Balance Rock Inn — Hotel in Bar Harbor

My husband and I spent six nights at the Balance Rock Inn in what they refer to as a junior suite with an ocean view. We could see Frenchmans bay, the porcupine islands, and the pool and patio from our room. The view was really beautiful. The front of the property is a parking lot that leads to a small road that takes you to downtown Bar Harbor. The back of the home is lovely, the front is unremarkable. I would only stay in an ocean facing room if you stay here. I would also mention that staying in what I believe is the carriage house where the "gym" is located is on a dreadful piece of the property surrounded by parking lot and is absolutely not worth staying in. The gym consist of three machines. We scheduled a five night stay for late May four months in advance but about a month prior to our arrival date we had to reschedule because our daughter was having complications with her pregnancy and her baby was going to be born sooner than expected. We contacted the Balance Rock and explained the situation. We rescheduled for late September as that was also out of their prime summer season and we wanted to keep the price the same. We were told that $1000 was nonrefundable if we canceled the trip. We did not want to cancel anyway, we just wanted to reschedule. The five night stay was originally approximately $1700. When we rescheduled it the lowest price for the same room was just over $2,900. I was upset but was told by the man I spoke with that the hotel was worth it. Since we had no choice except a penalty cancellation, we went ahead with it but it left me feeling taken advantage of. Our suite consisted of one good sized room and a bathroom. The bathroom was dated. It had a tiny "pocket shower" with a rusty drain and a fixed shower head with really really weak pressure. There was also a jetted tub from the same era. The tub had wonderful pressure but no shower head. It was not very clean and had cigarette burns along the side. I had to wash in the shower and then get in the bathtub to rinse fully. This is not acceptable in a $600 a night room especially when it comes to something as basic as being able to get clean. The bathroom was in need of wallpaper removal, a new tub and shower and a general renovation. The main room had been updated with modern grey walls and white leather furniture in contrast to the peach and brown traditional bathroom. The main room was in better shape than the bathroom but still was not very clean. There was dust and cobwebs on the lampshades and silk flowers and the large rug covering half of the room needed shampooed. It appeared to have been furnished and decorated by about the quality of a bed bath and beyond. The faux wood mirror had a chunk out of the foam frame and the wall below it was scratched. The pictures above the couch had large ripples through them that were highlighted by well placed lights above each one. The sleep number bed was covered in your standard hotel white duvet white sheet combo and was reasonably comfortable. Still it had charm. The push button gas fireplace was on a timer and allowed you to fall asleep to firelight without waking up too hot. We loved the fireplace. Night time was magical. The moon rose directly over the bay and was visible from our room and the back of the property with it's connected ocean path. The patio was lit by torches and fire pits and felt cozy and accommodating. The proximity to Arcadia was great as we spent most of our time hiking. We ended up extending our stay by one night and the rate was $265 for that night. This was not discounted, it was the regular room rate which I verified online. This really bothered me as we had asked for the lowest room rate in September to try to keep our original price. I feel the price was increased because they knew we could not cancel without a large fee and nearly doubled our cost. There were things I enjoyed about the Balance Rock and some I did not but I can say without reservation that it was not worth...

The Negative Reviews below mine turned out to be very accurate. We stayed three nights, a different room each night. I’ll go Good, Bad, and the Really Bad.

The good: view, bedding, restaurant staff, excellent decor on 1st level, oveall ambience.

The bad: inconsistent room set up (2 chocolates, 1 chocolate, then no chocolates; same for bathroom toiletries), needing minor repairs (cleaning up spilled paint, carpet felt… dirty, broken wooden pieces, broken door knobs, little nicks or tears), breakfast menu never changed; always ran low on food even though the place was halfway full each time we went, needing tastier food vs just nicely arranged, needing better internet, no Express Return Room Key. Even though they knew we were here for three nights but had to change rooms each night- they made us get a new daily parking pass which not only seemed wasteful but inconvenient for us as the area is heavy for walking so we really don’t need car access once there. We were never asked by anyone but Satine if we were enjoying our stay. When I indicated it was disappointing, she only asked questions which I wasn’t comfortable answering as it had to do with her colleagues (Reception & Cleaning) so was hoping I’d receive a call from a Manager— I never did.

The REALLY BAD: looked moldy onRoom 106 ceiling over the desk; overcharged by $24 (when I called, they said they already caught that we meant $24 total to a $19.44 glass of wine, and corrected it but something about it didn’t feel right about the way the Reception handled it. Truthfully, if I were you, I’d thoroughly check invoices); dirty bathroom with short red hair (we have silver my husband & long, brown for me); inconsistent kindness or even friendliness of Reception Staff; no one around super early in the Reception even though the area is heavy in Acadia hiking; two numbers listed were unreachable at 6AM; super rudeness from one of the three Reception Staff. The most expensive room ($599 plus taxes/fees) had duct tape holding a window system with a giant hose to it in place. One room we walked SIDEWAYS to get to due to the floor titling to the side. They advertised the heated pool as open until 10PM but removed all of the towels by dinner service (6PM).

Overall, I would have given a 3/5 if the staff were nicer maybe even a 4– but for those prices, and all of the incredible intentions from the Owner in the decor and ambience— it’s sad to see some staff care so little with cleaning...

The wife and I were celebrating our 10th anniversary. We have traveled around North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Central America and stayed at many hotels which are considered luxury properties. Upon finding the Balance Rock, we called and were told that the Penthouse suite was an ideal choice and although it was being renovated currently, it would be an excellent choice. Going off of an outdated description and no photos, we booked anyway....the cost was just over $1,000 a night with taxes. We arrived and found the Balance Rock to be a well appointed and comfortable property. The front desk person told us that we were staying in the nicest room on the island. High Praise!! We were shown around and to our room.......it was..........ok. The biggest initial complaint? It wasn't finished. Paint on the floor, hastily thrown together furnishings and electric window blinds that didn't function were noticed immediately. NO TUB! A penthouse suite with a nice shower but no bathtub? We gave the doorman a $20 after explaining to him that it was my wife's birthday and the next day our tenth anniversary.....we never saw him again. Ghost. The first night, we woke up to find the room a crisp 60 degrees as the heat stopped working. Not a great start to our anniversary. No one checked to see if we needed anything, toiletries, towels, etc.....We called to find out that we were supposed to put our trash and dirty linens in a basket and leave in the hallway. When we told them we had no basket, they said, "throw them on the floor!" OK............... We voiced our complaints about the room, the heat (or lack thereof). No one seemed to care. Not wanting to ruin our anniversary, we focused on activities outside of the Inn.

Capable restaurant staff and professional. Front end folks were far from welcoming. It felt like everything was an inconvenience. Very disappointing. While we understand that the year has been a challenge to hotels in particular, this was far below what...