Blind Tiger Portland – Carleton Street

With the holidays behind us, and spring not quite yet on the horizon, January is typically prime timing for the winter doldrums. Knowing I have a tendency to suffer this annual affliction, I decided to pre-empt the onset of cabin fever with a weekend getaway. A girlfriend who lives in Maine suggested we meet up in Portland, which seemed like the perfect excursion. A fisherman’s city with a small-town vibe, and a bustling but unfussy food scene, the East Coast Portland had long been on my list of places to visit. Plus, I sprang at the opportunity to book a room at Blind Tiger guesthouse, which friends recently stayed at — and loved. After my own two nights there, I can understand why.

The hotel boasts two properties in Portland, both centrally situated and just a 10-minute walk from one another. At the Carleton Street location, a three-story, six-room guesthouse where I booked myself a charming corner room on the top floor, guests are invited to make themselves at home. Be aware: If you’re the type of traveler who arrives at your hotel with a list of questions and requests for the concierge, you should consider booking elsewhere. If you’re the sort who prefers a more autonomous-feeling stay, then you’ll love it here.

On the parlour level, there’s a cozy, well-appointed living room with several inviting spots for curling up with a good book or cocktail. It really does feel as though you’re stepping into someone’s home. The space features a mishmash of mid-century design layered with antique objects, and thoughtful human touches like a self-serve bar and unique craft bitters on hand. There’s another sitting area beyond it, that leads into a dining space where breakfast is offered between 8.30am and 10.30am each morning.

There’s no restaurant, nor room service, but a pantry you can help yourselves to that's fully loaded with fresh fruit and nuts, packaged snacks like chips and popcorn, candy, and non-alcoholic beverages — all free of charge — is perhaps the most generous 'minibar' I’ve come across yet.

My third-floor room, named Nocino, was spacious and cozy all at once. Along with its walk-in closet, king-size bed and a fireplace that’s been repurposed as a mantle for artwork, there was an equally sizable marble-tiled bathroom — and I loved the herringbone-pattern inside the shower. Like the rest of the guesthouse, the room’s layered blend of antiques and decor from various periods made it a stylish, but comfortable choice. In fact, once I’d gotten settled in and unpacked, I found it hard to leave, had it not been for my hunger.

Since my friend wouldn’t arrive until the next day, I didn’t bother making restaurant reservations that night. I bundled up and made my way towards Leeward, an Italian restaurant nearby (within a 15-minute walk) that seemed to be on every 'Best of Portland' list I’d recently come across. I was able to grab a spot at the bar, which is typically left open for walk-in guests. The ziti pasta with a pistachio pesto piqued my curiosity, given that I usually associate pesto with summertime. This one had an earthier, umami-packed depth thanks to the pistachios, tangy caciocavallo cheese and dusting of bottarga. It was different and delicious, and only made me wish I had a second stomach to be able to try another of the half-dozen or so pasta offerings.

That night back in my room at Blind Tiger, void of street noise and other typical big-city disruptions, I enjoyed an easy drift-off to sleep. Breakfast downstairs the next day was a cornucopia of morning staples: granola, overnight oats, dried fruit, bowls of fresh berries, and all the fixings for a proper bagel or toast board, both sweet and savory: cream cheeses, flavored butters, jams, hard-boiled eggs, the list goes on. After sating myself on breakfast and several cups of coffee, I set out to explore Congress Street, one of downtown Portland’s main thoroughfares, where I’d seen plenty of shops and restaurants the night before. My first stop was the Portland Museum of Art, which struck me for its impressive number of portraits of famous figures by the late photographer Richard Avedon: Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and Dwight D Eisenhower among them.

For lunch, I headed to Eventide, an oyster bar with lines out the door during the peak months of summer. I couldn’t leave Maine without having at least one lobster roll, so my order at Eventide was a no-brainer. It arrived glistening with brown butter, on a marshmallow-fluffy bun that called to mind the steam buns traditionally used in Chinese cooking.

I spent the next few hours exploring the great vintage clothing and antiques shops along Congress: Material Objects’s stellar curation of vintage fashion, and Portland Open House were especially notable favorites. My friend had arrived by the time I returned to Blind Tiger; she unpacked and settled into her own room at the end of the hall, while I put my feet up and assessed dinner options close to the hotel — rain was expected for most of the night. We decided on Chaval, a charming spot serving updated twists on classic Spanish tapas. We loved the gregarious staff, especially the server who gave us a quick primer on Spanish vermouths. Be sure to leave room for dessert, especially the nugget-shaped churros bathed in chocolate sauce.

The next morning my friend and I fueled up at Tandem, a popular coffee shop and bakery dispensing biscuits the size of our heads, before setting off for the waterfront, another lively area filled with shops and restaurants. I highly recommend: Viand Mercantile and Portland Dry Goods for housewares and gifts, and Haberdashery for its secondhand designer offerings. Though I wished we could have strolled for longer, our check-out time was approaching, and besides, it’s always better to leave a place yearning to visit again. That certainly includes a return to the familiar-feeling homeyness of Blind Tiger, too.