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You'll adore our Maine coastal resort right on the water, perfect for Boothbay Harbor family vacations and couples getaways. Enjoy fun water and land activities, cozy accommodations, and a supervised kid's camp in summer. Stay in spacious cabins or lodges on the water or grab a mooring for your boat. Indulge in local Maine cuisine at our waterfront Deck Bar & Grill for lunch, happy hour, or dinner during your stay at one of the most impressive resorts in Boothbay Harbor.
Explore the rich history of Linekin Bay Resort, a cornerstone of Boothbay Harbor family vacations. Immerse yourself in tradition as you learn about our roots through stories that have shaped one of the finest family resorts in Boothbay Harbor. Join us on this journey through time and be part of our timeless tale.
In 1909, Grove Ross Branch and his wife, Elizabeth Garrabrandt Branch, purchased “The Point” (the current site of Linekin Bay Resort) from Judge Kenniston.
Soon after, the Branches built a two-story cabin on the site, with a pier in front. The stairs and fireplace of that original cabin are near the entrance of the Main Lodge. The Branches soon found that their new summer home attracted relatives and friends who stayed for weeks, if not months. After all, trips from New Jersey and Massachusetts involved train rides to Boston, the overnight steamboat to Bath, and a coastal ferry to the dock in Boothbay Harbor. Such a long trip required an equally long visit! However, of Huguenot ancestry, Elizabeth was not the sort of person to watch even her relatives eat her out of house and home. Recounting these events in later years, she would often complain of visitors who thought that picking a half full jar of blueberries was an adequate contribution to the larder.
As a result, in 1919, the Branches evicted their friends and relatives and founded Linekin Bay Camp, a summer waterfront camp for girls. Elizabeth was the organizer, the manager and the firm hand. Always in control, Elizabeth wrote out the camp’s name as LIN-E-KIN, to ensure the proper pronunciation. Grove was the charismatic, gregarious and spontaneous leader of the troupe. Drawing in campers, first from Massachusetts and New Jersey, Linekin Bay Camp became one of the best-known of the summer residence programs that were established to provide invigorating and companionate experiences for girls between the two great wars.
The girls had many scheduled activities, which included arts and crafts, fencing, horseback riding, paddling war canoes, fishing, rowing, sailing, playing tennis, performing musicals and swimming. Every day involved swimming and diving in Linekin Bay.
In 1938, when Grove passed away, his son, Bob, left his employment as an engineer to help his mother continue to run the Camp. One critical aspect of running the Camp was visiting colleges to hire counselors. One year, Elizabeth and Bob visited the New England Conservatory of Music and interviewed a piano and voice student, Ida Bardwell, for the position of music counselor. When they left, Ida’s roommate said, “You’re going to marry that young man.” Ida replied, “You’re crazy! He just sat there like a lump and said nothing.” Three seasons later, her roommate was proven correct, and Ida and Bob were married on the coast of Maine.
During World War II, the camp faced challenges as counselors became scarce and parents grew anxious about potential coastal threats. In 1944, a small number of campers attended, some accompanied by their parents who stayed in empty cabins. By 1945, only a few family friends and former camper families summered at Linekin. When Bob returned home from the war, he convinced his mother to reopen Linekin as a summer inn for families. The first season was in 1946. Sailing and boating were the featured activities, as well as tennis and horseback riding.
In 1946, Linekin Bay Camp became Linekin Bay Resort, added accommodations, constructed a heated salt-water swimming pool on the edge of the bay, and developed a loyal national customer base. With Bob’s death in 1996, the challenge of running Linekin was undertaken by Ida. At the age of 90, Ida retired from active participation and Linekin Bay Resort was taken over by her children, Peter and Kristina.
In early 2015, the Branch family put Linekin Bay Resort on the market, and in December the sale was finalized to Scott Larson, owner of the Newagen Seaside Inn, and Steve Malcom, owner and CEO of the Knickerbocker Group.
Early in 2016, Scott and Steve embarked on phase one of Linekin Bay Resort’s revitalization project. They also extended the open season with a new Spring & Fall season, added more boats to the fleet, and put a plan together to welcome back return guests as well as attract new ones. In Spring of 2016, they opened their doors with excitement and more than a few parties.
In 2023, Star Mesa Properties (a family owned company with a long history in Maine) became the majority owners of Linekin Bay Resort. Steve Malcom has stayed on as a minority owner and continues to provide valuable insight (and a lot of fun). Together they have undertaken extensive renovations of the resort. They understand and love the history of Linekin Bay Resort so have been careful to retain the wonderful “vibe” created by those before them. Their continued investment ensures Linekin Bay Resort remains a premier Midcoast Maine destination.
Our extended family reunion of 22 spent the third week of July 2024 at this beautiful place that was everything we hoped for and more than we knew to expect. We came from six states — Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois and Oregon — and for most of us it was our first time visiting Maine. Some of us had rooms, some of us had cabins and the accommodations were first rate. We took advantage of many amenities on the resort — sailing, kayaking, pickleball, the game room, even the regatta and Trivia Night — and loved having the full breakfast available each day. It was an easy 10-minute drive to Boothbay Harbor and was nice to have the shuttle available if we needed it. The staff was friendly at every turn. And those hydrangeas! Would love to return someday.
This was my second stay since May this year and it was wonderful yet again. My husband and I stayed in the Mulberry cottage this time with our two dogs. Fortunately one of the staff saved us, as we were originally booked in a cottage that was not dog friendly and shifted us to another cottage that was available. This staff member was so pleasant and professional during my last stay as well, I wish I could give him proper credit, but he is from Orlando and working for the year with your hotel.
The hotel is beautifully decorated, clean, with plenty of amenities and the staff is so welcoming to us and our dogs. It is so rare to find hotels that still provide daily servicing of the guest rooms. We are both chefs, having worked in various hotels and restaurants for the past 25-30 years. Typically hotel restaurants are not known for having the best restaurants, but the restaurant here is exceptional. We ate dinner there twice and had breakfast each morning. Dinner was delicious and my husband and I laughed at how good the breakfast buffet eggs were. Seriously, I don’t think my husband has ever gone back for a second serving of eggs. It sounds so funny to say it, but something so simple usually does not taste THAT GOOD! Service in the restaurant for each meal was exceptional as well.
Thank you for another great stay!
We loved this cabin stay. It had the comfort of a hotel but the feeling of summer camp and our toddler had a blast! We would definitely return. Breakfast buffet was great as well! Our only wish was that breakfast went until 10 or 10:30 so people have the option to get a slow start. We loved this place! The price was also great- wonderful value.
I can finally recommend LBR again. They are much more organized this year and have invested in the property. I am so glad Covid is in the rear view mirror; you could feel that Boothbay was back. I was skeptical of the amenity fee and would prefer to see the entire cost up front. However, this extra cost was worth it to not have to pay for sailing and other extras. This is the only property where guests can easily access day sailing vessels, much less at this cost generally. Moreover, there are lots of activities. Additional cabins have been upgraded. Overall, the staff is improved, though I would like to see more expertise and safety experience at the sail shack. Looking forward to getting back next summer if not this fall.
The grounds were well kept and the staff was very friendly. It is somewhere that I would like to return for a longer stay.
Exceptionally beautiful location. Wonderful personell. Great breakfast. Free rental of sports equipment.
