Portland, Maine, is the kind of city that immediately makes you start browsing real estate apps. With its walkable cobblestone streets, stunning coastline, and a world-class culinary scene that rivals cities five times its size, it’s incredibly easy to fantasize about starting a new life here. If you’re not ready to relocate but want to fake it for a few days, The Docent’s Collection is where you stay. This collection of luxury loft-style residences occupies three historic brick buildings scattered through Portland’s Old Port, delivering the feel of local living with the perks of hotel hospitality.
Wondering what to do (and where to eat) while you’re in the city? Follow our Perfect Portland Weekend Itinerary.
Location
The Docent’s Collection has one of the best addresses in Portland. Bigger hotels tend to feel set apart from the city, but this one sits right in the middle of the best dining and retail, so you actually feel like part of the neighborhood. The waterfront is just a block away, and Congress Street, Portland’s main hub, is even closer.
The property sits at the center of Old Port Square, a lively stretch of downtown filled with green spaces, boutique shops, and local eateries. With everything within easy walking distance, you can leave the car in The Docent’s Collection’s parking lot for the whole trip.
Rooms
Instead of traditional hotel rooms, The Docent’s Collection does apartment-style lofts, ranging from 440-square-foot studios up to three-bedroom, two-bath units at 2,023 square feet. Many have in-unit laundry, and all have full kitchens with luxury appliances (a Miele fridge, for one) plus extras like a French press and a NutriBullet on request.
We stayed in a one-bedroom loft at 178 Middle Street measuring 600 square feet, which is bigger than plenty of actual Portland apartments. Like the other lofts, it’s been carefully restored from the original historic building, keeping details like the tall arched windows while adding in modern touches: smart TV, air conditioning, hardwood floors. The loft opens into a big hallway, off of which is a bedroom with a comfortable king bed and a closet big enough to unpack into for a longer stay.
The hallway leads into a big kitchen, well stocked with everything we needed to cook (or reheat leftovers from nearby restaurants), including local olive oil, an in-fridge water filter, a wine chiller, and a dishwasher. The open-concept living room has a cozy L-shaped couch and arched windows overlooking Exchange Street, which was handy for checking whether the Mount Desert Ice Cream line was short enough to head down for a scoop.
The bathroom is large and airy, with a double vanity and a glass walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead. It’s stocked with plush robes, Lather toiletries, and a hair dryer, with an iron and ironing board available so you can look presentable.
The location was perfect: less than a five-minute walk to Portland’s best shops and restaurants, close to the water, and easy to pop back to for dropping off shopping bags, resting, or cooling off in the AC after a long day of walking.
Packages
A stay at The Docent’s Collection keeps coming back to the “live like a local” ethos. Mine included the Docent’s Dossier, a curated itinerary put together by the local team. The Summer Dossier included two tickets to the Portland Museum of Art, an institution with an impressive collection of art from Monet to Homer.
When we checked in, our fridge was pre-stocked with a lobster roll kit, including fresh lobster meat, mayo, and spices from Luke’s Lobster, so we could try the Maine staple without waiting in line. The concierge team also locked in dinner reservations at some of Portland’s hottest restaurants (EVO, Ladyfish), no small feat in the summer when tables book up weeks out.
Amenities
A welcome spread of treats from local retailers greets you, including coffee, olive oil, and chocolate. Free WiFi is available. Parking is available for a fee, and pets are welcome in some lofts.
