General Description:  Imagine a lovely English inn combined with a Maine sea captain’s home, and you’ve got the 9-room Captain Lindsey House.  This sophisticated inn is almost more boutique hotel than bed and breakfast, and combines the attributes of both, right in the heart of Rockland’s historic seaport.   The fine oak paneling, along with a wonderful collection of pieces from owners Captains Ken and Ellen Barnes’ travels, offers a feel of worldly hospitality that is the trademark of this inn.  Guests find their time spent with Captains Ken and Ellen Barnes, retired as owners of the windjammer Stephen Taber – the oldest documented schooner in continuous recorded service – is as much a part of the memory as the stay at the inn.  Animated storytellers and world-traveled mariners, the Barnes create a lasting impression with their stories and the inn they’ve created here.  Gorgeous antiques and Persian rugs, amidst modern amenities surreptitiously concealed, offer today’s traveler that combination of genuine historical feel with the conveniences of modern times.  A library complete with a computer for checking email, along with in-room phones and TVs and wireless internet access throughout the inn make this the ideal home-away-from home for those traveling on business and pleasure.  The Captain Lindsey House has been certified by the state of Maine as an environmental leader in the hospitality industry.

Guest Rooms, amenities and rates:  There are nine graciously appointed guest rooms, and you can’t help but feel the presence of the nautical legacy of this inn throughout.  Sketches of schooners and life at sea from artist/owner Captain Ken Barnes and his family, along with custom crafted furniture, created or collected by Captain Barnes, give the inn its signature character. Rooms have twin, queen or king beds, with down comforters, pillows and mattresses. All the rooms are spacious and accommodate two comfortably, in a few cases fold-out beds allow space for additional guests. One room offers its own private handicap-accessible ramp and entrance.  Additionally, the Barnes operate the Captains Cottage in Camden, a year-round two-bedroom, two-bath rental cottage, with a nautical theme.

All guest rooms offer private baths, equipped with hair dryers, fine toiletries, Egyptian cotton towels and fluffy bathrobes. In-room telephones with dataports and wireless Internet access, and televisions cleverly concealed in cabinets and armoires maintain the inn’s historic character.  All rooms are air conditioned for comfort in the summer .  In keeping with their boutique-hotel image, newspapers are found outside guests’ rooms each morning, and a chocolate kiss is laid upon pillows in the evenings.  Turn-down service is offered.  Friendly concierge services including everything from assistance in planning seasonal activities to making dinner reservations is available too.  Guests will enjoy afternoon refreshments, with sherry and port or tea served fireside in the late afternoons.  A well-stocked guest pantry is also provided.    

In the quiet season, (mid-October through mid-June) room rates range from $136 to $156 per night  (double occupancy).  For rooms that accommodate three or four, there is a $35 per night charge per person. During the summer season (mid-June through Mid-October), the same rooms range from $171 to $211 per night.  All room rates include a full 3-course buffet breakfast. Corporate rates are available for business travelers. 
                                                        
Common Rooms:   Guests are welcomed by a number of inviting common areas.  A large and elegant parlor, warmed by a fireplace in winter, and filled with a collection of lovely antiques and artifacts from travels throughout the world, welcomes guests as they enter.                                                   
Off the parlor is a well-stocked library, featuring a complete collection of National Geographic magazines dating back forty years as well as other books for all interests.  Here, there is a desk and telephone with a dataport for those traveling with computers to log into the Internet.  And for those with wireless-ready computers, free access is available throughout the inn. The dining room is reminiscent of a luxury yacht, with beautiful wood paneling and tufted, built-in benches.  Also off the main parlor is a lovely deck and brick patio and walled-in private garden with comfortable outdoor furniture, offering a wonderful place to enjoy morning coffee and breakfast, a quiet afternoon reading, or a cocktail before dinner.  

 Breakfast:  Breakfast is served buffet-style every morning from 8:00-10:00am.  Coffee and teas are up by 7:00 am.  Daily guests are treated to a hearty array of homemade granola and cereals, bagels and English muffins, locally baked breads, muffins, yogurt, eggs, soufflés,  dried and fresh fruits and more.  Guests love the  Belgian waffles always available, along with whipped cream, fresh fruits and syrups for topping.  Many of the recipes featured at breakfast can be found in Ellen Barnes’s cookbook, “A Taste of the Taber, Classic Maine Coastal Cooking”.        

History:  The house was originally built in 1835, when Captain George Lindsey, a bold mariner and prominent Rockland citizen, set up a kiln to make the bricks for his new home.  Lindsey’s father, a veteran of the French and Indian War, had been deeded a large portion of what is known now as Rockland for 14 British pounds.  Two years later, in 1837, Lindsey transformed the house into what is believed to be Rockland’s first inn, compete with a livery stable and popular tavern.   It soon became the gathering place for locals and the center for political discussions.  It remained an inn until the local water company bought it and turned it into its headquarters in the early 1900s.  Captains Ellen and Ken Barnes, bought it to save it from demise in 1995, and as a place to display and share their furniture and collectables from their travels throughout the world with guests.  The Captain Lindsay House is among the six houses that the Barnes have renovated or updated.  While full-time captains of the Windjammer Stephen Taber until 2004, Ken and Ellen Barnes lit the first fire in the parlor fireplace in 1995, and have continued to gain acclaim from guests and media since.

Accessibility, pets, smoking:  Families, couples and single guests are welcome. While most rooms accommodate two people, the inn’s family suites are ideal for those traveling in larger parties.  A handicapped accessible room, with a private entrance, ramp and fully-outfitted handicap-accessible facilities is available.  Those traveling with pets are advised to contact a local kennel.  The inn is fully non-smoking.

Unique Features:  Business travelers will find this inn particularly suited to their needs.  Not only are rooms equipped with televisions, phones and dataports and wireless internet access, but the library offers an additional office-away-from home for those who’d prefer to not mix business with pleasure in their rooms.  A fax and copier is available, and Captain Lindsey House also offers corporate rates.  Those traveling on business are  welcome to invite guests to join them for breakfast at the inn at no additional charge.
Additionally, the wonderful collection of decor, relics, and authentic antiques from throughout the world, combined with its modern amenities give this inn the feel of a boutique European hotel.  Add that to the wonderfully interesting stories from owners, Ken and Ellen Barnes, and the warm hospitality offered by their staff, and the Captain Lindsey is a favorite among all.  The elegant intimacy of this inn provides a lovely venue for small weddings and receptions.  Additionally, Captain Barnes can officiate.

Directions: From Portland, Maine: Take I-295 to Exit 28 in Brunswick. Take Route 1 north and follow into Rockland. Continue on Route 1 north onto Main Street.  At the send of the stores, turn left onto Summer Street, go one block turn left and then left again onto Lindsey Street.  The inn is on the left.