couple questions about planning a trip to Bar Harbor

We%26#39;ve got 9 days. We%26#39;re flying into Boston the last weekend in July on a Friday afternoon and spending the weekend there, then leaving Sunday afternoon and driving north up the coast along highway 1, spending Sunday night somewhere along the coast, taking our time driving further north on Monday and ending up in Bar Harbor by Monday night. We%26#39;ll spend 3-6 nights in Bar Harbor and will head back to Boston to fly out the following Sunday.

My questions are as follows:

1) After we leave Boston, we%26#39;d like to end up maybe an hour to two hours up the coast to spend that night so that we don%26#39; t have but maybe 3 hours of driving the next day to get to Bar Harbor. I%26#39;ve heard a lot about Kennebunkport, any other suggestions? I have a fear that Kenneunkport is really expensive? Is it better to stay in Old Orchard or elsewhere?

2) I%26#39;d been planning on reserving all our rooms in advance, but is this necessary? I%26#39;d assumed it%26#39;s unlikely there%26#39;d be vacancies in high season (end of July first part of August).

3) I%26#39;m debating whether we should spend a full 5-6 nights in Bar Harbor or, if we should spend only 3-4 and then, instead of heading back to Boston the same route we came (along the coast), heading straight west to the - I think it%26#39;s the White Mountains(?) - and checking that area out for a night before meandering south again to Boston. Thoughts? Suggestions on places to hit inland? Is this trying to fit too much in? Are we asking for too much road time by driving inland? Should we nix the inland idea and spend more time in B.harbor or elsewhere along the coast? We%26#39;re midwesterners and are not likely to get back out to Maine again any time soon. So, while we want a relaxing vacation, we also want to see a good amount of what%26#39;s there too.

4) Finally, we%26#39;ve got four adults - one couple and one non-couple. We%26#39;d prefer one room with a double and two twins. I%26#39;ve found this a bit tough to find. We%26#39;re okay with a pull out couch. Suggestions on lodging in Bar Harbor that fits this bill?? We%26#39;d like to stay around $200 a night.

Thanks so much for any advice!

couple questions about planning a trip to Bar Harbor

Answering you questions in order given: A good bet would be to head to Freeport, Maine for your first night after Boston. You will find a wide assortment of lodging options there. You could stop in Portland on your way there to walk about in the Old Port and have a spot of lunch. Freeport is then only 30 minutes north of Portland.

Or you could poke around Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, and Old Orchard before hitting Portland for an early dinner. Freeport is the home of L.L. Bean%26#39;s flagship store, open 24-hours a day. There are other outlet stores in Freeport, all in a small village setting. Freeport once was a small village before the outlets took over their homes, and town buildings. It%26#39;s a nice walking town.

Yes, you definitely should make reservations before you come. It is not unusual at all for Bar Harbor to be entirely sold out in late July. You might find a room somewhere, if you came without reservations. But it could be as far as twenty miles outside of Bar Harbor.

I do think it would be too much driving to try to fit in the New Hampshire mountains before returning to Boston. But it could be done. There are no fast highways to drive directly west from Bar Harbor. It%26#39;s better to go all the way south to almost Portland on Interstate 95 before heading west into New Hampshire. But three hours would take you to an exit where you could head west. Four hours would get you into New Hampshire. If you decide to do this, I%26#39;d head for the Jackson, New Hampshire area where lodging is plentiful. From there you could drive the very scenic Kankamagus Highway. (I hope I spelled that right.)

If you don%26#39;t take that option, be assured that there is plenty to do in Bar Harbor to fill five days. There is Acadia National Park, popovers at the Jordan Pond House in the Park, whale watching, driving the quiet side of Mount Desert Island to see the fishing villages over there, driving downeast (up the coast of Maine) to see the peninsulas including Schoodic, Park sponsored boat trips and hikes, shopping, eating, lounging about, etc.

It will be difficult to find lodging with a double and twin beds in one room. You might try the little quaint cottages that are rented in the Bar Harbor area. Some of them have two bedrooms and a sitting area with kitchenette. Look at www.acadiamagic.com for lodging that is divided into cottages, B%26amp;Bs, and motels. It should be possible to find something under $200 a night. But you%26#39;ll have to do a good search.

