cathee

we have booked at the bay view in bar harbor to enjoy acadia----we are flying in and out of portland. Now the question is, where do we stay for the last two days? I have explored many places around portland--boothbay harbor--the regency in portland--blackpoint inn--still waiting for a response from them---and now i've looked at a few places on the water in kennbunkport. If you had 2 days to spend---will there be more to do and see in portland, or kennebunkport? I'm thinking portland---as we can take a day drive to kennebunkport---or not? Since this is our first time to Maine, i don't know if there's much to do in Kennebunkport? Will it be a "let down" after acadia---Portland seems like a neat little town--we're from Chicago, which is an awesome city to visit, too.

zootsi

Kennebunkport and Portland are vastly different - Portland is a city on a harbor, Kennebunkport is a small resorty beach town. It really depends on what you want. If you are looking for some beach time, Kennebunkport is a great little town to relax, and the water may actually be warm enough to get wet. Kennebunkport has some nice beaches, several fun restaurants, and a quaint downtown. Portland is a bustling city, with lots of great places to eat and shop. Maybe small by Chicago standards, but for Mainers it's the big city.

sellssw

Very helpful, Thanks. We too are visiting New England (never there) for 1 month. 1 week in Maine (Acadia, LL Bean -Freeport, & Kennebunkport - thanks to you), 2 weeks Cape Cod (the 4th of July in Boston.) Any advice? Per your suggestions, we are sixty something RVing Kennebunkport types. We go to large cities and end up in their parks - Central Park; Rittenhouse Sq.& Fairmount Park, Philly; Point State Park, Pgh; Grant Park, Chicago; Will Rogers beach, LA; Coronado beach & SD Zoo. Thanks for any insight!

ksucat

LOVE Kennebunkport!
We stayed at White Barn Inn but there are tons of gorgeous places without breaking the bank.
Great restaurants too!

cathee

we too always end up doing the hiking, biking or beaching---and would perhaps enjoy kennebunkport more than a big city---any suggestions for places to stay on the water---i just looked it up and found a few---i'll check white barn in----

djkbooks

Portland and Kennebunkport and Boothbay Harbor are terrific destinations and you will definitely not feel let down.

There's much more to see and do in any of those places than you'll have time for over two days.

If it were me, I'd spend only 2-3 nights in Boothbay Harbor and a couple of nights in several other destinations. We much prefer all of the places you've mentioned to Boothbay Harbor for dining, shopping, scenery, and live music.

Ogunquit is another terrific seaside destination.

I, personally, do not understand the appeal of Bar Harbor. We went once and that was enough.

Bonniebrite

Have you considered Camden? My husband used to live in Maine and introduced me to its charms a few years ago. We'll return again and again!

elberko

djkbooks:

The appeal of Bar Harbor is the proximity to Acadia, and the choice of numerous good restaurants if you don't want to travel far at the end of the day.

~Liz

dfrostnh

What about Rockland: Farnsworth Museum featured Maine artists, Owls Head Transportation Museum, easy walk to Owls Head Light. We have not been to Primo but have seen it frequently mentioned on Chowhound as a great place to dine. We took a boat trip out to Monhegan Island from Boothbay but I think you can also get there from Rockland. Last summer we ended up at a lobster dinner to benefit the fire dept.

SharonG

Another person who loves Kennebunkport. Lovely town. The first time I was there was when the first President Bush was in office. We went to look over his place there and I was overcome with intense jealousy cause it was such a gorgeous spot.

cathee

i have thought about Camden--found a cute bed and breakfast on the water. So many choices. The reason we are doing 5 days in bar harbor is acadia--we are actually right outside of bar harbor and plan on doing lots of biking and hiking. we like to stay put for a few days--rather than pack and un pack.

djkbooks

I just didn't find Acadia to be any big deal. Note also, that - that far north, the coast is fogged in most of the year. During our one week visit, the fog was so thick you couldn't see the trees along the side of the road, much less the "ocean" view we paid extra to enjoy, the entire time. It did subside, just a bit, now and again. First day, I asked at the front desk if the fog would burn off by noon, and they just laughed!

Our second week, we spent a couple of nights in Camden, then Boothbay Harbor, and there was less and less fog the farther south we traveled.

