For the 17th year, Travel + Leisure Magazine is inviting its readers to vote to select the top 100 best hotels, airlines, cities, islands and more through its online poll. This year, we are thrilled to announce that Travel + Leisure has included the Camden Harbour Inn in this prestigious list.

We are thankful to be included, it’s an honor and a tribute to our team’s hard work and dedication.

Please take a moment to vote for us and help name us one of the Top 100 in 2012.

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited us this is a good time of year to explore Camden. At the Inn, we’re currently offering a Romantic Valentine Package, a Gourmet Dinner Package, a Winter Wonderland Package and others, all designed to pamper our guests, making the most of a relaxing visit.

All of our packages include an a la carte breakfast with a selection of pastries, granola, yogurt and more in addition to our full breakfast menu, fresh baked cookies in the lounge, coffee and tea any time of day, complimentary wi-fi access and more.

We’ve got two new exciting packages and events to share – the Ice Bar opens on Thursday, February 9 and in honor of the occasion we’ve created an Ice Bar Package. Available Thursday and Friday the 9th and 10th only, this package includes an overnight in one of our luxurious rooms, a three-course dinner at Natalie’s, a complimentary cocktail poured right at the Ice Bar, and our famous Champagne Breakfast.

Friday, February 10 is also a night of Broadway hits at the beautiful Camden Opera House. Presented by Bay Chamber Concerts, this one-night-only event features five Broadway singers performing a selection from Broadway’s greatest musicals. At the Camden Harbour Inn we’ve got a package to make you feel like a Broadway VIP, we’ll arrange for your premium seats at the show and you’ll also enjoy a three-course dinner at Natalie’s, a cocktail from our Ice Bar and as always, Champagne Breakfast.

During the winter we also always offer a special Midweek Package. We promise it will erase any feelings of winter boredom. Visit us on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (not on holidays though) and enjoy a welcome glass of bubbly after you’ve checked in to the best room available. You will also be treated to a gourmet dinner at Natalie’s and a Champagne Breakfast before your return to reality. All this at a savings of as much as $200.

We’re ready to pamper you. We hope to see you soon.

February fun

February is full of romance with Valentine’s Day as the highlight of this wintry white month. It’s a perfect time of year for cuddling by the fire,  enjoying the company of loved ones.

In celebration of love and romance, we’re planning a love-themed Ice Bar on February 9, 10 and 11 from 5 pm – 9:30 pm at the Camden Harbour Inn. The Ice Bar will be carved out of blocks of ice, creating a working bar that is also a gleaming sculpture.

Join us for a specialty martini, chilled through the martini luge and poured directly into your waiting glass. Indoors we’ll have special gourmet bar menu options including our popular Natalie’s burger and $1 oysters.

You can warm up while listening to lounge tunes selected by our DJ, perhaps even dance a bit or just snuggle with your sweetie, and enjoy the romantic, icy thrill of the Love Ice Bar.

Valentine’s Day

We’re offering a two night romantic Valentine’s package with a split of Champagne, a 30 minute massage for two, daily champagne breakfasts, a five course Romance Dinner at Natalie’s and more. This package is available the weekend of the Love Ice Bar as well as the weekend following Valentine’s Day, February 17 and 18.

US National Toboggan Championships

February also means that it’s time for the US National Toboggan Championships in Camden. Held the weekend of February 10, the Championships are a fun and thrilling athletic event. Competitors are competing for the fastest time of course, but there are also friendlier and funnier competitions, including best costume. If you stay at the Camden Harbour Inn for the Championships we’ll get a racing slot for you as part of your weekend with us.

We hope to see you this February, make plans soon to join us.

Snow, at long last. The sky and the ocean are a blur, the snow is swirling in the air and surrounding the Camden Harbour Inn, which in contrast is warm and inviting. We’ve been waiting for the snow, knowing it would arrive eventually. The normal sounds of daytime activity in Camden are muffled by the snow, making everything feel quieter than it really is, especially since the schools are closed for the day and kids have been spotted heading to the hills with their sleds, eager to use them for the first time this winter.

We hope the snow stays, there are some wonderful cross country trails in Camden. This Saturday, January 14 at 10 a.m., marks the official opening of the expanded winter trail system for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing at the Camden Snow Bowl.  There are now over six miles of trail, including the loop that opened last winter, exploring the northeastern side of Ragged Mountain. The goal is to create a 10 mile trail around the mountain, beginning and ending at the Snow Bowl.

