction philosophy: Malin+Goetz, cotton sheets, fresh flowers, a golden retriever: everything pared back to what is specifically right for this place
- The midpoint between Camden and Belfast: two of the best small towns on the Maine coast within 10 miles in each direction, and the Islesboro ferry 0.2 miles from the door
- Seasonal operation by design: open mid-May through mid-October, closed when the experience cannot be what it is meant to be
Worth Knowing
- Seasonal only: open mid-May through mid-October. Verify current availability and opening/closing dates when booking
- Check-in hours are limited, as this is a small owner-operated property without 24-hour staffing. Contact the motel in advance to confirm your expected arrival time.
- WiFi is in the common area, not in individual units: the rooms have record players and books, not internet access
- Book early, especially for July and August weekends, which fill far in advance.
- Breakfast is not included: Camden (7 miles south) has multiple good breakfast options, and the motel provides a morning coffee and tea setup in the common area
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
units: six guest cabins and guest rooms, all from the original 1950s motor court structures. Each unit has a record player and a curated book collection, no TV, and a private bathroom. Mini-refrigerator in every unit. Malin+Goetz toiletries, 100% cotton sheets. The cabins are the original motor court standalone structures with private entrances: separate buildings, not rooms off a corridor. All units have ocean views of Penobscot Bay. The aesthetic is spare and intentional: white, natural materials, everything simplified. WiFi is available in the common area if needed.
The Grounds
An outdoor swimming pool sits at the center of the property with views out to Penobscot Bay. Charcoal grills available for guest use. Lawn games throughout the grounds, including a diverse collection of inflatable animals that functions as a gentle signature touch. Adirondack seating in the yard. The common area includes a coffee and tea station, a shared library room, and sea-view decks. Sally the resident golden retriever is on the grounds. Free on-site parking. The ferry landing at Lincolnville Beach is 0.2 miles from the property.
The Experience
The Lincolnville Motel sits at the midpoint of one of the richest small-town coastal corridors in New England. Camden, seven miles south, has its harbor, the two-mile main street of shops and restaurants, the waterfall that drops into the harbor basin, and Camden Hills State Park with the summit trail to Mt. Battie. Belfast, ten miles north, is Maine's arts-town alternative: independent bookshops, restaurants, and galleries in a less-visited harbor than Camden. The ferry from Lincolnville Beach, 0.2 miles from the motel, runs to Islesboro, a private island community that has been a summer retreat for more than a century. The pool at the motel handles the days when the bay is too cold for open-water swimming, which is most of June and sometimes July.
Details
Lincolnville, ME 04849
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Lincolnville Motel have EV charging?
No, The Lincolnville Motel does not have EV charging.
Does The Lincolnville Motel have WiFi?
Yes, The Lincolnville Motel has WiFi.
What is there to do near The Lincolnville Motel?
Lincolnville Beach and Islesboro Ferry: 0.2 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Camden and Camden Hills State Park: 7 miles, about a 15 minute drive. Belfast: 10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
How far is The Lincolnville Motel from Lincolnville Beach and Islesboro Ferry?
0.2 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is The Lincolnville Motel from Camden and Camden Hills State Park?
7 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
How far is The Lincolnville Motel from Belfast?
10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
Is The Lincolnville Motel pet friendly?
Yes. The Lincolnville Motel welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
Why are there no TVs in the rooms?
Alice Amory's renovation philosophy was deliberate reduction. Each room has a record player and a curated book collection to exchange instead. WiFi is available in the common area. The absence of TVs is designed to direct attention toward what the motel does best: sitting on the deck looking out at Penobscot Bay.
When is The Lincolnville Motel open?
The motel is seasonal, open from mid-May through mid-October.
What is the check-in window?
Check-in hours are limited, as this is a small owner-operated property without 24-hour staffing. Contact the motel in advance to confirm your arrival time.
Is there a ferry to Islesboro from Lincolnville Beach?
Yes. The Maine State Ferry Service runs year-round service from Lincolnville Beach to Islesboro, a large residential island in Penobscot Bay. The ferry landing is less than 0.2 miles from the motel.
How far is The Lincolnville Motel from Camden, Maine?
Camden is approximately 7 miles south of Lincolnville Beach, about a 12-minute drive. Camden has a natural harbor, Windjammer schooners that sail Penobscot Bay in summer, an independent restaurant scene along Bayview Street, and the trailhead for Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park, which offers the most accessible summit views of the Maine coast.
Does The Lincolnville Motel have a pool?
Yes. The Lincolnville Motel has a pool on-site.
Is parking available at The Lincolnville Motel?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at The Lincolnville Motel.
Does The Lincolnville Motel include breakfast?
No. Breakfast is not included at The Lincolnville Motel.
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Things to Do Near Midcoast Maine and Penobscot Bay
Lincolnville Beach and Islesboro Ferry
0.2 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
Lincolnville Beach is the public sand and pebble beach on Route 1 where the Maine State Ferry Service operates year-round service to Islesboro, a large residential island in Penobscot Bay that has been a summer retreat community for generations. The beach itself is a classic Midcoast Maine swimming beach, cold water and clean sand, with views across the bay to the Camden Hills on the western shore and the open bay to the south and east.
Camden and Camden Hills State Park
7 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
Camden is the most photographed harbor town on the Maine coast: a working harbor filled with schooners, a waterfall that drops directly into the harbor basin from a park in the center of town, and a main street with independent bookshops and restaurants. Camden Hills State Park, accessible from US-1 at the north edge of the village, has the summit trail to Mount Battie (800 feet) with panoramic Penobscot Bay views. The park is also the trailhead for the Maiden Cliff trail above Megunticook Lake.
Belfast
10 miles, about a 20 minute drive.
Belfast is the arts-town alternative to Camden: a working harbor with a downtown that has filled over the past decade with independent restaurants, galleries, bookshops, and makers. The Saturday farmers market runs in the harbor area from May through October. Belfast is less visited than Camden and has the character of a town that still belongs primarily to its year-round residents. The Pastime Theater on Main Street is the local independent cinema. Young's Lobster Pound is a mile up the Belfast River from downtown.