Though it's a term I positively despise, Bar Harbor/Acadia is one of the most "touristy" places we've ever spent any time. The dining is way overpriced for what it is. Same goes for the shopping and accommodations. We stayed at a very pricey place and didn't think to check whether TV's were in the rooms. When I asked about this at the front desk (to more laughter), I was told that "most people don't go on vacation to watch TV". We don't either, but the news and weather forecast a few minutes a day would have been nice.

We've returned to Camden, Boothbay Harbor, and other charming oceanside towns/villages in the area over the years. For us, anyway, Bar Harbor and Acadia were just not worth the ride. And, we've found all those places to have far superior dining opportunities to Bar Harbor.

MBnancy

We love Kennebunkport, been there 16 times from CA. Stayed at The White Barn Inn, The Beach House, The Breakwater Inn and the Yachtsman Inn (all sister Inns).

We always have dinner at the White Barn Restaurant, it's our favorite restaurant in the US.

dfrostnh

You could do a stop in Camden on your way south. It's beautiful and we like to picnic on top of Mt Battie but it's full of shops and tourists. We usually camp when we visit Maine, staying in Wiscasset (Boothbay is just to the north). It's a much smaller town than Camden but does have some traffic backup during commuting hours because of the narrow bridge/Rt 1 in the middle of town. If you want to explore Maine that hasn't changed much, drive on the peninsulas east of Brunswick esp the town of Harpswell where it's possible to find a semi deserted beach. Recently talked to someone who visits Maine via sailboat. She said the chowder served with a blueberry muffin at the Dolphin Marina restaurant is the best. Unfortunately I didn't order the chowder. If you are visiting around July 4th, Bath (south of Wiscasset) has wonderful Heritage Days with a big parade, craft fair, etc. Find the tent where the church ladies are selling slices of homemade pie! Check out the lighthouse cruises at the Bath Maritime Museum. We went back when they offered a full day cruise and told you to bring a picnic lunch which we ate on a little island. Nothing fancy. Great stories about lighthouse keepers and storms. Nature info. Cruise by the shipbuilding area.

zootsi

Here's a place we stayed at a few years ago. Reasonably priced, right on a cove, close to everything.
http://cabotcovecottages.com

elberko

"I just didn't find Acadia to be any big deal. Note also, that - that far north, the coast is fogged in most of the year.'


Wow, I'm speechless...It's a shame you were fogged in the whole time, I could see how that would color you opinion, but in 8-10 visits, we've never had to deal with more than an occasional foggy day. Acadia isn't much farther north than the other places mentioned, so I'm not sure it would be any foggier.

~Liz

cathee

I am writing down all of your suggestions----thank you all---i surely hope we don't get fogged in---the last time my husband and I went northeast--we were newlyweds and decided on cape cod for a week on the ocean---never saw the horizon once---it POURED for 8 straight days---its taken us this long (30 years) to try the northeast coast again. i guess you just can't depend on the weather! thanks for the lodging suggestions, MB nancy--i'll check them out---i took a look at cabot cove cottages and they were well over $300/night---the blackpoint inn was 610/night. we are used to staying in really nice places----but don't like to go over 300/night for just the 2 of us.

Bowsprit

Well, I love Cape Cod and Acadia, but you can't count on the weather to be perfect, that's for sure.

djkbooks: You must have been in Acadia the same week my husband and I were traveling through the Canadian Maritimes. It was so foggy we never saw the Bay of Fundy nor the harbor in Halifax. In fact, the last time we saw water was as we were crossing over the Connecticut River at the start of our 2 week trip! Great memories, lousy pictures.

The best way to insure you get great food in Maine is to cook it yourself. You'll be able to enjoy some of the freshest seafood you could ever hope to eat.

djkbooks

When we stayed in Acadia, we could not see the shrubs outside the windows of our hotel room. We had paid $50/night additional for a room with a view of the bay. When I asked at the front desk if there was any possibility of a rate adjustment, they laughed at me.

After we got home, I read that Bar Harbor is fogged in more often than not. What was really distressing were the loud fog horns going off day and night.

Bowsprit

Not exactly your dream vacation I see. I would have been shocked if the hotel had given you a room discount due to fog! I live on the Cape for part of the year and the fog horns are music to my ears as they are for nearly everyone who lives by the sea. Maybe earplugs would have helped? Anyway, if you could have actually Seen Acadia you would have been able to enjoy its beauty.