For ice skating fans January 28 is the Camden Winterfest, held in the center of town in front of the Camden Public Library. Camden is fortunate to have a lovely ice rink in the Camden Amphitheatre, which is right next to the library, facing the harbor. The Camden Winterfest will feature ice carving lessons and a communiy ice carving competition. In addition to the outdoor events there will be crafts and live jazz in the library.

It’s a good thing we have all this outdoor activity in Camden, especially since the annual Pies on Parade, in the neighboring town of Rockland, is such a January favorite.

So strap on those skates, or snow shoes, and step outside into the snow.

Welcome to 2012! Every New Year people make resolutions. We hear about them on TV, at the gym, at the grocery store – everywhere we go it seems. The most frequently repeated resolution is to eat better, to lose weight.

We’re firm believers in the importance of breakfast. While we can’t claim our breakfast will help you lose weight, we can promise that a breakfast with us will help your day get off to a great start. Breakfast at the Camden Harbour Inn is part of the experience of spending a night at our Inn. It’s complimentary, and our guests get to enjoy the same fine dining atmosphere we offer at night at Natalie’s, but with the comforting aroma of coffee and the familiar sight of a newspaper propped on a table perhaps.  White linen tablecloths and napkins add to the cheeriness of the sun-filled dining room, making this a great place to relax before jumping into the day ahead.

Our breakfast menu is a la carte, and includes lobster eggs benedict, French toast, quiche, omelets and more, with a side of sausage or bacon. We also have a buffet available, after you order your breakfast you can meander over to select from our house made pastries, pate, cheeses, granola and yogurt.

Let’s not forget the Champagne! It’s a big part of breakfast here too, we always offer it as part of the meal, it’s as important as your glass of orange juice.

At the table breakfast service begins with a smoothie shooter, made with seasonal berries and yogurt to wake up your palate. This is served alongside a bowl of fresh cut seasonal fruit. When this is cleared away it will only be a moment before your selected breakfast appears.

When your breakfast arrives, savor the moment. Enjoy the comfort of breakfast, the sunshine, the glass of Champagne, and remember, your mother always said, “don’t skip breakfast!”

This is a resolution we think you’ll have an easy time keeping, at least when you visit us.

Tomorrow night is New Year’s Eve and we are looking forward to a full house and a great party to bid farewell to 2011 and a warm welcome to 2012. Natalie’s is taking a break from January 2-17 to polish, wax and shine every corner of the restaurant. It’s our version of a thorough spring cleaning, except we do it in the quiet of the winter, before the Inn begins to fill again with visitors from near and far.

When we reopen in January we’re sure to see plenty of snow at the Camden Snowbowl, the ice rink in town will be filled with happy skaters and snow shoeing and cross country skiing will be daily activities. We haven’t had a real snowstorm yet but we always get several, and are already looking forward to the first. There is nothing cozier than a seat by the fire in our lounge or a spot at the bar in Natalie’s. With plenty of windows overlooking the harbor and the village of Camden, a snowy day spent indoors here is a real treat. We’ve even known locals to strap on their snowshoes and head over in a storm, secure in the knowledge that we’ll be open and ready to warm them up with something delicious.

Looking ahead to February, in addition to the US National Toboggan Championships the weekend of February 10 whit a fabulous Ice Bar Event at Natalie’s. Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it. We always offer a special menu and overnight package and we’ll post details on that soon.

In the meantime, if you are looking for a romantic escape to make sure 2012 starts on the right note (not available during the weekend of the US National Toboggan Championships or Valentine’s) consider our two-night Romance Package. It includes a massage for two, our specialty cocktail Victoria’s Secret, a five course dinner at Natalie’s for two and much more. It’s available any time, making any visit to the Camden Harbour Inn feel like your romantic getaway. Past guests have fondly called it a mini-honeymoon, creating a time to reconnect and relax.

May your New Year be filled with good health, much love and happiness.

Many people think that winter in Camden is a sleepy time, with nothing to do. In fact, winter in Camden is a very active time of year, offering numerous outdoor activities.

Camden is home to the Snow Bowl, “Where the Mountain Meets the Sea,” a mini ski resort with a series of beautiful downhill skiing trails, all with views of the ocean. The Camden Snow Bowl is also the annual host of the US National Toboggan Championships, this year held on February 10-12, 2012. The US National Toboggan Championships draw people from around the world, eager to compete or simply watch the thrilling ride down the 400′ long chute and out onto Hosmer’s Pond. Some teams go as fast as 40 mph and fly out onto the ponds smooth surface, extending the breathtaking journey down the hill. This year marks the 21st annual competition and Camden usually sees 400 teams and nearly 1,300 racers.

