poss

I asked so many questions in planning this trip, so I'm hoping I might be of some help to others now. We had a great trip: good accommodations, good weather, good food, good touring, no black flies or mosquitoes! I'll mention the places where we stayed and if anyone has any specific questions about these or about restaurants, I'll be happy to reply.

Bar Harbor: Bar Harbor Inn (3 nights)

Camden/Lincolnville Beach: Glenmmoor By the Sea (1 night)

Kennebunkport: Captain Lord Mansion (2 nights)

TahitiTams

Hi poss..
Would you recommend Bar Harbor Inn over Captain Lord Mansion for staying 2 nights? I will be there in September for my b-day and I would like a really nice place to stay.
I have never been to New England area and very much looking forward to it.
Any must see places that you found along the way and I have to have a great Lobster Roll!
Thanks again poss for your help!

virginia

glad you had a good trip and avoided the black flies. hope graduation went well! where did you eat in bar harbor?

poss

TT: I"ll get back to you in a little while with a full response.

Virginia: Best meals we had in BH were at Cafe This Way. Ate there the first night and liked it so much we made reservations for our last night also. In between had dinner at Mackey's Pub-- also quite good. And we much liked the atmosphere and service at both places.

Also went to Jordan Pond House twice. Lobster roll wasn't bad, but we had better later in the week in Camden and Kennebunkport. Loved the popover of course, especially the a la mode; the chocolate sauce was memorable and the mocha/oreo ice cream was first-rate.

(The continental breakfast at Bar Harbor Inn, by the way, was pretty poor.)

Lovely graduation at Colby and we did wear insect repellant the first 3-4 days, but think we'd probably not have been bitten even if we hadn't.

Maine is awesome! (Favorite thing of all maybe: the splendid trees in Kennebunkport.)

arriba

I am replying to TahitiTams--Captain Lord and BarHarbour Inn are hours apart and Kennebunkport and BarHarbour and very different but both great places to visit.

You can get a good lobster roll at Red's Eats in wiscasset(a gorgeous little town) if you don't mind standing in a LONG line and eating it right beside a busy highway. We had a great lobster roll right across from that and sat on a deck to enjoy it,don't remember the name of the place. Also good one at Lincolnville Beach at The Lobster Pound.

Camden is a nice town, good places on the harbour to eat. Also, you can get a wonderful vista of the whole area from atop of Mt. Battie which is a few miles out of Camden. We enjoyed the Maritime Museum in Searsport and the shipbuilding museum in Bath. Also liked walking around Belfast--great shops on the main street. My favorite is one of the finest cooking/kitchen shops I have experienced. Forgot to mention the Farnsworth Musuem in Rockland and the Aviation Museum just out of Rockland.

Enjoy your trip!

TahitiTams

Thanks so much arriba!
I am wondering if its better to spend 2 days in either Kennebunkport or Bar Harbor for my birthday..
I am driving up from Boston and we are taking the coastline up and thinking 1-2 nights in Kennebunkport or going all the way up to BH..I am open to other great coastal towns that have wonderful lodging..I only have a week and that means 2 days Boston/4 days up the the coast and 1 day back to leave..
I am so looking forward to this trip for the shear beauty of NE, possibly leaves turning and eating lobster rolls and good chowder!
Thanks again for all your help!

arriba

I really prefer areas other than BarHarbour--it is just SO touristy and busy. I know that most wonderful towns will be busy during this time of year, but some seem to have retained more charm than others. The South coast and Down East are so different and it would be good to see both if you can. If you stay in BarHarbour you could tour the Acadia Natl Park and that beautiful coast. Kennebunkport has lovely old houses, Ogunquit is lovely to tour and there is a plethora of outlet malls if you are a shopper. To compare the 2 properties: The Captain Lord is an old house and that would be personal and like being in a very nice B&B. The Bar Harbour Inn is a very large gorgeous property and on the water but your room might not be water view.
Have a great birthday trip!

