Fodor's Expert Review Balance Rock Inn
21 Albert Meadows, Bar Harbor, Maine, 04609, USA
Along the shore path near downtown, spacious, gorgeously furnished rooms and suites are spread about the 1903 shingle-style main inn (originally a wealthy summer resident's "cottage"), a modern addition, and a pet-friendly carriage house. Rising from the oceanside path, the expansive lawn is topped with a heated pool, and beyond that, the Veranda, where a full breakfast is served as well as Nordic-inspired cuisine—about half the seating is outdoors—in the evening when it becomes an intimate fine dining restaurant. During the day, guests can enjoy the inn’s dark-walled parlor, which has a grand piano. In the evening it’s part of the dinner-only restaurant. Through the glass doors, you can watch breakfast or dinner being prepared in the adjoining kitchen.
PROS
- upscale restaurant serves light fare by the firepit or in the piano bar, dinner on the veranda
- many rooms have amenities like a fireplace, deck, and dry sauna
- two suites and one room sleep up to five people
CONS
- not all rooms have central air-conditioning
- some upper-level accommodations have limited elevator access
- pricey room rates
QUICK FACTS
HOTEL INFO
HOTEL DETAILS
Rate Includes: Closed late Oct.–early May, Free Breakfast
