transportation to ll bean

we will be docking in portland but don%26#39;t want to do a 4 hour land excusrsion offered by our cruise line. Is there alternate transportation that can get me to and from the shopping center, I%26#39;m assuming from what I have heard, it is too far to walk?

transportation to ll bean

There is no public transportation serving Freeport that I know of.

Freeport%26#39;s web site www.freeportusa.com/FreeportGettingHere.html

suggests a couple of taxi services and also says that Mermaid Transportation offers non-excursion transportation for cruise ship passengers... they might be worth calling.

I suspect a taxi would be rather expensive as Freeport is about 20 miles from Portland.

transportation to ll bean

Just to add a slight clarification which may or may not be helpful...

Freeport is not a shopping center in the traditional sense of the word. It was once a small-ish Maine village where L L Bean happened to open his new venture into selling sporting equipment -- including the famous hiking boot he designed and made from scratch.

Today is has become home to outlet stores for many, many national and international retail chains. But for the most part, each is in its own building....which has its plusses and minues. If the weather is bad, you can%26#39;t generally get from one store to another without going outside. But if the weather is good, you can stroll down the sidewalk and enjoy the village feel between shopping destinations. The village area includes several good places to eat....everything from white linen tablecloths at the Haraseeket Inn to faster food chains (Friendly%26#39;s Ice Cream and McDonalds, where, by the way, you won%26#39;t find any of their trademark internaly lit golden arches -- the local planning board would only approve their taking over a older house in the village if they agreed not to erect the signs and to maintain the existing external appearance of the building.

The L L Bean company now has several buildings on its campus in the heart of the village...including their main building with an attached wing for hunting and fishing supplies. Another building houses their discount/outlet store with sizeable price reductions on selected merchandise. In the past they also have had a separate store for bicycling/canoe/kayak activities but I%26#39;m not sure if that%26#39;s still true.

If you get to their main store, two things to notice:

1) a large tank of Maine sporting fish just inside the front door, and 2) the fact there are no locks on any of the doors to the store -- they%26#39;re open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Sorry I can%26#39;t help with transportaiton information, but I thought that knowing a bit more about Freeport might help youo determine that it%26#39;s worth the extra effort to get there -- or signing up for the longer tour.

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BH Lodging in June

Hi Guys!

After perusing lots of forum posts and researching lodging choices, we%26#39;ve narrowed our scope. Right now, the Bar Harbor Inn, the Harborside Inn, and the SaltAir seem to be our finalists. Now we%26#39;re looking for the one or two clues to solidify our decision. We do want to be in the village of Bar Harbor. My wife and I love good breakfasts, comfortable accomodations (not fancy necessarily), fun interractions with local folk and fellow touristas, sightseeing, shopping, dining, walking, biking, etc. We%26#39;ve no interest in ';fancy'; pursuits, save an indulgent trip to one of the local spas. Sunrises, sunsets, ice cream parlors, rustic restaurants with good food, etc...Sounds like a plan. Would love your input on the lodging. Thanks CoolRay

BH Lodging in June

We%26#39;ve only stayed at the BHI but we loved it, especially our stay in June. We%26#39;ve stayed in the Main Inn in a harbor view room with a deck which was lovely. We%26#39;ve also stayed in the Newport Building which was also very comfortable. It%26#39;s right in town so you%26#39;re close to everything. It%26#39;s on the shore path so it seems a little quieter than maybe the Harborside would be. Afternoon tea and cookies in the lobby brings out all sorts of people. There are couches and a computer in the lobby so you can choose to be social if you want to. They have a very good continental breakfast situated in this wonderful room overlooking the water. In June they have tables outside on the deck and the lawn. It%26#39;s the best part of the day. They also have an on-site spa. There%26#39;s something very old-resorty about the place that we really like. Plus the staff is very accomodating and helpful.

BH Lodging in June

The first two are large, impersonal, albeit luxurious and waterfront, hotels. You wouldn%26#39;t have much interaction with the local folk. Saltair, on the other hand, is a Bed and Breakfast, with a mere four rooms. There you would eat breakfast around a large table with your fellow tourists and chat with the young couple who own this waterfront inn. You would also have the benefit of their extensive local knowledge as to hiking, scenic drives, vistas, and the best ice cream places.

My own personal choice is always Castlemaine Inn on Holland Ave. on the more more sedate end of Cottage street, yet there are very good places to eat at that end!!!. You are within walking distance to the village. All the times I have stayed there I have meet some very interesting folks from all over. Having breakfast on the large wrap-around veranda is a pleasure, there are also inside areas to enjoy your breakfast which was always very good to get you started for the days activities. Dan, the owner, is always full of info to get you going on your days plans.

We love the Holland Inn, very clean, cozy with top notch breakfasts.

2 weeks in June

My husband and I are planning a trip to New England during the first two weeks of June.

He has been before (as a child - his Dad is from Massachusetts) but it will be my first time visiting the area.

We were thinking about a three-centred break - Boston and maybe Cape Cod and New Hampshire.

Any suggestions on itinery, locations etc all welcome.

We are 27yrs old, enjoy good food, walking and sightseeing.

Many thanks

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Fun Place to stay in June near or in Portland

Hello all, I am a regular visitor to Maine. My father lives outside of Augusta. For a change of pace I like to take my 2 girls (10 and 7) to the coast for a few days. We have stayed in Camden and Ogunquit several times. Does anyone have any ideas on other coastal towns were we could spend a few days? We like to sit on the rocks on the ocean, shop in the little shops and eat at a child friendly restaurant with a view. Ogunquit has this but we%26#39;ve done this just about every year. We rented a home in Camden one year also. Any new ideas? We love to stay with my dad but it gets boring after a few days so I like to change it up and go somewhere fun. Thanks for any suggestions.

