Fall in Portland, Maine, is pure magic—crimson leaves, crisp air, and cozy charm surround the serene, minimalist luxury of the Longfellow Hotel.
It’s no secret that Portland, Maine is a popular weekend getaway. Named Bon Appetit’s Restaurant City of the Year in 2018, Maine’s largest city boasts a remarkably high restaurant per capita and makes for an excellent homebase to explore the state’s iconic lighthouses, beaches, and coastline.
But for a real local secret, the city gets even better after Labor Day—the weather is pleasant, it’s easier to get a table at the city’s best restaurants, and, come October, the state erupts in color. And while many visitors come to Portland for its food scene, fall in Portland, Maine, is pure magic. By mid-October, warm summer greens fade into a kaleidoscope of colors. Crisp days and cool nights set the stage for nature’s grand finale; perfect for scenic strolls, capturing the brilliance of Maine’s most colorful season.
The centerpiece for a self-care getaway in Portland is the Longfellow Hotel. Newly opened in the West End in 2024, the hotel features a warm and minimalist interior that invites guests to breathe more easily. This is, in part, by design. “Sleep is woven into every part of the guest experience—from the design of our rooms to the menus at our bar and spa,” said Tony DeLois, Co-Founder and COO of Uncommon Hospitality. “We partnered with Sleep Wise Consulting to optimize rest through features like custom mattresses, Loftie alarm clocks, and light-blocking solutions in the rooms. Each room also has a "sleep guide" created in collaboration with Sleep Wise to educate travelers on optimal sleep habits.
Photos courtesy of Longfellow Hotel
Astraea, the hotel’s spa, houses a private infrared sauna suite, and the signature massage involves tuning forks and warm salt stones for total relaxation. Five of Clubs, the lobby bar, offers a menu of light bites and mocktails with tart cherry to help guests coast into a good night’s sleep.
The Old Port, the city’s touristy, waterfront district, also holds some wellness secrets of its own. Beauty Mark is the city’s best day spa. With a philosophy rooted in European skincare traditions, the spa focuses on “long-term skin health rather than quick fixes,” said proprietor Jenn Ross-Boshes. “We truly see ourselves as partners in our clients’ skincare journeys. That means providing education and guidance, not just treatment. Our goal is to help clients understand their skin and feel empowered to care for it confidently between visits.”
For locals, this means an excellent opportunity to learn about your skin, but visitors can take something away too—I, for example, learned all about how Vitamin A is particularly helpful for living in Maine through all four seasons.
Located beside James Beard semifinalist Gross Confection Bar, the Salt Cellar features a salt vault where visitors recline in zero gravity chairs while salty, eucalyptus vapor mists overhead. If you go, make sure to rinse off before visiting more local haunts in East Bayside and the East End—I forgot before going to a power vinyasa class at heated studio, Portland Power Yoga, which pairs group breath and excellent instruction in a truly mindful, supportive community.
Autumn in Maine is ideal for leaf-peepers, but Mainers have another secret when the temperature begins to cool: the state is quickly becoming a sauna hotspot. On trendy Washington Avenue, the Washington Baths are a minimalist sauna with an outdoor cold plunge and hot tub that gets locals through the city’s long winters. Up and down the coast, numerous other saunas, like Waterstruck Wellness in Newcastle and Cedar Grove in Montville, mean there’s always somewhere to breathe easy in the great outdoors of Maine.