The Monhegan House — Hotel in Monhegan Island Plantation

Arrived on the island on Saturday June 10, 2023. Beautiful and untouched with a artsy whimsical feel! People are nice but not friendly here. You almost feel as of they would rather you not be here . The galleries are hardly ever open , hours are posted, but again seems like it’s an inconvenience to them to be open . The first time I was here I stayed at The Island Inn which is right where you get off the boat, it has the American flag flying high in the air. I had a very modest room on the water side with beautiful views of the harbor, this time I stayed at The Monhegan House in the smallest room with views of the lighthouse and the meadow leading up to the graveyard. I preferred the harbor views, but the meadow views were beautiful and relaxing also . Unfortunately it is mostly shared bathrooms at Monhegan House which I was extremely nervous about, but it worked out fine for the two nights I was there. Meals( breakfast and dinner are included) so with my modestly priced room it was quite a deal for me. The food was absolutely delicious and came out extremely hot. I’m not sure who the chef is but he is extraordinary ! I did the hike around the island, it took me 5 hours, and was much more difficult than I anticipated, but I did just turned 60 so maybe that’s why! Stopped at the Monhegan Brewery for a seltzer(not a beer drinker) when I got back to flat land . The cemetery is a fun place to explore. It has tombstones dated back to the early 1700’s. This is my 2nd time here on the Island, I was here with my son on the first visit and alone this time . I prefer having a hiking partner. In Maine people are not very welcoming when you are alone and I find that even more so on the Island . No one approached me to chat, They left me to myself and to my own thoughts. Which I have many ! Say hello to people that are alone - I have an abundance of people and love in my life , but not all people do. So for this year, that is one thing I will do, I will reach out to those who are alone when I see them. Life can be very isolating when you’re alone especially when you’re living on a small island . Talk to people, I may go as far as to even ask them to have coffee with me. Loneliness is not good for the soul. That is one thing I learned this weekend. Loneliness can lead to depression and isolation. On a funny side note, the owner of The Monhegan House have their Inn up for sale, I was outside watching them dig a hole at sunset, they were digging up the St. Joseph stature that they had buried - (taking him out of the box) and replanting him in the ground! It was a funny sight to see. I wish them luck in selling their Inn. It is a beautiful, peaceful place. Mohegan Island is a place to go and get in touch with yourself. The food is amazing. The island itself is serenity. Also a shout out to all the waitresses at Monhegan House, what a nice crew of gals they have working for them. Also a shout out to the guy that got my bag from the boat to the Monhegan House, he was the friendliest person I met on the entire island. I ended up making friends on the boat ride back to Boothbay Harbor. |My favorite thing on the island are the Fish house shrimp tacos. I had them all three days for lunch, and I don’t regret one...

I’d visited Monhegan Island twice in the past, both on day trips, and had always been curious to experience the vibe of the island for a more extended period, so booked a two-night stay here. If you’re considering an overnight stay on the island, you likely already know that this is not a destination with high-end amenities or luxurious surroundings. You come here instead to get off the grid, leave the insanity of the everyday world behind and just exist in a simpler and saner state of being. ||||I expected to struggle at first with the lack of common lodging amenities: no air conditioning or TV, shared bathrooms, no locks on doors, simplest and most basic furnishings, etc. Really, those absences were so in character with the rugged, simple beauty and rejuvenating quality of the island that, looking back, I couldn’t imagine having it any other way.||||WHAT WAS GOOD: I can’t say enough about the casual, simple and friendly atmosphere that permeates the inn from the moment you enter from the wraparound front porch….My room was small and equipped with very basic old-fashioned furnishings, yet was completely comfortable and immaculately clean. Bedding was up to date and excellent. I happened to have windows on two sides, providing a constant cooling breeze, making the lack of AC irrelevant, even in late July…I had read positive things about the dining here but the quality was way beyond what I anticipated. To have such artfully and deliciously prepared dinners and breakfasts in such a simple and remote location was beyond anything I could have imagined. I savored every meal. Service was friendly, competent and pleasantly slow, as it should be in a place like this….All staff members I encountered were pleasant and accommodating….I really liked the fact that you can come off the 10:30 sail from Port Clyde and check in upon arrival on the island (around noon)….The inn seemed to be at or near capacity but I never had to wait for a bathroom or shower and hardly ever encountered other guests when using the facilities.||||WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER: Nothing. ||||THINGS TO KNOW: Though they are shared, bathroom and shower units are compartmented and you always have your space to yourself….Like so many others, I live a daily existence where the thought of leaving your room unlocked is unsettling. Trust me, it’s just not a thing here. (Of course you can bolt your door from the inside for security when in-room.)....The Novelty, next door, is a friendly place offering lunch, ice cream, pizza, light groceries and a surprising selection of wines and craft beers. ||||BOTTOM LINE: Stay here if willing to embrace the lack of traditional lodging indulgences and to rediscover a simpler life that most of us tend to have either forgotten or never...

This hotel is comforting and cute.

First of all, the proprietors work really hard and are accommodating whenever possible.

The hotel has staff to transport your luggage to and from any ferry that leaves or arrives at the island. The rooms are pretty small, and they’re always hot whenever I’ve stayed there, so keep that in mind. There are shared bathrooms on the first floor (that’s how they refer to the floor above the lobby/game room.

The food isn’t great... over the past few years I’ve twice made dinner reservations at the in-house restaurant and been quite disappointed for the prices they charge. I tend to eat at the other establishments around the island for lunch and dinner. Oddly, breakfast at the hotel is pretty decent! Certainly better than most other US hotels I’ve been to in the past couple years...

The front porch and the game room are where it’s at. The porch is excellent for some early morning reading. Grab a cup of coffee and go check out the morning... Maybe a cat will come up and snuggle you if you’re lucky! The game room has doors that you can close as it gets past “bedtime” to ensure the other guests aren’t disturbed during a raucous game of Pictionary... The room is well stocked with good group games like Pictionary and Apples to Apples, and they also have other classics like Clue and Scrabble and so forth. There’s even a pair of community binoculars on the shelf in there.

All over the hotel you’ll see the work of local artists. Some of it is really lovely, and some of it appears to have been created by children. But it’s not the hotel’s fault that some artists charge as much as they do.

Behind the hotel is The Novelty, which is a great little spot to get some yummy food and interesting beers and wine options. For food, the pizza is really good! And the hot wraps are unlike any other wraps I’ve had. After food try some ice cream - flavors tend to rotate each day.

Checkout is super...