Trip Review

My wife and I just returned from a wonderful extended weekend in Bar Harbor and Acadia. We absolutely loved the area and will be back!

Wednesday night: Arrived in Portland late at night and stayed at the Residence Inn. Nondescript hotel but a decent bargain and a surprisingly terrific complementary breakfast buffet.

Thursday: Drove Route 1 to Bar Harbor in the morning. Wanted to stop at Red Eats for a lobster roll but it was closed for the season so we chose to stop at Just Barb%26#39;s instead which had a very tasty version and was a cute little quintessential New England spot. The drive is beautiful. Checked into Bar Harbor Inn which was beautiful. The hotel is perfectly situated and there%26#39;s something really terrific of being able to sleep in a second floor oceanside room with the patio door open and the sound of the waves crashing in. It was a rainy day so we wandered around Bar Harbor and ended up catching a movie at Reel Pizza Cinerama which is a terrific spot and a must try. Great vibe to the place. We tried to drive to Thurston%26#39;s Lobster Pound at night for dinner but ended up lost on the other side of the island (thanks iPhone and Google Maps) and it was too late to make it back. Ended up having dinner at Havana which we thought was very mediocre in terms of food (aside from a great pumpkin soup), was overpriced given the lackluster quality of the food, and had surprisingly poor service from a cold/disinterested waitress. This was the one bad meal of the trip.

Friday: Had a terrific breakfast at Café This Way, which is a real gem. Checked into a fantastic B%26amp;B called Ann%26#39;s Point Inn on the other side of the island. We absolutely loved this place. (Read the reviews of it on this site for more info.) We then proceeded to hike a route in Acadia posted by ';paflyfisher'; in another thread (I%26#39;ve copied it in below). It was perfect and the views were extraordinary. I was really surprised by how gorgeous Sand Beach was. Late lunch at Jordan Pond House (those popovers really are tasty). Dinner at Thurston%26#39;s Lobster Pound. Found it this time and loved it.

Saturday: Rented bikes at Acadia Bike and a car rack. We parked just north of Eagle Lake, rode down the carriage roads around to Bubble Pond (stunning!) and then back up the other side of Jordan Pond. A beautiful ride that took about 3-4 hours. Lots of uphill portions though, so be warned. (Accordingly, lots of fun going downhill ;) Played putt-putt (a bit of a vacation tradition) at Pirate%26#39;s Cove, which, if you%26#39;re interested in that sort of thing, really is a notch above other courses in terms of quality and how well it%26#39;s made and maintained. Dinner at Café This Way (we liked the breakfast so much we had to return) which was very very good.

Sunday: Sailboat charter for a couple hours through Downeast Friendship Sloop Charters. The captain and the boat were terrific and this was very enjoyable. I%26#39;d highly recommend this to others (link below). Drove back to Portland to catch our flight, stopping in Trenton for a somewhat average lobster roll at a bit of a tourist trap. (That being said, average lobster preparations are still pretty darn good!)

A truly wonderful trip. Many thanks to the folks in these forums for steering us toward some of this.

Hike posted by paflyfisher: ';Here%26#39;s a recommendation for a hike that we did a couple of years back. We parked at the Sand Beach parking lot (the shuttles won%26#39;t be running in two weeks. I know. We are arriving on 6/14 and the shuttles don%26#39;t start running until 6/21). From Sand Beach take the Ocean Drive Trail. It is about 2 miles from Sand Beach past Thunder Hole and on to Otter Cliffs. The cliffs are a great place to stop and rest for a moment and take in the view. Heck the views are spectacular the entire walk. As you start retracing your steps back along the same path, keep and eye out for the sign post directing you across the Ocean Drive into a parking lot and to the trailhead for the Gorham Mountain Trail. Do the hike to the top. Soak in the view and continue on (do not retrace your steps) to the intersection with the Bowl Trail. Turn right on the Bowl Trail and rock hop your way back down to Ocean Drive right at the Sand Beach parking lot. ';

www.downeastfriendshipsloop.com/sailing.html

http://www.reelpizza.net/

Trip Review

Thanks...monkey for taking the time to post your great TR. Those of us who spend time on MDI enjoy hearing thoughts/opinions of the area we LUV. Hope this won%26#39;t be your only visit......