My husband and I are trying to plan a trip to Maine in late August...to see the majority of the Coastal towns, what would be the best city to fly in and out of...also which are the "must see" towns? It has been a dozen or so years since I have been to Maine and my husband has never been...will it be difficult to get hotel accomodations when we get there...we would like this to be as "unstructured" as possible. Thanks!

As far as I know, August is the busiest month in Maine for lodging. It is crazy on the roads, and I have been here August for the past several years. We own in Southern Maine. If cost is a factor, you need to see what you can get for rates from your airport to the various ones near and in Maine. We always go to Boston from Orlando. A lot of people use Manchester, NH and Portland, ME, and even Bangor, ME. Unstructured for accommodations could be tricky, but I have been told (we are here right now) that things are not as busy as normal due to the economy. I would say to find one or two base accommodations that are in areas that have things that interest you and go from there...JMHO! FYI - Gas is $4.15 here today and has been going up about every day.

You are probably already too late to get decent accomodations in many places in Maine for August - since this is the BUSIEST month of the year.

I would start now to look at what option may still be left. (We went a couple of years ago and even reserving in May couldn't get one place for the nights we wanted.)

I don't think you should give up on an unstructured holiday in Maine in August, just stick to the off-the-beaten track areas. For example, fly into Bangor and explore Blue Hill, Cape Rosier, Castine, Stonington, Ellsworth, Schoodic, Bar Harbor (now for that one you might need to book in advance!).

This is the real old-fashioned Maine, but it is also the area least likely to need much notice as long as you are easy-going and happy to stay in motels, B&B's and prepared to check in by 4 pm.

Just so that you see that it is possible, I will just direct you to this charming place The Pantagoet Inn in Castine, Maine. It still has availability in August. www.pentagoet.com

(PS: I am huge fan of this area: we have been vacationing here for 25 years and it never fails to amaze me that it is not more crowded esp. when I hear people rave about Kennbunkport and Ogunquit-this is just as lovely and much more relaxed)

Castine is a great place to stay as are Blue Hill and Stonington. We've been enjoying stays in Georgetown which is very uncrowded and lovely. U might have trouble getting walk in reservations in Bar Harbor, Boothbay and Ogunquit, but the less frequented towns usually have space based on reports from friends. I have never tried to just walk in at the last minute, but have gotten reservations a week or so before arriving.

I think many of the coastal towns are fun to explore...they all are a bit different. Lots of people love Camden, its a pretty town, but generally very crowded. Depending upon how many days, u can pick a base in mid-coast and take some day trips and then move further North and do the same.

If SWA flies in your area, they generally have some great rates into Manchester, NH. From there is about 2 hours to the Coast of Maine. Air Tran also has some lower rates into Portland.
have a great trip.

if it's possible w/out too much extra $$ fly into portland and home from bangor. or the reverse. if not on your return to the airport take the Me tpke/I95 instead of the coastal rte.(much faster)
can you fly jet blue into portland from your home airport.(or change at jfk)
as far as which is easier - they are both very small and easy to get in/out of. manchester is 1 1/2hrs west of portland. i might give the nod to portland 1)because jet blue flies there 2)the runway is short and taking off is a hoot.

i can't recommend a 1/2 day at schoodic point enough. here are some web sites:
http://www.acadia-schoodic.org/
http://www.seeamerica.org/byways/htm...Eschoodic.html
http://www.acadiamagic.com/Schoodic.html
pack a lunch and plan to drive as slowly as possible. the views are very dramatic and there are loads of pull outs. at the "big" parking lot on the point, go hike around on the rocks, watch the blow holes especially when the tide is coming in.

you will find it easier to wing it if you stay north of brunswick/freeport area. freeport is fun to shop, in it's many outlet stores and bowdoin clg's campus is lovely.
i too, advise choosing 1-3 home bases, and taking day trips from those. the real beauty is out on the peninsulas! and you can easily spend most of a day just driving out one.
if you are willing to stay just inland a mile or so rates will be lower and more places available - should you choose to move on each day.
visiting lighthouses might give you an idea how to structure your unstructured route. here is a comprehensive list of them: http://www.lighthouse.cc/me.html
these are generally in very scenic spots.

keep in mind that driving coastal rte 1 can be slow/tedious. the water is Not always visible. eases up a bit n of freeport.

virginia, love those websites! R u by any chance familiar with similar sites further South on the coast in Maine? We'll be in the Georgetown area this weekend and would love to discover some new sites. Thanks

Thanks for all of the good info...I have booked our flight (into Portland) and my husband still insists on flying by the seat of our pants as far as hotel accomdations so I will print all of the suggestions ya'll have made. Is it too far to drive up to Nova Scotia or possible Quebec for several of the 8 days we will be in Maine?

You will lose a day getting to NS regardless of whether you go by CAT or drive around via New Brunswick. And when you get there, by virtue of the fact that there is less in the way of accomodation in the first place than in Maine, the chance of finding seat-of-your-pants hotel/motels/ B&B's is diminished, IMHO.

I LOVE Nova Scotia enough to hope you will save it for another trip.

You can get to Nova Scotia by Ferry www.catferry.com. They go from both Portland and Bar Harbour.

However, there is lots to see in Maine and there is nothing better IMO than having a lobster overlooking the harbour.

yestravel, my best suggestion is to look at the lighthouse site. i live west of bangor & am only familiar with more northern coast. i did enjoy the drive out to the owl's head light a few years ago.
dixiedee,re nova scotia, yes its too far. unless you have a few weeks for this trip. driving the cabot trail (takes a day or 2)is the big deal up there and it is gorgeous and as LJ said good enough to save for it's own visit.
perhaps a whale or puffin wathching trip out of bar harbor would be fun. see: http://www.barharborwhales.com/rates-schedules.php

Thanks for all of the great advice! Due to some unforseen business involvements, we have had to change our trip to the 2nd week of September, which is probably a better time to go. We are so looking forward to this trip!

Hi dixiedee. My mom and I traveled the second week of September last year and it was lovely. We flew into Manchester, lodged the first night in Portsmouth (at theportinn.com) and then drove north through Kittery and York, where we considered staying at yorkharborinn.com. But, we drove farther through Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, stopped at Red's in Wiscasset for yummy lobster rolls and then spent a weekend in Boothbay Harbor at Topside Inn (topsideinn.com). Wherever you go, have a great time.

Thanks, we are really looking forward to getting away from the heat in Mississippi!!!! What do you think the temps will be like in Sept?

We were there in mid-September and stayed in Portland and Bar Harbor. The weather was mainly sunny and cool - 60s during the day, a bit cooler at night. I was comfortable wearing sweaters and pants (light jacket at night). If you do some hiking in Acadia, which I would highly recommend, then you may want something lighter, like a tee shirt.

I don't know whether you are still contemplating going to Nova Scotia, but I would advise against it. You'll loose too much time and money going on the ferry. The ferry goes into Yarmouth, which, to me, isn't much to see. You'll need at least 2 days (with a car) to see just a few of the wonderful sights (eg. Halifax, Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg).

Thanks, we have pretty much decided against the trip to Nova Scotia for the reasons everyone has mentioned, time, etc. Maybe we will save that for another trip!

dixiedee - we had lovely weather last september. 70's and sunny by mid-day and crisp and cool in the evenings. i took long-sleeved T's and light, knight sweaters and a jacket. most of the time, except during our cruise, i hardly needed my jacket, and i'm a bit cold-natured. have a wonderful trip. maine is such a beautiful part of the country and tops my short list of places i'd live in the u.s.

Thanks, we are really looking forward to this trip!