Seawall Motel and TideWatch Suites — Hotel in Southwest Harbor

My family and I stayed here for a few nights in June, and we are so glad we did. We were looking for someplace affordable, someplace that provided breakfast, and someplace that was on the quiet side of the island. This checked all of the boxes.

The location was fab! We could walk across the street to boulders and rocks and take in the scenery--lovely even in the mist and fog. The owner was super friendly and accommodating as well. Easy to drive to Bass Harbor and Southwest Harbor for meals and meandering, and easy to catch the MDI Bus if you wanted to, as well.

The room was clean; the decor was a bit dated, but that was fine--we weren't there to admire hotel room decorations! Breakfast was tasty. We didn't spend much time in our room since we were there to enjoy and explore Acadia, but it was a basic room. The walls were kind of thin, as a few other reviewers had mentioned. I heard some, ahem, "lovely dovey" sounds coming from the room on the other side of the wall on our first night, and I could easily hear folks who checked in late hanging out the next night.

There were a bunch of barn swallows nesting high above the stairwell while we were there, and I think it's awesome that the team at the hotel respects wildlife and didn't want to disturb it! My kids and I darted up the stairs quickly though, since we didn't want to get accidentally pooped on by the birds! :) I also noticed a cat hanging around out the property, and it was a regular visitor on the upper level where we stayed. This was a problem for me, personally, but nothing I could really do about it. I am highly allergic to cats and have a slight fear of cats, too, and because the cat seemed to linger around, I didn't feel like I could enjoy sitting out there on the balcony.

All in all, I would stay at the Seawall again, but I'd choose to upgrade to one of the larger units that has a kitchen/kitchenette so we could do some of our own cooking, because going out to eat anywhere...

The stay itself was average—nothing special but fine. What completely ruined it was having no hot water for hours, not the “45 minutes” the owner claimed in her previous comment. After a long day of hiking, all we wanted was a shower. When we asked for updates, the owner’s response at one point was to “just take a cold shower.” She wasn’t joking—she was completely serious.||After we kept asking about a fix and if there was any alternative, she finally offered for us to shower across the street at the condos she owns, which was actually a great solution—but it came two hours too late as we had to already alter our afternoon schedule. She did offer to buy us dinner which we declined since we already had plans to eat in Bar Harbor for our wedding Anniversary. That dinner would’ve cost well over $100, so to later receive only $15 in compensation when we checked out was an absolute insult. After everything, that gesture felt dismissive and tone-deaf. I completely understand that life happens and some things are out of the control of management, that is not what I am upset about. I am more so upset of how we were treated. There was no empathy, rather we were a disturbance. Whether that was her intent or not, it was how we felt and perception is everything. ||To make things worse, the noise from the room above us was ridiculous. I understand it’s an older property and soundproofing isn’t great, but after the hot water situation and the owner’s attitude, our tolerance was gone. Overall, the stay went from average to infuriating—and the $15 refund was the final slap...

The stay itself was average—nothing special but fine. What completely ruined it was having no hot water for hours, not the “45 minutes” the owner claimed in her previous comment. After a long day of hiking, all we wanted was a shower. When we asked for updates, the owner’s response at one point was to “just take a cold shower.” She wasn’t joking—she was completely serious.

After we kept asking about a fix and if there was any alternative, she finally offered for us to shower across the street at the condos she owns, which was actually a great solution—but it came two hours too late as we had to already alter our afternoon schedule. She did offer to buy us dinner which we declined since we already had plans to eat in Bar Harbor for our wedding Anniversary. That dinner would’ve cost well over $100, so to later receive only $15 in compensation when we checked out was an absolute insult. After everything, that gesture felt dismissive and tone-deaf. I completely understand that life happens and some things are out of the control of management, that is not what I am upset about. I am more so upset of how we were treated. There was no empathy, rather we were a disturbance. Whether that was her intent or not, it was how we felt and perception is everything.

To make things worse, the noise from the room above us was ridiculous. I understand it’s an older property and soundproofing isn’t great, but after the hot water situation and the owner’s attitude, our tolerance was gone. Overall, the stay went from average to infuriating—and the $15 refund was the final slap...