HotelTonight – Portland, Maine Hotels in a Few Clicks
I had never been to Maine, although I knew a lot of people who had. I'd heard nothing but wonderful things about a state that was completely mysterious to me. I had heard about the rocky coasts, the unique accents, the beautiful wooded landscape and, of course, the friendly people. Unfortunately, Maine is not somewhere I happen to travel to for work, so I never had a chance to spend any time there. I wanted to change all of that and when an opportunity arose to take a long weekend trip somewhere due to my airline miles, I decided to book a flight to Portland, Maine. I was thrilled that I would get to experience such place. The only thing I had to do was find a Portland, Maine hotel room. That may seem simple enough, but it's not always easy at the last minute.
I picked up my phone and found an app called HotelTonight. I hadn't used it before, but I was willing to at least take a look at what it had to offer for Portland, Maine hotel rooms even though time was growing relatively short to get this done. I looked at their options and they were quite nice. I picked one out and decided to see how involved the booking process was. I was extremely impressed with how quickly I was able to reserve a room. I was done in a matter of a few minutes. All that was left was the packing and then heading to the airport. I was so excited I could barely concentrate.
Back Cove
If you want to see rocky beaches, Back Cove is a good place to start. This is a small community of approximately 3,000 people, and it's generally residential. I thought about how nice it would be to live in a place so close to water, as that's something I don't think I would ever take for granted. The views over the water were breathtaking, and I walked around a bit and talked to some people who happened to be going about their regular business. It was a really nice way to start the day and to get a feel for the city.
Oakdale
My next stop was a community called Oakdale. I didn't realize this until I read about it later, but as soon as I walked into the area it seemed as though there was a distinct dancing influence. As it turns out, Oakdale really is the dancing hub of the area. Every kind of dancing was offered in classes here, including ballet, jazz, hip hop and the like. There were also quite a few cute and local shops here, so I walked around and browsed a bit before moving into the next step of my journey.
West End
The West End seemed to have a lot of history in it. It was also clear that there was a very pronounced Irish influence in this neighborhood, as there was an Irish Heritage Center here. I also spent some time walking through the Museum of African Culture, and it was very impressive. What I really wanted to do at this point, though was eat lunch, as I was extremely hungry. I asked a lady about where I should go, and she pointed me towards a locally owned place that specialized in home-cooked meals. My lunch was perfect and I really appreciated the tip. That's why I left a nice one at my table.
Downtown
After lunch, I decided to spend some time downtown. Talk about a classic New England town. The buildings had that distinct look about them and even the streets seemed like something out of the past. It was time for me to make sure that I had gifts for all of the people who are important to me, so I spent some time in some local shops and filled a couple of bags with neat items that I was sure everyone would appreciate. I stopped in for a cold drink at a local pub, chatted with some locals about this and that and then decided it was time for my last stop of the day.
East End
I wanted to do some more walking and take in a bit more of the shoreline, so I found the Eastern Promenade. It's a paved pathway along the water and it provides a perfect opportunity to walk and simply enjoy the fresh air. This really is a beautiful place that fits perfectly in a beautiful city. I had walked enough at this point that I was hungry, so once again I asked around for a recommendation and was told to try another local joint. I did, and the seafood was magnificent, as it was about as fresh as anything you could ever hope to taste.
HotelTonight – Portland, Maine Hotel Rooms in Minutes
As I headed back to my hotel, I thought about all that I had gotten to see that day. I was thrilled that I was able to come here and experience a place that I had always wanted to visit. I was also satisfied that I had gotten a chance to gain at least a small understanding of what it's like to live here. I owe a lot of this to HotelTonight, as the app provided me with Portland hotel rooms that were perfect for what I needed and the checkout process was as convenient as anything I had ever experienced.
