My husband & I spent last weekend in Bar Harbor. It was a long weekend in Ontario and he got the brainy idea to go somewhere for lobster. Our route there was not direct but the trip home on the holiday Monday was 13 hours.
I did some research on the internet and found a great motel for only $56 for one or two people. While we were playing mini-golf on the Saturday night, we got talking to the college kids playing in front of us and they were camping and paying $48 a night. We laughed that we were too old (50's) to camp anymore and why bother when for $8 more we had a nice bed, good shower and A/C.
I guess for some, camping is an experience, but for us Robbin's Motel was the way to go. Only 2 miles from the entrance to Acadia NP and 5 miles to town.
This was our 2nd time to Bar Harbor (last time was 12 years) ago and new for us was the island shuttle. It goes from the campgrounds and our motel on Hwy #3 to town and then all over the park. It's free so you don't even need a car once you're there. Also, if we had brought our bikes, the shuttle buses even carry them at the front and back of the bus so you could take the shuttle into Acadia to ride all those wonderful carrigae trails.
We'll be back for sure, but for a week at least!
Betty
Camping vs Motel in Bar Harbor
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I agree, Betty. I sure do appreciate a bed and bathroom over camping nowadays.
I wanted to stay in one of the quaint, sterotypical motor lodges with separate cottages. We found one in the AAA guidebook - and I just loved it. Had to go out to the phone booth in the middle of the complex to use a land line, but just loved the atmosphere. Seemed "right" for the area.
I forgot to mention that Robbin's doesn't have phones in the room but we didn't have anyone to call. <g>
They did have a swimming pool though which we never got around to use.
We're heading to Bar Harbor this weekend to celebrate my birthday. I wanted to have some updated recomendations, so I checked out the latest posts for Bar Harbor. I had to laugh.
The campground we will go to has the most beautiful sites on the rocks overlooking the ocean. Sitting by a campfire watching the tide come in as the sun descends behind the mountains is something I'll not trade for any hotel/motel.
This site is so lovely that LL Bean shot photos for their catalog here during our stay last year.
And I am certainly no spring chicken. But to each his or in this case her own.
Totally agree Betty.
I had the same situation in Islamorada Florida back in the 1980s when I was in college.
My boyfriend was paying something like $28 per night to camp (three tents, four people) and we had five people in a room with a full kitchen (two queen beds and roll-a-way) for $35 per night.
Our favorite motel amenity (The Key Lantern Motel) was the Lorelei Bar right out the back door!
Celticharper, what campground was this. I am trying to book a site. Are the oceanfront sites reservable? THanks!
years ago we camped at Mt Desert Campground, which had sites directly on Soames sound. It really was beautiful, and LLBean has shot catalog photos there too (I have a picture of me leaning on a tree by the water, and later found an LLBean shot with a model leaning against the exact same tree). We rented canoes right there, at the camp store and went canoeing on the sound. Gorgeous.
there is definitely something about camping that can be more rewarding. and I loved it. but that was then, and this is now.
we don't do it anymore. I need life to be a bit more convenient than that.