Here%26#39;s a place that might fit your needs:

http://www.barharborcottages.com/

It has two bedroom cottages with a double and twin beds and is under $200. It%26#39;s nicely located in a quiet setting and is about four miles outside of the village of Bar Harbor.

couple questions about planning a trip to Bar Harbor

kennebunkport is worth a visit, but lodging is expensive. you don%26#39;t have to lodge there, you can book a motel in wells, the next town over from kennebunkport. there are lots of motels along route 1. or you can stay in cape porpoise, the next town in the other direction away from kennebunkport. there is a very lovely motel, the cape porpoise motel on rte. 9 in cape porpoise. cape porpoise is a very quaint village with a working fishing pier and great restaurants. a suggestion of a few places to try in Kennebunkport which might not be an arm and a leg are The Meadowmere, the Rhumb Line Motor Lodge, and the Lodge at Turbot%26#39;s Creek. If you need more info, let me know.

if you%26#39;re up for spending one of your nights in Brunswick (30 minutes north of Portland) the Middle Bay B%26amp;B has suites with two doubles and a pull-out couch. See http://www.middlebayfarm.com/cottage.html

Really peaceful/bucolic location.

Thanks all for all the info - it%26#39;s very helpful. I%26#39;m leaning toward staying on the coast and not heading inland. Now I%26#39;m just having a heck of a time finding lodging that fits our preferences to be in town and in one room rather than two, our price, and our dates. I love what I can see online of the Ullikana - and they%26#39;ve got a room and all but one night available - but the price - yikes.

In Bar Harbor, how about:

http://www.barharbormotel.com/

for your lodging? The 2BR unit seems to be close to what you are looking for. 1 King and 2 Doubles all under $200.

I do not have first hand experience with this account yet but if its any consolation we will be staying there for the first time this year. Plus it gets great reviews here on Trip Advisor.

err...not %26#39;account%26#39; but motel. Someone tried to bother me with a work issue while I was typing. LOL.

btw, I re-read your post. You said you wanted to be in town. This place isnt precisely in-town but it is close enough.

If you%26#39;re looking for a great restaurant in the broader vicinity of Bar Harbor, drive over to Ellsworth for dinner at Cleonice. It serves Mediterranean food (tapas) and is one of the best places we%26#39;ve ever eaten -- anywhere. We were there last summer and had dinner at Cleonice two nights in a row. Unfortunately, it was at the end of our vacation, or we would have gone back many more times.

Pastiche: ';If you%26#39;re looking for a great restaurant in the broader vicinity of Bar Harbor, drive over to Ellsworth for dinner at Cleonice. It serves Mediterranean food (tapas) and is one of the best places we%26#39;ve ever eaten ...';

We ate there a few weeks ago---it hasn%26#39;t lost a thing. Another nice thing is that it is in the old downtown section of Ellsworth, which is interesting in its own right.

In Bar Harbor we stayed at the Quality Inn. Not fancy but might have what you want at a price you are willing to pay. They have a few units that are more like efficiencies. If they don%26#39;t have enough beds in one room they may be able to bring in a cot for an extra bed (this could be true for any place) Also, it is walking distance to downtown Bar harbor.

yes, kennebunkport is expensive, but you can still visit there and stay in wells, the next town south, which will be much more reasonable. there are many motels there, particularly along rte. 1. i would book in advance at any location in maine during the time you are planning to be there. i definitely would not stay in old orchard beach. another alternative to kennebunkport is cape porpoise. there is the cape porpoise motel which is very nice and more reasonable. cape porpoise is the next town on the water from kennebunport, a five minute drive. it is a charming village with a working fishing pier where the boats come in, particularly lobster boats. i would not spend a full five nights in bar harbor. two or three would be enough, i think. on the way back from bar harbor, you could back track to boston and visit rockland, maine, along rte. 1, which has a lobster festival in august, and camden, maine, a nearby town also along the coast. i would use either one of those towns as a hub to see mid-coast maine. i would not spend my time inland, but concentrate on the coast.