TahitiTams

arriba..
I have heard that about Bar Harbor..
Ogunquit seems to be a fav too..
From Boston to Bar Harbor..it looks like 3-4 hours drive time..realistic?
Should I fly by the seat of my pants without reservations and just drive and stop? I would think September would be just as busy with the leaves turning..we will be going weekend of 9-14-17th..
I just want to have a wonderful experience in NE in a lovely luxury hotel/Inn along the coast somewhere in Maine.

betrhein

I have enjoyed reading your intenerary. We are driving up the coast from Boston in Sept. Did you eat at White Barn Inn? How did you work Arcadia, we are not hikers? Any other great places you would rec in Kinnebunkport for dinner? We are staying in Camden at Ocean's edge for 2 nights and a wonderful b&b in Kinnebunkport (can't remember the name), also 2 nights (wish it were 3) at Bar Harbor Inn. Did you eat at Primos or jenavine's?
Thanks for you input!!!

arriba

We stayed in Kennebunkport just one night and were unable to dine at White Barn which I regretted. We ate at a local seafood place that I can't recall the name(maybe a woman's name?)and it was great. Very casual, very crowded great fresh seafood. We stayed in Freeport one year--lots of outlet stores but the discovery of that stay was Harreseeket Lunch and Lobster. It is a little drive out of town and on the harbour where the boats unload. You can buy live lobsters and on the other side is the restaurant where youn eat outside on the wharf. boiled lobsters or fried seafood baskets--I have never been served so many scallops in my life for such a reasonable price!!!

We have eaten at Primo in Rockland and maybe it was an off night because it was not our favorite. I know it is favored by many, I am just not one of them. I think The Edge restaurant at the Inn at Ocean's Edge is better. We like both waterfront places on the harbour in Camden, also The Lobster Pound(or Pot?)at Lincolnville Beach.

We are not hikers either and drove to do our sightseeing around the park and Bar Harbour. We loved Havana, a great restaurant in Bar Harbour--in fact, I liked it better than Primo also.

If you are interested in furniture, please stop and tour Windsor Chair in Lincolnville. Gorgeous furniture handmade right there and the owner is very welcoming. It is right on the hwy.

Tahiti--I know it looks do-able on the map, but I am skeptical about driving from Boston to bar Harbour in 4 hours. The traffic is heavy and the road narrows to 2 lane around Brunswick and the going is SLOW! I might be wrong about this, but we drove from Boston to Freeport one year and that took about 4 hours if I remember correctly. I would not attempt to go without reservations unless you don't care where you stay. It is not as busy after Labor Day, but if you want something on the water or somewhat nice, you might think about reserving. Maybe someone else has another perspective on that.

yestravel

Tahiti, a bit off the beaten track, but a nice place to stay is Coveside B&B in Georgetown, Maine
http://www.covesidebandb.com/ Thea rea is ver different than Camden or Bar Harbor-- very undeveloped.

I think the drive from Boston to Acadia is closer to 5-6 hours. Its a lovely drive though and lots of interesting places to stop along the way.

elberko

poss,

Cafe this Way is our favorite place in Bar Harbor. Every meal we've had there has been just right. Glad you enjoyed it, too!

poss

It's been interesting to read this thread, and I hope the various kinds of input has been helpful. Obviously, the old "different strokes for different folks" idiom holds true for travel choices as it does for most of the rest of life. For what it's worth, here's my "take" on some of the places we stayed and dined. By the way, I think that trying to get from Boston to Bar Harbor in fewer than 6 hours is a big mistake (not sure it's even possible, except maybe straight up I-95).

Bar Harbor: Our main priority was hiking/exploring Acadia and this was a good place to do it from.
TT: there are plenty of very easy trails, and even if you want to do no hiking at all, there are lots of wonderful lookouts from the Loop Road around the Park.
Bar Harbor Inn: We thought it was so-so. The views were for sure terrific, especially from the side where the Lodge part of the complex sits. The grounds were fine, nothing memorable (imo), but the views certainly were memorable. We stayed in the Lodge part, top floor. We wanted as much quiet and privacy as possible-- both of which were better there than in the main part of the inn. We also preferred the view from the Lodge rooms. The rooms themselves were just "ok." Certainly nothing "lodgey" about them. More like a hotel room (though, again, it was great to have the little balcony and that wonderful view). Bed was comfortable, chairs were not (and were truly ugly in our opinion). Cleanliness in the lodge was ok, not perfect. The included continental breakfast was ordinary, maybe even a step beneath the Holiday Inn on I-95 kind of thing. Had fresh fruit as well as canned fruit each day and that was nice. Otherwise, blah. Bagels, English muffins, some other sorts of mostly stale muffins. Also yogurt and hard boiled eggs. Same exact spread every day. One didn't go hungry, but one (at least these ones) also never looked forward to breakfast.
We looked at each of the other category rooms in the main inn and they were ok. We liked the look of some of them better than the Lodge rooms, but definitely didn't like the view as much. And they definitely would have been more busy/noisy and less private.

