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There's only one catch to scoring your low-cost dream vacation: You must take your trip before June 15 or after Columbus Day.
While most Mainers start heading for Bar Harbor when the summer's at its peak, the truly wise among us have discovered Bar Harbor's "shoulder season." While exact dates vary among merchants, Bar Harbor's shoulder season (also known as off-season or nonpeak) begins as early as April and extends to June 15, with the fall season running from Columbus Day through December. Room rates are decidedly lower on either side of peak season, sometimes as much as 50% lower-leaving more cash for shopping, dining, and renting gear for Mount Desert Island's host of outdoor adventures
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These pre- and post-season deals are by design, says local entrepreneur Michael Boland, owner of two restaurants, Havana and Rupununi, as well as the Criterion Theatre. "For the past 10 years the Chamber and area businesses focused on extending our season in Bar Harbor," Boland says. "Part of this orchestrated effort is a desire to see more folks from Maine take advantage of what is truly a world-class destination."
While Boland sees more and more Maine residents catching on to the value of vacationing in the Bar Harbor area in spring and fall, the numbers are still far below what he and other business owners would like to see. According to the Maine 2003 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), 18.6 million pleasure day trips are taken annually in Maine, with residents accounting for about half of them. Among the 4.3 overnight pleasure trips, however, only 16% are taken by Mainers. Costas Christ, executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, is working to change that.
"Day trips to popular places like Sand Beach or the village are a great way to spend a day, but staying here for a weekend or longer gives you the chance to explore those special places in Bar Harbor that local residents cherish," he says. With time and energy at a premium for many Maine people, a growing number of couples and families are making mini-vacations in Bar Harbor an annual spring or fall event. "By coming when it's less busy," Christ says, "Mainers get to have it their way-all the beauty without the summer crowds."
And at a cost savings, too. What's not to like?
FIRST CLASS FOR LESS
One way to approach your Bar Harbor area shoulder-season vacation savings is to find the highest-quality digs you can, and revel in the fact that you're paying approximately half of peak rates. Here are just a few from a whole mine of jewels waiting for you at off-season prices.
Bar Harbor Inn. Situated on Frenchman's Bay overlooking the pier, Bar Harbor Inn is one of the most celebrated properties on MDI. Though room rates rise to as high as $369 per night during peak season, the Inn offers a number of off-season packages, such as their Spring Fling, available May 20-June 23. The package features two nights lodging, full breakfasts, one dinner, a Park tour or harbor cruise, and a $20 gift shop credit for as little as $215 per person for an ocean-view room. (Tax & gratuities not included.) www.barharborinn.com
The Bar Harbor Hotel-Bluenose Inn. The island's only AAA Four Diamond resort and Eden Street landmark, offers similar spring packages and off-season rates. Its elegant hotel restaurant, The Rose Garden, features a three- and five-course prix fixe tasting menu and an extensive wine list. www.barharborhotel.com
Mira Monte Inn & Suites. For a decidedly intimate stay, there's Mira Monte Inn & Suites, a former Victorian summer estate with landscaped gardens that were featured on HGTV. Mira Monte has 13 rooms with private baths, and optional amenities like Jacuzzis, fireplaces, and balconies. Special "Innspring" rates run through the first week of June. www.miramonte.com
Asticou Inn. Located in nearby Northeast Harbor, the Asticou Inn offers springtime rates essentially one-half of its July and August prices. Known for its Victorian dà ½cor, the Inn's adjacent Asticou Azalea Gardens alone are worth the trip, or take a jaunt to nearby islands from the harbor. www.asticou.com
FOR THE THIRFTY TRAVELER
Bar Harbor area offers some outrageously inexpensive off-season deals in lodging.
