A Summer Week in Maine - where should we stay??
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Anonymous
| Acadia is amazing, but Bar Harbor is a zoo in July - recommend you stay in Southwest Harbor or elsewhere on MDI. The whole area between the St. George Peninsula (Thomaston, Tenants Harbor, Port Clyde), Rockland, Rockport, and Camden is also amazing, and a bit more accessible than Acadia (2 hours north of Portland rather than four). Each town has its own feel (Camden is more upscale and yaght-y, Rockland is more artsy and foodie, the towns on the St. George peninsula are smaller and lower key), but the whole area is beautiful and has lots to do, including hiking, sea kayaking, trips out to the islands (Monhegan, Vinalhaven), and some great museums in Rockland. |
Anonymous
I live near Ogunquit - It's a wonderful beach town! Very walkable, lots of great shops and restaurants, long beautiful beach, the Marginal Way (long path along a rocky coastline with incredible views), relaxed but busy/social atmosphere. Doing both is a fantastic idea -- you'll love both experiences! |
Anonymous
I disagree. The entire time I was in Acadia I kept thinking I wished I had saved the drive and just stayed in Ongunquit. Both are beautiful but Acadia is soooo far and IMO nothing you don't see elsewhere in coastal New England. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| ^^Yes, there are carriage roads and stone bridges custom designed by John D. Rockefeller all over coastal New England. Haven't you seen them? |
Anonymous
| We have stayed in Southwest Harbor on the "quiet side" of Mt Desert Island a couple of times. Very nice place and doesn't really get crowded. But the great thing about Acadia is that you can do lots of different stuff - biking up mountain roads or on trails, canoeing/kayaking or swimming in a lake or the ocean, hiking in mountains forests or coastline - all within about 15-20 minutes of each other. This past summer, my wife and I would bike or jog in the morning, go for a hike or kayak trip with the kids in the mid-day, and then hang out at Echo Lake beach in the late afternoon when the crowds had died down. It was really awesome. |
Anonymous
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Never having been, we stayed at a nice B&B on the inlet at Ellsworth because I wanted to visit Stonington, the Wooden Boat School at Brooklin, and Acadia National Park. Wished I had spent the whole time at Acadia. If you don't want the hubbub of Bar Harbor, try the Somes Sound area.
If we go back I would like to do a tall ship cruise out of Rockland or Camden, or maybe do a combination of the Samoset Resort and Portland. Or stay on Vinalhaven. Or book the lighthouse on Isle Au Haut! |
Anonymous
| Acadia looks like Yosemite on the ocean, especially the part around Cadillac Mountain. Would love to take the kids bike riding around Jordan Pond when they are a little bigger. |
Anonymous
Nobody agrees with you. |
Anonymous
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PP here who asked for someone to sell me on Ogunquit (since we are thinking of Ogunquit + Acadia). Thank you, Ogunquit posters!
I have a follow-up question for those of you who advocate staying on MDI, but away from Bar Harbor. How bad are the crowds? I have my eye on a couple of rental homes not far from the Hulls Cove Visitor's Center (and not far from Bar Harbor). Do you recommend staying entirely away from this side of MDI? I know summer is high season, but I wonder if I'm really underestimating the amount of crowding. |
Anonymous
We've gone twice at peak times and it was fine. It is a town though, not a quiet little village. Parking is a little tough. Even out at Jordan Pond, etc., but it was all manageable coming from the DC area. If you want to get away from the crowds completely though it might not be the best option. |
Anonymous
I do! |
Anonymous
The crowds in July and August are mostly seen on the Park Loop Road through ANP and in "downtown" Bar Harbor. Trying to find a parking place "downtown" can be tricky. It also can be a problem trying to find a parking place by Jordan Pond (on Park Loop Road) during July and August any time after 11 am or so. The advantage of a house rental by Hulls Cove is you would be near the Island Explorer bus stop, so you could omit your car altogether (if you wanted to) to go into the park. You would also be closer to many of the carriage roads. (In particular, there is a great carriage road that circles Witch's Hole Pond, and it is a pretty flat bicycle ride for kids. Personally I stay on the western side, and we have rented houses in Southwest Harbor, Somesville, and Hall Quarry for our vacations. But I can understand and relate to the "be closer to the action" need as well. Link to Island Explorer maps: http://www.exploreacadia.com/routefinder.htm |
Anonymous
| ^Also, if you are looking for multiple cottages on the western side, depending upon your budget you may want to look at Chambers Oceanfront Cottages in Hall Quarry (on Somes Sound). (They offer complimentary dock space/mooring and have a boat ramp.) |
Anonymous
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from Ogunquit you can do an afternoon in Kennebunkport which is a fun, quaint town as well. Ogunquit also has a great theater. http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org.
I would do 2 days 3 nights in Ogunquit and then the remainder in Acadia. I second staying elsewhere then Bar Harbor. Make reservations early though! |