Lincolnville/Camden: We remember having loved Camden the one other time we were in the region, so we wanted a full day in the area. Again hoped to find a quiet, private kind of place to stay, with good views. I was put off by some of the comments I'd read about Inn at Ocean's Edge and I was put off by a couple of conversations I'd had with the manager at Inn at Sunrise Point (where we'd stayed before, and loved). Staying in Camden was out because those fine inns are on the main street--no good for quiet freaks like us. We decided to stay at Glenmmoor, realizing in advance (from looking carefully at the website) that it wasn't a "high end" kind of place. We were not unpleased with our one-night stay, though probably would not have enjoyed more. Had cabin #36, a good large, private king-bed accommodation with good sized bathroom and nice little porch with fair view out towards Penobscot Bay. Nothing elegant or even handsome about the furnishings, but all very comfortable. Small t.v., no c.d. player (would rather have had the reverse), small gas fireplace on a very noisy timer. (Really disliked the timer-thing-- first place we've ever stayed that did the fireplace in that manner.) Very noisy heat/air system in room. Otherwise a very quiet place (almost no one there though). Breakfast brought to cottage. Food was even more mediocre than at Bar Harbor Inn. Not "bad," just nothing to write home about. Wish they'd had coffee maker in room. We were awake at 5-ish (no way to darken room), and had to wait until 7:30 for coffee. Glenmoor is good "value" for the price, I suppose, but certainly not a "fine" place. Best thing other than price was the good large size of the cottage-- lots of room to spread out and relax (and very comfortable chairs and sofa). Cleanliness was just "fair."

More tomorrow (on Kennebunkport), if anyone thinks it'd be of interest.

By the way: I've already mentioned food in connection with Bar Harbor. In Camden, had lunch (lobster roll) at Marriner's (two "r's" for some reason). Quite good. Had dinner (lobster out of the shell) at the Lobster Pound in Lincolnville: pleasant enough, though nothing memorable.

rainydaymaine

The drive from Boston to Bar Harbor could be anywhere from 4-6 hours, depending on day of the week and time of year.

From Boston to Freeport is about 2 hours.

Definitely agree the Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster is a neat place to eat.

Foliage doesn't really get going along the coast of Maine until late Sept, really more like mid-Oct. Generally, Columbus Day weekend is a good time to plan for coastal foliage. Interior foliage is earlier, especially in mountain areas.

betrhein

Boy, thanks so much for all your input! I feel as though I have a travel agent!
My question is this.....If Ocean's Edge and Bar Harbor Inn are not great...where the heck to stay??? We want something wonderful and cannot believe there isn't something out there with fabulous view and food, no matter the price!

Dreamer2

You probably had your great seafood in Kennebunkport at Mabel's.

If you can't get into White Barn, try Cape Arundel Inn for a dressier evening with great views and lovely atmosphere. For casual, I love Lucas on 9 out at Cape Porpoise. Great prices, fresh food, friendly atmosphere. My favorite downtown K-port place is Bandaloop. Really wonderful food, funky atmosphere, lots of vegetarian options. Hope that helps you, Betrhein.

Glad you enjoyed your trip, Poss. To top it all off - no black flies at graduation!

betrhein

That's it Cape Arrundel. We are staying there for 2 nights...highly recommended! Any suggestions for Camden and Bar harbor lodging? Also Jenavines, have you eaten there?

arriba

Camden Harbour Inn is a wonderful old inn in town but off the busy Hwy 1 where most inns and B&Bs are located. I looked at several rooms for a friend last year and thought they were just what one would expect in an inn and the rooms I saw had nice views of the harbour, town, and MT Battie. Also wonderful is Norumbega, an old stone mansion now B&B. It is on Hwy 1 so I would ask for a room on the back. The Whitehall Inn is a gorgeous old property near Norumbega on the hwy. I think rooms on the back are quiet.

TahitiTams

You guys are the best...
Thank you all!
What great information you all have given..

MBnancy

Tahiti,

Last Oct. we dined at the 5* White Barn Inn for the 15th time. We always make our reservations weeks before we leave CA. That's the best place to stay in Kennebunkport, but they have a couple sister properties we also like. The Beach House is just down the street and is directly across from the ocean, and the Breakwater Inn, where we stayed last year, also has all the nice touches, is river front, and is next to the Spa.

http://www.whitebarninn.com/

http://www.beachhseinn.com/

http://www.thebreakwaterinn.com/Cont...ommodation.seo

Our favorite lobster rolls, are at Alison's, right in Dock Square in Kennebunkport, and if you get to Freeport, the Harresseket Lunch at the dock is great. Sit outside at picnic tables.