Have never been to Bar Harbor, ME...looking to go in perhaps June. Can anyone recommend a nice place on the water? And if I'm coming up from NJ - are there better options than driving - seems a tough place to get to? Thanks very much!

We're from NJ. You can fly into Bangor and rent a car, or to Portland and rent a car. The fares were a little more to Bangor so we opted for Portland -- it's a longer drive, but was nice to take the coast road up (Rt 1) and the highway back.

The airport in Portland has some great literature of the area, and a what-to-see list of stuff for the drive up.

ttt

Again with that website. Dowab, stop posting this! If you don't have any first-hand experience, please don't post. I have no idea how the lists are compiled on that site but I do know it's ridiculously out of date.

The Bay View is nice. The Atlantic Oakes next door is more motel-style but right at the water. Early June will be less crowded and less expensive.

Bar Harbor is great. The only National park in New England; Acadia N. Park is beautiful.We stayed at the Bar Harbor Manor and took there special deal tay-lobster dinner -Whale watching excursion.Paul

first june - make your plans for as late in the month as you can. its still black fly (and mosquito) season for us until my birthday the first of july. those pesky little creatures can cause you to run screaming and swatting for the indoors.
bangor flight would mean approx 1 hour drive to bar harbor. portland drive would allow you to see much more of maine, would take 31/2 hrs using I95, alot longer if you traveled scenic rte 1.
if you drive from jersey avoid entering maine on a friday after 12noon at all costs. long delays at the toll booths guaranteed! then mega traffic for a ways up til you pass the beach exits. no need to aggrevate yourself.
www.barharborinn.com is imho the nicest place to stay. if you don't, at least go walk around the old part of the hotel and the grounds and have lunch or dinner. the main blding is old and the rms aptly decorated. the lodge is a bit more nice hotel rm looking but really ON the water! views of moonlight on that bay are exquisite.
while you're there try to drive over to the much less visited schoodic point (a part of acadia). great place to take a picnic, sit on the rocks and watch the waves crashing ashore.

I love Bar Harbor. I stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn and really liked it. It's on the water and you can walk to everything in town. There are a couple of different buildings to stay in. There is also a good restaurant on the water there.

to wyatt92,
I'm a former brewer who won gold medals at the great american beer festival and the world beer championships and also judge several national beer competitions, and I composed that list. Cadillac Mtn. Stout is international known. This is quite an achievement for such a tiny brewerey. If you would like to know any of my creditials on any other topic I may respond to, I will be happy to give them to you.

This list was updated September of 2005. Sorry it was not current according to your standards.

If you're not firm on going in June I would suggest going in September. Black flies are no fun and you should avoid them at all cost. Rent bikes and ride the carriage trails in Acadia, then have tea and popovers at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia, a long-standing tradition. I always prefer small B&B's to larger inns or hotels and there are a million in BH. Also, try to see the other towns on the island, Southwest Harbor and Northwest Harbor. Take a boat ride to the Cranberry Islands and don't miss sunrise at the top of Cadillac Mountain. From a Freeporter living in Austria.

The Bar Harbor Inn is the best.

www.barharborinn.com

Their Lobster Pie is the best dish I have ever eaten in my life.

Anne's White Columns Inn

We stayed there back in November, it was nice and refreshing.

We're going to be staying in Bar Harbor from June 17-24. We've rented a place a few blocks from town at the edge of Acacia Nat'l Park, "Summertime," (sorry, no water views). Regarding the drive, we'll be going with 2 young children and our chocolate lab...we're leaving around 4 AM and plan to arrive in Maine in time for breakfast (the Maine Diner is right off the highway on Rt 1). We're looking forward to stopping at the nearby Kittery Outlets and then taking the scenic drive up the coastline for a bit. The drive wasn't difficult...we navigated a good part of it easily at night during some amazing downpours back in '99. I guess for us, the vacation exploring began when we left our home in northern NJ! Enjoy your trip regardless of how you get there!

Christina

CastleMaine Inn is nice and a few blocks from the main shopping/dining area in the village. The Sea Breeze Motel is older but well-kept; it's on Frenchman's Bay and is a decent bike-ride or short car trip from town and just outside an entrance to Acadia National Park.