While traveling the 7 Days of Coastal Maine trip itinerary in June 2021, I stayed at the Inn on Mount Desert in Bar Harbor, Maine. Keep reading for a quick review of the inn. Whether you are following the 7 Days of Coast Maine trip itinerary or just find yourself in Bar Harbor, Maine, I believe you will find the Inn on Mount Desert fills your needs.
The Inn on Mount Desert is a mid-sized inn with about 30 rooms spread across four floors. Many towns in Maine are dominated by bed and breakfasts. The Inn on Mount Desert departs from this customary Maine accommodation. Bar Harbor can support larger, national chain hotels like Days Inn and Holiday Inn during the summer; however, it is much nicer to stay in a smaller inn close to the downtown area.
The Inn on Mount Desert is located in the downtown area of Bar Harbor. The inn is only about 3 blocks from Main Street and a quick ten-minute or less walk from the harbor front.
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Guest Rooms
The inn has two room types available: Two Queens or Single King. During my recent stay, I slept in a single King room.
The guest rooms are a decent size and simply decorated. Having stayed in a small bed and breakfast in preceding nights, these guest rooms seemed much larger. The room was clean and appropriately stocked upon arrival. It was evident from the layout and finishes that the hotel is fairly new construction (less than 5 years old). All the rooms are roughly the same size and shape. Many other accommodations in Bar Harbor are located in older buildings. These no doubt have more character than a purpose-built inn like the Inn on Mount Desert. However, older buildings also contain less convenient “features” like small spaces, awkward bathroom configurations, a lack of lights or plugs, etc….
The bed was comfortable and supportive. The inn provided four different pillows on the bed. While I found at least a couple of the pillows supporting enough, they skewed towards the softer side. The bedside tables provided sufficient plugs and USB ports for charging within convenient reach.
While the room had a nice-sized television, I never turned it on so I can’t comment on the function or channel selection. There were multiple chairs spread throughout the room which is always nice because it makes getting ready convenient.
Each room also came with a mini-fridge, microwave, and tea/coffee maker. Some tea and coffee were provided in each room if you prefer to wake up immediately to coffee or tea. While the mini-fridge was not stocked, it was nice to have to chill water bottles for the next day’s hike.
Finally, the bathroom was split between the bathtub/shower and toilet in one room with the sink located in the main guest room. This was nice in one way because it allowed someone to use the restroom while someone else was getting ready. However, the negative was that the noise and light from the sink were impossible to separate from the bedroom.
Common Areas
With the Inn on Mount Desert being more of a hotel than a bed and breakfast, common areas weren’t as plentiful. The indoor and outdoor dining areas provided ample room for eating breakfast (more on that in the breakfast section below). These dining areas were set up with tables/chairs and remained accessible 24 hours a day. If you wanted a place to gather as a group and talk or play a game in the evening, these spots would fit the bill. The inn also provided a half dozen rocking chairs on the front porch. Nice weather and some time to kill make these chairs a great relaxing afternoon activity.
The only other indoor common area in the inn was a recreation room with a pool table. This room was located on the bottom floor and accessible to anyone wanting to play a round of pool. While I did not personally play during my stay, the room had all the pool cues, triangles, and balls needed to do so.
The inn has constructed a miniature garden to its rear (next to the parking lot). The garden was excellently landscaped with many flowers, a few water features, and seating areas. If you are looking for a spot to relax and enjoy an afternoon (and the rocking chairs aren’t your thing), the garden is another good option.
Breakfast
As with most inns, breakfast was provided each morning. The spread consisted of two rotating freshly prepared hot menu items each morning. Examples of the hot menu items included:
- Scrambled eggs
- Garden Tart
- Blueberry Pancakes
These hot menus items were often served with a starch (like breakfast potatoes), a muffin, and fruit. In addition to the hot options, there was a buffet with several continental breakfast items including sliced bread, English muffins, bagels, and fruit. Finally, the available beverages consisted of orange juice, coffee, tea, or milk.
The freshly prepared hot breakfast menu was a nice option. Several days during our stay, one of the options was vegetarian. However, on one day there was not a vegetarian option so that didn’t seem to be a requirement. During the three days, I can’t say that I was displeased with any of the breakfasts. The staff did a great job preparing the food and having it available quickly after ordering. In addition, the availability of the buffet items made great options for a snack on the hikes later in the day. There were several times where a bagel to go became a mid-hike snack in the morning.
Amenities
The amenities at the Inn on Mount Desert were fairly standard. While that means there isn’t anything standout, it also means there wasn’t anything negative about the stay.
A parking lot for guests is located behind the inn. While the lot borders on being a little small for the inn, there was at least one spot available every night that I was there. The door to the parking lot is also located close to the elevator marking for easy loading and unloading of bags.
Free Wi-Fi is provided throughout the property. The speed was more than sufficient to support watching videos online.
Finally, there are laundry machines available for clothes washing if you needed that option while you are in Bar Harbor. The washing machine and dryer require coins, similar to what you would find in a laundromat. There is only one of each in the laundry room. While this shouldn’t be an issue with an inn of this size, if someone else did happen to need it when you did, it could take a while for them to complete their load.
Service
Throughout our stay, there was no issue with the service. The front desk was regularly staffed during normal daytime/business hours. While the front desk did close at night (usually around 7 – 8 PM), the inn provided a phone number if you needed any assistance during the night.
I requested help from the front desk in printing our Acadia National Park entrance pass on the first day of our stay. They were happily able to assist in providing me an email to send the pass to and then print it out.
Unfortunately, the Inn on Mount Desert does not have its own website and relies on 3rd party booking services such as Booking.com and Hotels.com. I recommend comparing prices between the various 3rd party booking sites because there can often be a $25/night difference.
Bottom Line
The Inn on Mount Desert is a great option for staying in Bar Harbor. While it doesn’t have the most charm or isn’t the most luxurious place in Bar Harbor, I do believe the inn provides a good room for a great value. I would consider returning to stay with them again should I find myself in Bar Harbor a second time.
