Summary
I visited Bar Harbor (3 nights) in August 2017 as part of a long weekend family getaway. The weekend was very relaxing and the weather cooperated nicely. There are a variety of nice dining options and activities – given the location at Acadia National Park. The temperatures range from the mid-70s during the day to the mid-50s so it is not very warm but extremely pleasant during the day and chili at night. From NYC, we flew directly to Bangor airport and then drove an hour and half to Bar Harbor. From Boston, there is a direct flight closer to Bar Harbor itself. It felt to us that the summer months were the best times to visit and 3 nights was a perfect amount of time.
Accommodations
We stayed at the wonderfully boutique Harborside Hotel and Marina on West street (right along the harbor front). The hotel has access to the Bar Harbor Club pool (in addition to its own pool) with wonderful views of the harbor and it also has a great restaurant (see below). The staff is wonderful – from the moment you pull up to the entrance, there are kind folks welcoming you. The two main streets in town are West St. and Main St. so it was nice to be at the intersection of both in this great harbor front summer town.
Select Favorites
Dining
We had many favorites in Bar Harbor (and some of us found ourselves eating SO much amazing lobster!) – for breakfast, we loved local favorites Cafe This Way and Morning Glory Bakery; For lunch, we enjoyed Geddy’s on Main St., Side Street Café and Jordan Pond House in Acadia’s park complex. Our favorite dinners included Blaze, La Bella Vita, and Jalapeños Cantina. For dessert, we could not resist the ice cream (with seemingly unlimited flavors) at Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium. If we had more time (or on a future visit) we would likely also try Havana and The Reading Room Restaurant for dinner
Activities
We tried to keep the long weekend very relaxing while also enjoying the best of the Acadia region and Bar Harbor. We enjoyed a sunset cruise on a sailboat with Downeast Windjammer Cruises, went for long walks within Acadia National Park and drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain for some great pictures. We even found time to play golf t one of the oldest courses in the US – Kebo Valley Golf Club
Recommendation
I would certainly recommend a long weekend in Bar Harbor during the summer months. We had a great, relaxing visit and enjoy the local hospitality, dining and activities. If doing the trip over again, I would take an earlier flight in the day back home – we took the last flight from Bangor and were delayed several hours. When flights get backed up in the Northeast, the last flights can get risky with respect to departure time (or even departure at all). The cuisine in town also tends to be meat heavy at some of the fine dining restaurants so check the menus (and the above links) ahead of time to ensure there are suitable options for everyone in the group. Also, there was no ridesharing option in town, so we needed to have a car rental to efficiently and effectively do the activities that we wanted to do during our visit. Enjoy your trip!