Seacroft Inn. Tucked away in a quiet spot 200 yards from the ocean, the Seacroft Inn rates dip 60% in April, only $39 to $59 for a room sans breakfast; rates from May 17 to June 20 are still one-third below peak season. Bunny and Dave Smith, in their 15th year as innkeepers, see a lot of repeat guests during the shoulder seasons. "Many have become our good friends," Bunny observes. www.seacroftinn.com
Red's Garden Cottage. Traveling with your dog? No problem at Red's Garden Cottage in Otter Creek. Four miles out of town on Route 3 in a rural residential area, Red's offers a private place with full kitchen and sleeping for five. Save $200 a week on October through May weekly rates or opt for the two-night minimum at reduced rates. http://www2.cyberrentals.com /MEMDI/SomersBAR.html
Snell House. Like to save on expenses by preparing some of your own meals? You're in luck at the Snell House, where a studio apartment is priced at $72 per night (plus tax) through June 15. www.snellhouse.com
Atlantic Eyrie Lodge. From a quiet location atop a bluff, the Atlantic Eyrie Lodge provides private balconies with incredible views of Frenchman's Bay, a large solar-heated pool and a continental breakfast. Kids under seven stay free and, during shoulder season, rooms drop as low as $56. www.barharbor.com/eyrie.html
Bar Harbor KOA. During shoulder season, nature lovers save 25% on tent sites or RV parking at Bar Harbor KOA Campground, which drew over 700 Mainers as registered guests last year. "There's so much to do here," general manager Emmett Watkins says, "you can have a fine time without leaving the property" with group activities, arcade, playground, swimming, fishing, and kayak rentals. www.barharborkoa.com
Hadley's Point Campground. Mainers comprise the majority of Hadley's Point Campground guests as well. "We keep the same low rate all year," owner Sue Baker says. "It's $32 for an RV hookup and $22 for a tent site. And we're just a quarter of a mile from the beach."
www.hadleyspoint.com
SIDEBAR: Extended Play List
The Gift of Acadia
Fortunately, even Acadia National Park drops its price by half from May 1 to June 23 and, then again, from Columbus Day weekend to November 1, charging only $10 per car for a seven-day pass. By all means, visit Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, and Sand Beach; but don't miss quieter treasures like Sieur de Monts Spring. www.nps.gov/acad/
Kid Stuff
Kids of all ages rave over Diver Ed's Dive-In Theater, an underwater sightseeing trip that allows you to stay dry while exploring the ocean floor. From Memorial Day through June and, then again, from Labor Day through Columbus Day, tickets for the two-hour boat cruise cost $5 less. www.divered.com
Another child-friendly rainy-day refuge is the Mount Desert Oceanarium with its ever-popular touch tanks, with locations in Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor. www.theoceanarium.com
Weather-Proof Activities
No need to fret about rain dampening your day, as Bar Harbor offers plenty of indoor options, from shopping and gallery hopping to touring local breweries. The Abbe Museum, celebrating Maine's Native American heritage, charges one admission all season: $6 for adults or $2 for children 6-15. www.abbemuseum.org
It's Showtime
Criterion Theatre, with its "floating" balcony and private box seating, delivers added ambiance to its varieties of movies and events. www.criteriontheater.com For more laid-back entertainment, Geddy's restaurant features live music nightly from May through October. www.geddys.com
Economical Eats
While Bar Harbor will give you plenty of opportunities to sample gourmet hot spots, family-style dining opportunities abound. Reel Pizza Cinerama costs only $5 for a movie ticket, plus for a few more bucks you can order a fresh pizza. Poor Boy's Gourmet features an early bird menu ($8.95) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. www.poorboysgourmet.com
Freebies
Many of Bar Harbor's pleasures don't cost a cent. Go seal spotting at Indian Point. Year-round, pop into the College of the Atlantic's child-friendly Dorr Museum of Natural History. www.coa.edu Take a ride on an Island Explorer, the free propane-driven buses that leave the Village Green twice an hour, with five routes. www.exploreacadia.com
An Invitation to Play
Costas Christ extends a personal invitation to Bangor Metro readers to visit during Bar Harbor's shoulder seasons. "Whether you come for the day, overnight, or for an extended stay, we invite you to enjoy what's truly special about this place that has attracted visitors for the past hundred years."
View more of Greg Hartford's photos of the Bar Harbor region at www.acadiamagic.com
