So there are several factors that contribute to this rating. First, we arrived in York Beach on a wandering vacation and decided it looked nice and we'd try to stay a couple of days. No reservations, on a Saturday afternoon, in July, Yeah. So, I began calling places starting at the top of the ratings I could browse on my phone and working my way down the list (as ALL were booked) until my battery was drained. I then resorted to just walking along Long Sands beachfront and stopping at the hotel desks. At the York Harbor Motel and Cottages I got a "Yes, we have one room left", yay! The price? $260 for one night or $200 a night for 2 nights, ouch! Husband and I conferred for 2 minutes and decided we would suck it up and stay.
Well, the room ended up being a "studio cottage" which turned out to be a low-ceilinged single room with everything: bed, bureau, nightstand, TV, clothing rack, kitchen, table and chairs. Not really much "moving around" room. Separated by a door was the small bathroom (tiny vanity, no tub). There was also a very small, screened porch on the front. The kitchen came with everything you might need for a longer stay, plates, cups, bowls, fridge, microwave, coffee maker etc. The bed was terrible, it sagged in the middle and I think it was a full size, barely large enough for two normal adults to share comfortably. Linens were clean, but old and worn. The carpet smelled musty. Our unit had a window air conditioner that barely cooled the room at full blast. I guess only some of the units here have A/C, so if that is important to you, make sure you know what you are getting.
There is a small pool on the property, but it's selling point is really the proximity to the beach (across the street). The beach here is beautiful, but whoa, crazy crowded on July weekends.
They include a $6 breakfast coupon for the Lobster Cove Restaurant (a block away) for each adult in the room, food was decent there. The lady that was manning the desk when we checked in was very friendly and extremely helpful, the one the next day was neither of the above. This room would have been fine for $60 a night, even $100 at the tops, but was really substandard for the price we paid. Of course, it's all about supply and demand, and that weekend there was plenty of demand, right after we paid for the room someone came in asking if they had any vacancies. Would I come back to York Harbor? Yes! Would I stay here again? No, thank you.

For more than $1300 per week, you get 3 very small bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, no counter space. Tou better be thin, otherwise you cannot take a shower. The outside furniture is rotten so are the windows. The garbage dumpster is located in the playing area, just besides the swimming pool. The place is not very clean, to say the least. A place to avoid.

my husband and i have gone to york on long sands beach for the last four years for our anniversary. all of the places we have stayed were nice but the york harbor motel was recommended to us by another couple, so we decided to try it.
the motel is right across the street from the ocean,long sands beach. sept is a wonderful time to go, you can walk on the beach,relax and on warmer days even go swimming. we purchased the romance package for 299$ this included 2 nights, 4pm checkout, 2 wonderful dinners at jonathans, 4 hot breakfast at the lobster cove right next to the motel, and a small welcome wine and cheese basket.
if you are looking for luxury, stay someplace else. but, if you are looking for a clean, friendly, perfectly located place to spend a weekend ...stay here. it was very nice and we will definately be staying there next year!!
a great value!! nancy

My husband and I stayed a Saturday night here in September. We stayed in unit #7 which was on the end of the two-story building facing the ocean. ($115.00 per night) I believe it was the only one of the motel rooms which had a refrigerator, so this room was a little more expensive. (The cottages probably have them also.) It was a clean room, the cable TV worked well and the beds were very comfortable. It was feet from the beach and we could hear the ocean waves while we slept with nice fresh air coming in the windows. The deck had beautiful views of Nubble Light and the ocean but was a little weather worn as was the building itself.

Taking into account it was September, the weather was fantastic and yet the beaches were mostly empty except for occasional walkers and there was a nice restaurant in walking distance called the Lobster Cove. Route 1A that you have to cross to get to the beach was not loud or busy at this time of year and it was not a problem at all. The staff was friendly and helpful.