For people seeking tamer outdoor activities, nearby Mt. Battie is a great spot for snow shoeing or cross country skiing, and in the village of Camden, right in front of the public library, the town builds a skating rink. The skating rink has a view of the harbor, which even in the winter sees lobster boats in the water.

Aldermere Farms, just down the road from the Camden Harbour Inn, offers a cross country skiing guided tour under the full moon. For information, visit their website.

As you can see, people who are in Maine in the winter embrace the season. We love the cold air, the clear blue skies, the sunshine and the snow. At the Camden Harbour Inn, we offer a two night Winter Wonderland Package with passes to the Camden Snow Bowl, a massage for two, a five course dinner for two and much more.

Join us this winter, we’re certain you’ll love it as much as we do.

With Christmas only 10 days away (don’t say we didn’t warn you, that’s right, only 10 days) our thoughts have begun to turn to New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve is always a fun night at the Camden Harbour Inn and our restaurant, Natalie’s. Natalie’s is the only place we know of to invite dinner guests from early in the evening to return for live music, dancing, champagne and hors d’oeuvres later in the evening. The party is in full swing by 11 pm, and guests dressed in their holiday finest fill the dining room, bar and lounge and the sounds of laughter ring throughout the rooms. We love New Year’s Eve because it offers a time to reflect and the promise of a fresh start.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who have visited us in 2011, for an overnight, a dinner in our restaurant, or a cocktail in the lounge. Some of you have become regulars visiting throughout the warm summer months and the cold winter ones. Others have become annual guests who feel like family to us when you return – and then there are the guests who visit us for a special occasion, or to make any occasion feel special. We are grateful for your visits, and we look forward to seeing you again.

We are also thankful for our great staff – in the kitchen, behind the scenes preparing the food; housekeeping, making sure all of our feather beds are fluffed and rooms sparkling clean; and our restaurant staff, taking care of our restaurant guests’ needs.

We wish everyone a wonderful 2011 and hope that you will join us this month to celebrate the holidays or join us in January, to welcome in the New Year.

If you are on our email list you already know about some of the special offers we have available during this month. If you aren’t on the list, you might want to add your name so you can be one of the first to know about special events and offers in the future.

This month we’ve created a series of specials to share as a thank you to our past guests and as a welcome to our future guests.

In order by date we are offering:

Incredible Two-Night Steal
Living Social has an incredible package available with us for a two night stay, complete with a welcome glass of Prosecco, our signature daily a la carte Champagne breakfast, a voucher for $50 toward a future stay, ski tickets at the nearby Camden Snowbowl and much more for just $395. This special offer is available through December 14. Order online or call us at 800-236-4266.

The Summer of 2012 We know winter is just about to truly begin with blankets of snow, but we’re thinking ahead to next summer. Make your reservations to stay with us next summer between December 8 and December 18 and we will honor our 2011 rates, providing you with a savings of 15%. This package is available over the phone only, 800-236-4266.

Winter Mid Week Camden If you are looking for a great excuse to escape and want to experience the luxury of the Camden Harbour Inn at a special rate, book our Winter Midweek Package between December 19 and December 25 for just $199, a savings of almost 30%. This package is available over the phone only, 800-236-4266.

We hope you’ll take advantage of these special offers and share in the fun, whether it’s a gift for someone else or a treat for yourself.

Happy Holidays to All!

We’re in the holiday spirit of giving and are planning some very special offers for the month of December. We’ll be sending all the details out next week to our email list (if you aren’t on the list you might want to sign up today). The offers will vary, and each will be available for a limited time.

We currently have a special package available through Living Social for two nights stay, 2 tickets to the Camden Snow Bowl or a wine tasting for two at Cellardoor Winery, our signature daily a la carte Champagne breakfast, a welcome glass of Prosecco and much more for only $395 (normally this package would be over $900). This offer is only available through December 7 so act fast if you want to take advantage of it.

In the meantime, remember we offer gift certificates to Natalie’s as well as to the Inn, to purchase one simply give us a call, 800-236-4266. We’ll gift wrap it and send it wherever you want.

Happy Holidays!