Atlantic Eyrie Lodge — Hotel in Bar Harbor

I almost don't want to rave about the view, lest I make it harder to get a room next year! But wow, the VIEW! You can see the sunrise from the balcony, cruise ships arrive, deer and turkey in the yard below. I stayed two nights in mid-May. If it weren't for the view, though, this motel would be mediocre. The mattress was like a rock. Side sleeping was impossible. And even on my back, this mattress still pinched nerves and flared up my carpal tunnel syndrome. I found some hairs and schmutz in the sink. The room was getting dated; paint was peeling in spots and the bathroom oddly didn't have an exhaust fan. AC was basically a window unit built into the wall. My room--4th floor King--ran from the back to the front of the building. You enter from the front outside (there is an elevator), and then walk straight and you're out the sliding glass door onto the balcony in the back of the lodge, facing the bay. There was an extra sink outside the bathroom. Very small microwave and a mini fridge (no freezer compartment). Keurig with coffee. Breakfast reminded me of my college cafeteria 30 years ago (eg, eggs from a mix with chemicals and fillers). Not many options for gluten-free and dairy-free. The balcony floor was off-kilter from settling--I hope it gets inspected regularly. If you're sitting on the chair, you have privacy, but if you are standing or at the railing, you can see all the other balconies. You can hear neighbors rather well through the wall. You're in the city, so there's road traffic and, when I was there, heavy construction down the hill. There was a space under the door, which whistled when the wind blew. I was annoyed by overeager housekeeping staff on my last morning. They don't give you "do not disturb" placards so they were asking to clean when I went to breakfast and then were knocking on my door at 9:30 am. How about waiting til I check out? I'd have been super annoyed if I'd been sleeping in. And yet--the view...

Location: The hotel is at a higher elevation that offers a stunning view of the bay and Bar Island, and a beautiful sight with the glow of sunrise every morning! It's nice that the hotel is actually tucked away from major traffic and downtown Bar Harbor is a five minute drive. We took walks every morning and evening around the neighborhood.

Room: Very clean and seemed to be one of the updated rooms. In the bathroom though the water drained from the tub very slowly. The window "sill" was an unattached piece of wood that, when I leaned on it to open the window popped forward and almost smacked me in the face. Luckily I have cat-like reflexes.

The bathrooms do not have exhaust fans so you have to open the window for steam to escape. That wouldn't be an issue normally, except I value my privacy and did not appreciate having to duck below the window to avoid anyone over 5'5" looking directly into the bathroom seeing what no one except my doctor needs to see. So, either keep the window and curtains closed and enjoy the extra steam, or open the window, crack the curtains and hope no one is as nosey as the woman I made eye contact with outside.

Service: The employees were extremely helpful checking in, getting additional items, suggesting sights, etc. One woman even hunted down honey for me from the closed "restaurant" since I wasn't feeling well and had bought some oatmeal. They get five stars for their part.

The three stars reflects the fact that no one was there when we had to check out at 4 am. The front desk employee was parked in the porte cochère, reclined in her minivan, fast asleep. Even though we figured we only had to leave our room key, an employee shouldn't have been sleeping in the parking lot in full...

We did a weekend trip to Bar Harbor early September. The lodge lobby, breakfast area and rooms were clean. Room carpet was very dated, but it appeared clean and the bed was comfortable. Room was very large. Our room was on the 4th floor with a balcony and we couldn't ask for a better view of the harbor area... just spectacular! Sunrise views in the morning and the sandbar, boats, cruise ship, etc. There was a "wind tunnel" sound in our room whenever the wind blew which was unexpected, but with the air conditioning on it was tolerable. Carpeting outside the room in the outdoor hallway definitely has wear and needs updating.

Breakfast was abundant but everything was really dry...potatoes, French toast sticks, sausage, etc. However, the cranberry muffins were outstanding! Coffee was good as were the cookies in the lobby and the infused water.

We weren't given much information by check-in staff on shuttle or bus service which would have helped with the parking cost and difficulty finding parking in the Bar Harbor village. We didn't realize this service was available until our 2nd day when we asked. The woman doing check in was very nice. The gentleman at the front desk during the day wasn't very friendly. He wasn't rude, just not very engaging.

Elevator a bit slow, but not bad.

Location to Acadia and the downtown were excellent! The hotel was off the beaten path, but in close proximity to everything.

Grounds were very nicely manicured and pool looked very clean, although we didn't use it. Overall, we were very happy with the hotel and...