Ted Cohen/Patch.com
The White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport has just won top accolades in a worldwide survey.
Voters in Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards named it the No. 1 hotel in the northeast.
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The inn was cited "for its exceptional luxury, distinctive character, and impeccable service."
It's also No. 17 on Conde Nast's list of the 50 Best Hotels in the World.
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The inn is in a section of Kennebunk commonly referred to as Kennebunkport because of its adjoining proximity to the town made famous by the Bush family - including two presidents who shared the same name.
Former President George H.W. Bush's family first established a summer beachhead there, followed by former President George W. Bush.
The Bush family's connection to Kennebunkport began in 1903 when the senior Bush's maternal great-grandfather, George H. Walker, purchased the property, then known as Point Vesuvius.
Bush's mother, Dorothy Walker Bush, was later given a cottage on the point as a wedding gift.
The 41st president frequently used the estate - known as Walker's Point - to relax and to host foreign leaders for informal summits.
"Bush 41" spent his own childhood summers at Walker's Point, a tradition he continued with his wife, Barbara, and their children.
His son, "Bush 43," continues he tradition.
The White Barn Inn began with a 19th-century farmhouse in the 1860s, later becoming a boarding house and being remodeled in 1941.
In 1973, the property's barn was transformed into the White Barn Inn Restaurant, establishing it as a premier fine-dining destination and eventually earning Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond awards.
After being owned by Auberge Resorts Collection since 2018, the inn was acquired by DoveHill in August 2025, with Auberge continuing to manage the property.