Fun Place to stay in June near or in Portland

Boothbay Harbor. In addition to all that you mentioned above, there%26#39;s a nice mini-golf on the way into town. There%26#39;s fun stops for kids, including a small bowling alley in town, plus ice cream and candy shoppes. You might also luck onto an activity like the rock-skipping contest we watched last year.

Fun Place to stay in June near or in Portland

Oops - just noticed you wanted closer to Portland. Try the Old Orchard Beach area, including Ocean Park and Camp Ellis. There%26#39;s the amusements plus mini-golf in OOB and Funtown/Splashtown or Aquaboggan in Saco.

Thanks for the ideas. Boothbay is fun, we always eat at the restaurant that has the tall man in the yellow jacket. We%26#39;ve stayed at the hotel too but the name escapes me right now. Fun place and I think there%26#39;s a train ride for kids on the way in to town?

Help required planning a trip

Hello. My husband and I are travelling through New England for the first time in April 09. I have booked most of the hotels but really need some guidance for the journey from Boston to Conway (White Montains). We have two nights to spend heading up the Maine coast and it just all sounds so wonderful that I just can%26#39;t work out where to stay the nights. I was originally thinking of staying in Portland and the Bar Harbor as I really wanted to go to Acadia National Park - is it worth going in April? Is it beautiful no matter what the season and weather? We both in our thirties and fairly active- if that helps.

Also I wonder has anyone any advice about where to break our journey for one night heading from Stowe VT to Newport RI. Or should we spend two nights in Stowe. We%26#39;re both teachers which limits our time on holiday otherwise I%26#39;m sure we could spend a month in the area. Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Help required planning a trip

There are a couple of possible problems with visiting Acadia National Park in April. The first is, depending on when you are here, the roads in the park may not be open. There are some short stretches that are kept open throughout the winter but most of the road system is dependent on warm weather and some plowing to be open then.

The second is that in April, the deciduous trees still are bare and many of the hiking trails are muddy. If you can handle that, then the park still is lovely and in fact, without all of the greenery to obstruct the views, you can see much more of the landforms that make the park what it is.

Not everything is open in April, but there is lodging available in the vicinity and there are good places to eat.

Help required planning a trip

Suggest you spend some time in Portland on the way to Bar Harbor. The Old Port area has a number of restaurants and stores plus the scenery is great.

The Last Resort, Jackman

Is anyone familiar with The Last Resort in Jackman? I%26#39;m looking for a rustic, inexpensive family type of place, on a lake, where my kids are forced to commune with nature and not the tv or computer.

We usually go to Brooklin but I would like to branch out this year.

Weekend Breakfast Spot

My husband and I, who have been to Ogunquit several times, are taking my parents up next weekend for the first time. They are excited, even though we are going during off-season. We are only staying 1 night. My question is, we love the Egg %26amp; I and the Maine Diner for breakfast, but we have never been in Ogunquit on a weekend, always weekdays. Should we expect a long line at either of these places on a Sunday morning, the 22nd? Or, is there another informal place that you would recommend? Thank you so much for any suggestions!!

Weekend Breakfast Spot

You won%26#39;t recognize Ogunquit this time of year. There will be very few people around.

For anything you plan to do, your question shouldn%26#39;t be ';is there a line?'; Your question should be ';will it be open?';

Both have web sites, the Egg and I web site says ';Now open 7 Day per Week.'; The Maine Diner web site isn%26#39;t as clear. You might want to email them to make sure.

Weekend Breakfast Spot

Thank you. I had checked the Egg %26amp; I website, and saw the ';open 7 days'; and have e-mailed the Maine Diner. I guess I was hoping that someone from the area may know. Thanks for your quick reply!

The Egg %26amp; I website may say that they are open 7 days, but they are not currently open at all. They have been closed, as they usually are, over the winter and have not yet reopened. It looks like they have been doing some renovating over the winter and it still looks pretty bare -- no furniture in the dining room, yet. Portable storage units are still onsite. I drive by twice a day to and from work, so I%26#39;ve been watching their progress all winter.

I believe Bintliff%26#39;s is open for breakfast on weekends. Also, Congdon%26#39;s in Wells.

This weekend is supposed to be beautiful and I just heard that most of the snow has melted on the Marginal Way, so you should have a great weekend here.

If Bintliffs is open, they have an awesome breakfast

What happened to Amore Breakfast?

We were in Ogunquit two weeks ago. The Maine Diner is open. We had dinner, not breakfast, but a previous poster is correct, Ogunquit looks nothing like it does in the summer, very quiet so I don%26#39;t think you will have much of a wait. The site where Amore was has been cleared to make way for condos, apparently their lease was up. We were told they will reopen on Shore Road at the plaza on the way down to Perkins Cove where the Irish shop is located. I can%26#39;t confirm this information, but this is what some local people told us.

I just wanted to give an update following our trip (we just got in!). We had the best time!!!! Breakfast at Bintliff%26#39;s WAS awesome, just as we were told. The raspberry almond pancakes were great and my husband had the poached eggs and said they were great! No line when we got there at 8 a.m., but when we drove by at 10 a.m, it was really busy. It was a great weekend and great for my parents (both in their 70%26#39;s, Dad with early Alzheimer%26#39;s). Walked the marginal way in gorgeous weather, watched surfers (how cold was that water??), ate at the Maine Diner, strolled around town - just perfect. Stayed at the Anchorage, which was nice, but we still pefer Terace By The Sea (they were not open).

So, thank you all for your suggestions, especially about Bintliff%26#39;s. Thank you for helping us to show my parents a nice time, if only for a brief overnight.

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